Presidents of the United States have often acquired nicknames, both flattering and unflattering. This list is intended to note those nicknames that were in common use at the time they were in office or shortly thereafter.
George Washington
* The American
Cincinnatus
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus ( – ) was a Roman patrician, statesman, and military leader of the early Roman Republic who became a legendary figure of Roman virtue—particularly civic virtue—by the time of the late Republic.
Cincinnatus was ...
: Like the famous Roman, he won a war, then became a private citizen instead of seeking power or riches as a reward. He became the first president general of the Society of the Cincinnati, formed by Revolutionary War officers who also "declined offers of power and position to return to his home and plough".
* The American
Fabius
In Roman mythology, Fabius was the son of Hercules and an unnamed mother.
In "The Life of Fabius Maximus" from the ''Parallel Lives'' by Plutarch, Fabius, the first of his name, was the son of Hercules by a nymph or a woman native to the country, ...
for his
Fabian military strategy during the
Revolutionary War
* The Father of His Country
John Adams
* The Colossus of Independence
for his leadership in Congress in 1776
* Old Sink or Swim, for the speech in which he vowed "sink or swim, live or die, survive or perish, I am with my country from this day on."
* His Rotundity for his girthy bodily figure
Thomas Jefferson
* The Apostle of Democracy
* The Man of the People
* The Sage of
Monticello
James Madison
* Little Jemmy
or His Little Majesty:
at only , the shortest U.S. president
* Father of the Constitution
James Monroe
* The Era of Good Feelings President for "The
Era of Good Feelings", the period following the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, during which America became less divided politically, to the extent that the only opponents of the ruling
Democratic Republicans, the
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
, went out of existence. It was not until resistance to Andrew Jackson's policies produced the
Whig Party that oppositional politics resumed in the United States.
* The Last Cocked Hat because he was the last U.S. president to wear a
tricorne hat according to the
old-fashioned style of the 18th century.
John Quincy Adams
* Old Man Eloquent or The Abolitionist: famed for routinely bringing up the slavery issue against Congressional rules, and for his role later on in the
''Amistad'' case. He is the only American president to be elected to the House of Representatives after his presidency. The nickname gained currency as a result of his campaign against slavery waged as a congressman, and as the attorney in the
Amistad case.
Andrew Jackson
* The Hero of New Orleans for his military victory in the
Battle of New Orleans
* Old Hickory,
[ allegedly given to him by his soldiers for being as "tough as old hickory"
* King Mob
* King Andrew for his supposedly excessive use of the veto power
* Jackass: Andrew Jackson's critics disparaged him as a "Jackass"; however, Jackson embraced the animal, making it the unofficial symbol of the Democratic Party.
]
Martin Van Buren
* The American Talleyrand
* The Careful Dutchman: Van Buren's first language was Dutch.
* The Enchanter
* The Great Manager
* The Master Spirit
* Martin Van Ruin
* Matty Van from "Tippecanoe Songs of 1840"
* The Mistletoe Politician, so called by Joseph Peyton of Tennessee, a Whig opponent, who charged that "Martin Van Buren was a mere political parasite, a branch of mistletoe, that owed its elevation, its growth--nay, its very existence, to the tall trunk of an aged hickory" (i.e. Andrew Jackson).
* Old Kinderhook (OK), a reference to his home town
* Red Fox of Kinderhook, a reference to his red hair and home town
* The Little Magician: given to him during his time in the state of New York, because of his smooth politics and short stature
William Henry Harrison
* General Mum, as in the expression, "keep it mum," because of his avoidance of speaking out on controversial issues during his election campaign
* Tippecanoe or also Old Tippecanoe, a reference to Harrison's victory at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe; used in the campaign song Tippecanoe and Tyler Too
"Tippecanoe and Tyler Too", originally published as "Tip and Ty", was a popular and influential campaign song of the Whig Party's colorful Log Cabin Campaign in the 1840 United States presidential election. Its lyrics sang the praises of Whig ...
during the 1840 presidential election
* Washington of the West,[ a reference to Harrison's victories at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe and 1813 Battle of the Thames
]
John Tyler
* His Accidency, a nickname given by his opponents; the first president to be elevated to the presidency by the death of his predecessor, William Henry Harrison
James K. Polk
* Napoleon of the Stump for his short stature and potent oratory skills
* Young Hickory because he was a particular protégé of "Old Hickory", Andrew Jackson
Zachary Taylor
* Old Rough and Ready
Millard Fillmore
* The American Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...
Franklin Pierce
* Young Hickory of the Granite Hills: "Young Hickory" compared his military deeds (in the Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
) with those of Andrew Jackson. "The Granite Hills" were his home state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
* Handsome Frank
James Buchanan
* Old Public Functionary, used by Buchanan in his December 1859 State of the Union
The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of each calendar year on the current conditio ...
address and adopted by newspapers
* Old Buck, from a shortening of his last name, used later in life
* Bachelor President, per his unmarried status
* Ten-Cent Jimmy: derogatory, as a reaction to Buchanan's campaign statement that ten cents a day was decent pay for a worker
Abraham Lincoln
* The Ancient One,[
Association of Lincoln Presenters, Lincoln Quotes, "LINCOLN had many nicknames such as Honest Abe, the Railsplitter, the Liberator, the Emancipator, the Ancient One, the Martyr".] a nickname favored by White House insiders because of his "ancient wisdom"
* The Great Emancipator and The Liberator for the emancipation of the slaves
* Honest Abe
* The Rail-Splitter
* The Tycoon, for the energetic and ambitious conduct of his Civil War administration
* Uncle Abe for his avuncularity in his later years
Andrew Johnson
* The Tennessee Tailor for his career as a tailor before going into politics
Ulysses S. Grant
* Uncle Sam Grant, a name given to him by his classmates at West Point
* Unconditional Surrender Grant, a backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
for his uncompromising demand for unconditional surrender during the Battle of Fort Donelson in 1862, which made him a hero
Rutherford B. Hayes
* Rutherfraud or His Fraudulency, because after the disputed results of the 1876 Election, many Democrats did not consider him legitimately to be president
James Garfield
* Boatman Jim, referencing his work on the Ohio canals in his youth
* Preacher President
Chester A. Arthur
* Chet, shortened version of his name used by publications of that era
* Gentleman Boss, as the dapper leader of New York State's Republican party
* Prince Arthur and The Dude President for his fancy attire and indulgence in extravagant luxury
Grover Cleveland
* His Obstinacy; he vetoed more bills than the first 21 presidents combined
* Uncle Jumbo
* Grover the Good for his honesty and public integrity
Benjamin Harrison
* The Front Porch Campaigner; during the 1888 election, he gave nearly ninety speeches from his front porch to crowds gathered in the yard of his Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
home; this nickname has been widely but erroneously attributed to William McKinley
* The Human Iceberg, although he could warmly engage a crowd with his speeches, he was cold and detached when speaking with people on an individual basis
* Little Ben, given to him by Democrats of his era because of his stature; this could also be a reference to his being the grandson of former president William Henry Harrison, who had served fifty years before
William McKinley
* The Napoleon of Protection, referring to high tariffs such as the one he wrote in 1890
* Big Bill
Theodore Roosevelt
* The Hero of San Juan Hill for leading his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill during the Battle of Santiago de Cuba in 1898
* The Lion
* Teddy: Used in ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' at least as early as 1900, even though he hated the nickname
* TR for signing communications this way; perhaps the first president to be known by his initials
* The Trust Buster, so called as a pioneer of busting business trusts
* The Colonel, for his rank in the Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (clock ...
William Howard Taft
* Big Chief
* Big Lub, boyhood nickname
Woodrow Wilson
* The Phrasemaker: as an acclaimed historian, Wilson had no need of speech-writers to supply his oratorical eloquence
* The Schoolmaster: a bespectacled academic who lectured his visitors
Warren G. Harding
* Wobbly Warren
Calvin Coolidge
* Cautious Cal
* Cool Cal: His reelection campaign used the slogan, "Keep It Cool With Coolidge"
* Silent Cal
Herbert Hoover
* The Great Engineer and The Great Humanitarian: He was a civil engineer of some distinction and when the Mississippi burst its banks in 1927, engulfing thousands of acres of agricultural land, he volunteered his services and did extensive flood control work. The latter nickname would later be used facetiously in reference to his perceived indifference to the hardships faced by his constituents during the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. However, the nickname dates back to 1921, when the ARA
ARA may refer to:
Media and the arts
* American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences
* '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia
* Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Aca ...
under Hoover saved millions of Russians suffering from famine. "It was such considerations that Walter Lippmann took into account when he wrote of Hoover's Russian undertaking in the New York World in May 1922: 'probably no other living man could have done nearly so much.'"
* The Chief, a nickname picked up at 23 as a geologist surveying in the Australian Outback, that stuck for the rest of his life
Franklin D. Roosevelt
* FDR
* That Man in the White House
*Sphinx
Harry S. Truman
* Give 'Em Hell Harry (also a campaign slogan)
Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Ike, known for being in his campaign slogan "I like Ike
"Ike for President", sometimes referred to as "We'll Take Ike" or "I Like Ike", was a political television advertisement for Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential campaign of 1952.
The minute-long animated advertisement was conceived by Jacqueli ...
"
John F. Kennedy
* Jack, Kennedy was usually referred to as either "John F. Kennedy" or "Jack Kennedy"
* JFK, most prominent nickname and abbreviation of his full name
Lyndon B. Johnson
* Bullshit Johnson (Bull Johnson in public) for his reputation for boasting
Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
at Southwest Texas State Teachers College
* Landslide Lyndon, ironic reference to the Box 13 scandal
The Box 13 scandal was a political scandal that occurred in Jim Wells County, Texas during the Senate election of 1948, regarding disputed votes in a Democratic primary involving Lyndon B. Johnson and Coke Stevenson.
Origins and investigation
...
, a hotly disputed 87-vote win that put him into the Senate in 1948, which became more appropriate in his supporters' eyes following his victory in the 1964 presidential election
* Light-Bulb Lyndon, because he hated wasting electricity, and would often storm around the White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
shutting off unnecessary lights
* LBJ; he liked to be known by this abbreviation, which was used in the campaign slogan, "All the way with LBJ"; later it would be used in the Anti-Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
political slogan "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"
Richard Nixon
* Tricky Dick, from a Democratic Party ad leading up to the 1950 U.S. Senate election in California saying "Look at 'Tricky Dick' Nixon's Republican Record"
Gerald Ford
* Jerry
* Mr. Nice Guy for his clean-cut and non-partisan image
Jimmy Carter
* Jimmy, the first president to use his nickname in an official capacity, rather than his first name James.
* The Peanut Farmer, he owned a peanut farm
The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...
and fostered this image in his early campaigns, as a contrast to elite Washington insiders
Ronald Reagan
* Dutch: shortly after his birth, his father said he looked like a "fat little Dutchman"; reinforced when he wore a Dutch boy haircut (see pageboy) as a youngster
* The Great Communicator for his ability to communicate
* The Gipper, after his role as George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film '' Knute Rockne, All American''. Gipp exhorted his teammates to "Win one for the Gipper".
* The Teflon President, coined by Rep. Patricia Schroeder
Patricia Nell Scott Schroeder (born July 30, 1940) is an American politician who represented Colorado in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, Schroeder was the first female U.S. Represe ...
because nothing negative "stuck to" him (like a Teflon
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene that has numerous applications. It is one of the best-known and widely applied PFAS. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemou ...
skillet); he remained blame-free in the eyes of the American people
George H. W. Bush
* 41, Papa Bush, Bush 41, Bush Senior, Senior, and similar names that were used after his son George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
became the 43rd president, to differentiate between the two
* Poppy, a nickname used from childhood on
Bill Clinton
* Bubba, common nickname for males in the Southern U.S.
The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...
* Slick Willie, a term originally coined when he was Governor of Arkansas
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
and popularized by newspaper ''Pine Bluff Commercial'', whose staff disagreed with his political views.
* The Comeback Kid, coined by press after strong second place showing in 1992 New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire presidential primary is the first in a series of nationwide party primary elections and the second party contest (the first being the Iowa caucuses) held in the United States every four years as part of the process of choosi ...
, following polling slump
* The First Black President, used by Toni Morrison
Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison (born Chloe Ardelia Wofford; February 18, 1931 – August 5, 2019), known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist. Her first novel, ''The Bluest Eye'', was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed '' So ...
in reference to the African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
tropes surrounding Clinton's candidacy
* The Big Dog, used by several media outlets in regard to his post-presidential popularity
George W. Bush
* 43, Bush Jr., Junior, Bush 43, and similar names, used to differentiate him from his father
* Dubya, or Dumb Dubyah, based on a Texas pronunciation of " W"
Barack Obama
* No Drama Obama, for his cautious and meticulous presidential campaign in 2007–08 and for his patient, relaxed demeanor
* Deporter in Chief, for deporting
Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...
more than 3 million undocumented immigrants during his administration, more than any of his predecessors
Donald Trump
* The Donald since his first wife Ivana Trump referred to him as such in a 1989 ''Spy
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
'' magazine cover story
* 45, the 45, and similar names, referencing his being the 45th president, and his penchant for wearing monogrammed "45" apparel
* Conspiracy Theorist-in-Chief, for his penchant for promoting conspiracy theories
* President Snowflake and Snowflake-in-Chief using the term " Snowflake", for his poor reactions to criticism, particularly on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and regarding the Mueller probe and related investigations
* Donald Drumpf
Drumpf (alternately Drumpft) is a German surname that dates back to the 16th century. It is most commonly known as the likely predecessor to the family name of Donald Trump, businessman and 45th president of the United States. Talk show host and c ...
, popularized by British-American comedian John Oliver
John William Oliver (born 23 April 1977) is a British-American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. Oliver started his career as a stand-up comedian in the United Kingdom. He came to wider attention ...
in a segment of his show
* The Great MAGA King, used by Joe Biden in 2022 during a fundraiser.
Joe Biden
* Amtrak Joe, from his association with Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
trains, which he would use to commute to Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
* Brandon, Dark Brandon or Joe Brandon, based on the anti-Biden political slogan " Let's Go Brandon".
* Diamond Joe, became common usage from portrayals of Joe Biden in the satirical magazine '' The Onion''
* Middle Class Joe, from his being the poorest United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
* Sleepy Joe, and Sloppy Joe, pejorative nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
used by opponent Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
and his supporters, most prominently in the 2020 United States presidential election
The 2020 United States presidential election was the 59th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and the junior U.S. senator from California Kamala Ha ...
, to attack Biden as 'mentally slow'[
* Uncle Joe and Uncle-in-Chief,] also derived from portrayals in ''The Onion''
See also
*
* List of nicknames of prime ministers of the United Kingdom
* List of nicknames of prime ministers of Australia
This is a list of nicknames of prime ministers of Australia.
List of nicknames Edmund Barton
''Full name:'' Edmund Barton
*Toby Tosspot
Alfred Deakin
''Full name:'' Alfred Deakin
*Affable Alfred
Chris Watson
''Full name:'' Chris Wats ...
* List of nicknames used by George W. Bush
Former American President George W. Bush is widely known to use nicknames to refer to journalists, fellow politicians, and members of his White House staff.
Family
Foreign leaders
Staff
Politicians
Journalists
Others
See also
* List ...
* List of nicknames used by Donald Trump
Notes
:1. He has gained fame around the world as a quintessential example of a benevolent national founder. Gordon Wood concludes that the greatest act in his life was his resignation as commander of the armies—an act that stunned aristocratic Europe. The earliest known image in which Washington is identified as such is on the cover of the circa 1778 Pennsylvania German
The Pennsylvania Dutch (Pennsylvania Dutch: ), also known as Pennsylvania Germans, are a cultural group formed by German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They emigrated primarily from German-spea ...
almanac (Lancaster: Gedruckt bey Francis Bailey).
:2. Compare to Italian Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
(and former President of the European Commission
The president of the European Commission is the head of the European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU). The President of the Commission leads a Cabinet of Commissioners, referred to as the College, collectively account ...
) Romano Prodi
Romano Antonio Prodi (; born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician, economist, academic, senior civil servant, and business executive who served as the tenth president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004. He served twice as Prim ...
's nickname Il Professore (the professor/schoolteacher).
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Presidents, Nicknames Of, List Of
Nicknames
Lists of nicknames
Nicknames of politicians