who chose the names for the 5 families in new york, like gambino, genovese, etc etc....seeing as how the last names of the first bosses arent the family names why is it the bosses that came later on got the gang named after them? (example: Carlo Gambino)

anybody?

Goodfella 69,

Sorry, you had to ask twice, and I am not the one to answer, I just didn't want to ignore your question. But I would guess that no one chooses the names and that it would be based on the most powerful/richest family (or 5 most powerful). Possibly the ones with the most "control." Each family of course having a "Head Don", thus getting the family name. Am I close experts????

I think that annt might be right. They might have named the families after the most powerful or first boss of the family. The Gambino family was the Anastasia family before Carlo Gambino killed Anastasia and named the family after himself.

I think you're right, annt. Depends, I guess, on how forceful the Don is and how much ego he puts into it. The Columbos were the Profacis before Joe Columbo took over. Then again, all of Vito Genovese's successors seem to have thought it best to leave his name on their family.
I have this fantasy that I'm reading the legal notices in the local paper and there's one of those notices in tiny type that says, "LEGAL NOTICE: Notice is hereby given in the County Supreme Court, in and of the County of New York, that from this day henceforth, the criminal organization known as 'the Profaci Family,' is herewith known as 'the Columbo Family.' Sworn to me this day by J. Columbo."

Are there any Bonannos left in the Bonanno family or are they all retired to Arizona?

FH

The PUBLIC/MEDIA are th eones that come up with the names.

Whose to say that The Gambino Family isn;t called the Gotti Family by current Mafiosi?

In that sense, there ARE Gotti's left in the Gotti Family.

As late as 1987, a Mike Genovese was a Don in (Pennsylvania???)

No more Lucheses, or Colombos, or Genovese.

Carlo had acouple of kids who were still in the Mob for the Castellano years, MAYBE they stayed with Gotti.

As for Bonannos, Joe's son Bill was a Mafioso, but i snow retired and his son NEVER got invovled in the Mafia.

The Bonannos, Bonventres, and Maggadinos were all related, ask the FBI if any of them are in the Bonanno Fam?

Thanks to MAN OF HONOR by JOE BONANNO fo this info!

Thats what I originally thought...that the media made up the names...but why did they choose the names chosen for each family?

The five family names were the names that turncoat Joe Valachi used when he testified before the McLellan comitee. They were the names of the current bosses at that time, early 60's. These names were accepted by the feds, the media and apparently the mob itself as a convienient way to refer to the families and have been used ever since. The only name to change since that time was Profaci to Columbo because leadership in that family was in transition at the time of the hearings.