The name Peaky Blinders may seem self-explanatory to fans of the show, however, the real origins of the name might come as a surprise. Peaky Blinders season 6, the show's final season, wrapped up in 2022, marking the end of the show's 9-year run. While this legendary show may be over, a Peaky Blinders movie is now in the works that will see the Shelby clan debut on the big screen.
As many fans likely know, the Peaky Blinders were a real gang in early twentieth-century Birmingham, England. The vast majority of the events in Peaky Blinders are fictional, however, and most of the characters are fictional as well. The real Peaky Blinders were a small-time street gang mostly involved in petty thefts and bookmaking, but the origin of their name remains a point of contention.
The (Probably) False History Of Peaky Blinders' Name
It is commonly believed that the name, Peaky Blinders, comes from the razor blades that the gang sewed into the peaks of their hats and used to slash their victims across the face. However, historians have pointed out that the type of replaceable razor blades that were sewn into their hats were not manufactured in Britain until 1908. Considering the real Peaky Blinders were founded in the 1880s and were taken over by Billy Kimber by 1910, the name clearly predates the introduction of these razors.
By the end of Peaky Blinders season 6, the Shelby family has cut so many people, even blinding many on purpose, that the relationship between their name and their razors seems obvious. Considering Peaky Blinders is a work of fiction, perhaps the name is intended to represent the blades in the Netflix series. However, historians have seemingly ruled out that possibility in real life. It is possible that the real gang used some other type of blade in their hats before the replaceable razor was invented, but evidence of that is lacking.
What Peaky Blinders Actually Means
Tommy Shelby's gang in Peaky Blinders might still be named after their razor blades, but the real Peaky Blinders' name most likely comes from a much more unexpected avenue. Historians claim that the word "peaky" was often used to describe any flat cap with a peak, while blinder was, and remains, a term for a well-dressed individual in Birmingham slang. Tommy Shelby may be cursed, but he and the rest of the Shelbys are always well-dressed and often wearing their iconic peaked hats, so this name seems to fit as well.
Moreover, the real Peaky Blinders gang was well-known for being dressed nicely and wearing the type of flat peaked hats shown in Peaky Blinders. So, essentially, the name Peaky Blinder really just means a well-dressed person in a flat peaked hat. This meaning is obviously not as exciting as the popular razor theory, but the overwhelming likelihood is that the real name is based on their clothing, not their blades.