NICKNAMES ARE FOREVER

10 Nicknames That Stuck

Credit: Tim Mossholder

Anyone can cope with the common garden variety of nicknames; you probably know plenty of Jimmies, Betties, or Freddies. But try going through life being known as Hairy Pants, The Sluggard, or maybe even Turd Blossom. While a few are endearing and kind, some of these nicknames are appalling enough to become the stuff of legends and transcend the very individuals who endured them in their lifetimes. Suddenly, being called just Bob doesn’t sound so bad, right?

Credit: Frances P. Burke, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Probably the most famous nickname in baseball history, George Ruth’s "Babe" was a consequence of his young age when he began playing. Over the years he was given many other bynames, like Bambino, The Sultan of Swat, The Big Bam, and Jidge, among others. But none stuck quite like Babe. And the fact that his name is inscribed in golden lettering in the history of baseball almost like none other helps perpetuate the legend.

Credit: Illinois State University, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Although most people know him by that name, Buffalo Bill wasn't always named like that. In fact, his real name was William Frederick Cody and he was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman.

The nickname Buffalo Bill was received by William after the American Civil War when he had a contract to supply Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo (American bison) meat. Cody himself is supposed to have killed 4,282 bison in eighteen months in 1867 and 1868. More than enough to earn him his nickname.

Credit: Steinar Engeland

Ragnar Lodbrok —yes, the same one from the TV show **Vikings**— was a Danish King of the 9th Century. He was known as Ragnar Hairy Breeches (or Pants), allegedly because of the pair he wore when slaying a mythological dragon.

While the aforementioned dragon bit might not be quite real, Ragnar was indeed quite a hairy character, terrorizing England and France with raids that even reached Paris. Eventually, he met his end in Northumbria, where he was thrown into a pit of snakes.

Credit: Wolfgang Hansemann

Known in his native French as Louis Le Faineant, King Louis V was, to put it mildly, a very slow-paced and ineffective individual. Raised by his father to become king from an early age, Louis was married at fifteen to the forty-year-old Adelaide-Blanche of Anjou for dynastic purposes but was left by his wife two years later without having consummated the marriage.

He died at the tender age of twenty in a hunting accident, effectively ending the Carolingian dynasty.

Credit: Arno Smit

As nasty as it sounds, a "turd blossom" is a flower that grows from dung, which could be interpreted as a kind of compliment —albeit a very strange one— when given to someone as a nickname.

Karl Rove was George W. Bush’s political advisor, and perhaps he was good at coming up with valuable ideas in dire situations because his moniker was given to him by Bush himself, for reasons we dare not ask. His time in the White House was longer than the life span of his namesake flower because he also worked as an advisor under President Donald Trump.

Credit: Valentin Balan

As far as Bulgarian emperors go, Ivaylo wasn’t a very impressive one. He was toppled and replaced quickly, but not before being mocked by the local nobles with a less-than-savory epithet for a king, in the form of "The Cabbage".

His origins as a humble pig farmer might have had something to do with Yvaylo’s nickname, which ungratefully stuck despite his success battling the Byzantines and the Mongols in favor of his country. Tough times for a king, indeed.

Credit: Engin Akyurt

Cases of politicians failing to meet the expectations are nothing new. Such was the case for John-George, an Elector of Saxony who chose to spend a big chunk of the Thirty-Year War in the local pub drinking beer instead of fighting for his country. His neighbors, less than impressed by his deeds, named him Beer-Jug. Apparently, there was consensus on the matter, because the name stuck.

Credit: Poro amara, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When discussing Napoleon Bonaparte, his stature is one of the first things to be brought up. While the French Emperor was known for his many feats, being a tall individual was not one of them. However, Napoleon was 5′ 6″, making him of average height.

Napoleon was affectionately known as Le Petit Caporal by his soldiers, because of his down-to-earth and educated manners toward his troops. When translated into English, the nickname became The Little Corporal, which gave birth to the myth of his short stature.

Credit: Lennart Edling, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

American President and military officer Dwight D. Eisenhower was known as "Ike" throughout his life. His nickname was intended as an abbreviation of his last name and he shared it with all his six brothers, who were known as "Big Ike", "Little Ike" (this was Dwight), etc.

The nickname followed the President-to-be up to the West Point Military Academy, where the "Little" part of his nickname was dropped in favor of simply "Ike".

Credit: Ricardo Gomez Angel

Sometimes, a nickname is intended to fit the surname with amusing results. Such is the case of the UFC fighter, Kevin "The Fire" Burns.

While his exploits in the sport are not particularly impressive and his six-year MMA run was quite short, ending his career with a 12-7 record, one has to agree that the man has a funny byname. Maybe not as menacing as it was meant to be in the first place, but still memorable. May the fire burn long in the gloves of Mr. Burns!