Mechanic Name Generator

Mechanic characters in fiction carry two names: the one on their birth certificate and the one stitched over the shirt pocket. The given name tends to be short and unfussy, the kind that gets yelled across a service bay: Earl, Hank, Rosie, Manny, Dale, Lupe. Surnames do the work of placing the character, whether that is a Polish-American shop in Milwaukee (Dombrowski, Szabo), a family garage in South Texas (Villanueva, Arriaga) or a diesel yard in rural Georgia (Culpepper, Thigpen). The list here mixes those backgrounds, plus a block of European, Asian and Latin American names for stories set outside the United States.

Shop nicknames follow their own logic. Most come from parts and failures (Wrench, Gasket, Misfire, Burnout), from a physical trait or habit (Knuckles, Leadfoot, Shorty), or from an old mistake the crew never let go of (Blown Head Gasket Benny). The best ones are short, a little unflattering, and obviously given by coworkers rather than chosen. A mechanic who calls himself Nitro is a poser; one whose crew calls him Dipstick has history.

For a character, pick a plain full name first, then decide whether the shop has renamed them. Use the nickname in dialogue and the full name on the invoice, and you have a believable person before they have said a word.