Old Hollywood Name Generator

Almost every Old Hollywood name was manufactured. Archie Leach became Cary Grant, Frances Gumm became Judy Garland, Roy Scherer became Rock Hudson, and agent Henry Willson alone invented Rock, Tab, Troy and Rory. The studio formula is easy to hear once you know it: a soft, often two-syllable first name paired with a crisp Anglo surname that prints well in lights, with alliteration (Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day) and a hint of the exotic (Hedy, Merle, Zsa Zsa) as the two favorite flourishes. Leading men got punchy one-syllable names that sounded like action: Rock, Clark, Kirk, Burt, Rip.

Each sub-genre had its own register. Silent-era vamps and Latin lovers took deliberately foreign names, often Spanish or Italian. Singing cowboys were Tex, Lash and Hoot. Comedians and character actors went by nicknames like Snub or Smiley. British imports kept their Reginalds and Basils precisely because they sounded aristocratic to American ears, and child stars were billed as Baby, Little or Skippy.

This list mixes original names in all of those styles, from 1920s glamour to 1950s crooners and noir femmes fatales, with a set of iconic film characters such as Norma Desmond, Rick Blaine and Margo Channing for reference. Use them for period fiction, a themed party, a burlesque or drag persona, or a vintage stage name of your own.