List of United States Presidential names

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This article contains lists of nicknames, name origins, and the first, middle and last names of each President of the United States. It is worth noting that most of the nicknames are political; the remainder are initialisms, personal nicknames (Jimmy, Cleve) or personal endearments (Poppy). This article is used mainly for reference or trivia.

Contents 1 Presidential nicknames 2 Presidential name origins 3 Presidential first, middle and last names 3.1 First names 3.2 Middle names 3.3 Last names 4 Notes 5 References 6 Presidential trivia lists

[edit] Presidential nicknames

#	President	Nicknames
43	George W. Bush	W, often pronounced and/or spelled "Dubya". This originated as a family nickname to distinguish him from his father. GW GWB G-dubs 43, or Bush 43 Bush Jr. Bush (also belongs to wife (Laura)[1] Bush the Younger[2][3] Bush the Lesser Shrub (used by Molly Ivins as the title of a book) Temporary (Bush's nickname in Skull and Bones, never altered by Bush)[4] Arbusto, name of Bush's oil company and the Spanish word for "bush" or "shrub" (used mostly by Al Franken) Boy George King George II, implying he acts like a monarch. Bush II[5] Bush fils[6] Uncurious George[7] or Incurious George[8], a variation on the children's book series Curious George. King George[9] (with strong allusion to King George III, the monarch the Thirteen Colonies rebelled against during the American Revolution) AWOL Bush[10] (often rendered as aWol Bush) The Decider and Decider-In-Chief[11] (Bush said "I'm the decider" in remarks about Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on April 18, 2006) Resident Bush[12] Leaker-in-Chief[13] The Great Divider (a pun on Great Divide and Bush's 2000 campaign promise to be "a uniter, not a divider") The President Select (after his status as President-Elect was assured by Bush v. Gore) The Velcro President — because just about everything sticks to him[14] (as opposed to Reagan's moniker, "the Teflon President")
42	Bill Clinton	Comeback Kid Bubba Big Dog[citation needed] Elvis (his Secret Service code name)[citation needed] "The first black president" (coined by Chris Rock, later used by Toni Morrison (Clinton as the First Black President, The New Yorker, October 5, 1998)) 42, a play on the 41 and 43 nicknames of the Bushes and Clinton's post-presidency relationship to Bush 41. Slick Willie or occasionally Ol' Slick BJ Clinton The Big Creep, based on the infamous conversation between Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky (As with Jimmy Carter, President Clinton is better known by his nickname "Bill" than by his legal name, William Jefferson Clinton.)''''''''''
41	George H. W. Bush	Poppy Bush 41 (this and the below after his son's political rise) Bush Sr. Bush I Bush the Elder Bush the Wiser Daddy Bush Bush père Papa Bush [15]
40	Ronald Reagan	The Gipper — after his role as George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American The Great Communicator Ronnie Raygun — a term coined in the introduction to the song "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man," sung by Joan Baez and Jeffrey Shurtleff at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and used in the cartoons of Tom Toles Teflon President/Teflon Ron — because supposedly nothing negative "stuck" on him Dutch Reagan Rawhide (his Secret Service codename) Rockin' Ronnie, or Rotten Ronnie (depending on one's view of Reagan) The Great Prevaricator
39	Jimmy Carter	Peanut Farmer Jimmy Peanut The Goober (As Carter's legal first name is "James"; "Jimmy" is actually a nickname. Carter successfully sued to be placed upon the ballot as "Jimmy" in several states.)
38	Gerald Ford	Jerry Mr. Nice Guy[citation needed] His Accidency[citation needed] The Accidental President [16]
37	Richard Nixon	Tricky Dick The Trickster Searchlight(his Secret Service codename) Gloomy Gus (law school nickname) Richard the Chicken-Hearted (because he would not debate Hubert Humphrey during the 1968 U.S. presidential campaign) Iron Butt (from college football team and college study where hard work, not so much talent, got him through)
36	Lyndon B. Johnson	LBJ Landslide Lyndon—ironically dubbed for his 87-vote victory in a Senate primary
35	John F. Kennedy	JFK King of Camelot — after the King Arthur legend, specifically after the 1960 musical Camelot Jack Lancer (his Secret Service codename)
34	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Ike Alarmist Ike (so called by fellow officers in 1939, because he was sure the U.S. would be involved in a war) Gloomy Face (while a cadet at West Point) Great Delegator
33	Harry S. Truman	Haberdasher Harry High-Tax Harry[17] Give-'Em-Hell Harry
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	FDR That Man in the White House[18] Roosevelt II The Squire of Hyde Park
31	Herbert Hoover	Hermit Author of Palo Alto Great Humanitarian Defender of Helpless Children The Great Engineer Herb Herby Hoo-Yah and Really Damn[19] two nicknames he picked up while in China The Chief
30	Calvin Coolidge	Silent Cal Cool Cal Cautious Cal[20] Sphinx of the Potomac[21]
29	Warren G. Harding	President Hardly Babbitt in the White House (reference to a title character in a Sinclair Lewis novel) Great Handshaker
28	Woodrow Wilson	Schoolmaster of Politics Woody Coiner of Weasel Words The Phrase Maker[22] The Pacifist Professor[citation needed]
27	William Howard Taft	Big Bill Smiling Bill Old Bill Big Lub (boyhood nickname)[23]
26	Theodore Roosevelt	Teddy (he personally disliked this nickname) TR Trustbuster Rough Rider Roosevelt I the Cyclone Assemblyman the Hero of San Juan Hill The Lion
25	William McKinley	Idol of Ohio Stocking-footed Orator The front porch campaigner
23	Benjamin Harrison	White House Iceberg Kid Gloves Harrison
22/24	Grover Cleveland	Hangman of Buffalo Veto President Uncle Jumbo Cleve The Beast of Buffalo
21	Chester A. Arthur	Gentleman Boss Elegant Arthur Muttonchops
20	James A. Garfield	Preacher President Boatman Jim
19	Rutherford B. Hayes	Old Eight to Seven Rutherfraud His Fraudulency Granny Hayes President De Facto Great Unknown
18	Ulysses S. Grant	U.S. Grant Unconditional Surrender Grant Useless Sam
17	Andrew Johnson	Father of the Homestead Act Sir Veto Tennessee Tailor King Andy
16	Abraham Lincoln	Honest Abe The Great Emancipator (for the emancipation of the slaves) The Rail-Splitter Father Abraham Uncle Abe
15	James Buchanan	Ten-cent Jimmy Old Public Functionary Old Buck
14	Franklin Pierce	Young Hickory of Granite Hills Handsome Frank
13	Millard Fillmore	His Accidency Wool-Carder President
12	Zachary Taylor	Old Rough and Ready Old Zach Hero of Buena Vista
11	James K. Polk	Young Hickory Napoleon of the Stump
10	John Tyler	His Accidency President without a party
9	William Henry Harrison	Ol' Tippecanoe Granny Harrison
8	Martin Van Buren	Machiavellian Belshazzar Old Kinderhook (possible popularization of "OK") Red Fox of Kinderhook-his bright red hair and sly ways br />Little Magician Martin Van Ruin Matty
7	Andrew Jackson	Old Hickory Hero of New Orleans King Andy Sharp Knife [1]
6	John Quincy Adams	Old Man Eloquent King John II
5	James Monroe	Last of the Cocked Hats James the Lesser James the Second
4	James Madison	Father of the Constitution Little Man of the Palace Sage of Montpelier Withered Little Apple-John (so-called by Washington Irving) Fugitive President (since he was forced to flee the White House in 1814, during the War of 1812) Little Jemmy
3	Thomas Jefferson	Father of the Declaration of Independence Long Tom Negro President — for his victory in the election of 1800, won because of the three-fifths compromise Red Fox Sage of Monticello Moonshine Philosopher of Monticello Noble Agrarian
2	John Adams	His Rotundity Atlas of Independence Colossus of Debate Old Sink or Swim Your Superfluous Excellency (called by Benjamin Franklin when Adams was vice president)
1	George Washington	Father of His Country Sword of the Revolution The General American Fabius — for his military strategy during the Revolutionary War The American Cincinnatus Town Destroyer — used by some Iroquois His Excellency King George

[edit] Presidential name origins

#	President	Name origin
43	George Walker Bush	named after his father, George Herbert Walker Bush
42	William Jefferson Clinton	named after his biological father, William Blythe, Jr.
41	George Herbert Walker Bush	named after his maternal grandfather, George Herbert Walker
40	Ronald Wilson Reagan	Wilson was his mother’s maiden name
39	James Earl Carter, Jr.	named after his father, James Earl Carter, Sr.
38	Gerald Rudolph Ford	originally named after his biological father, Leslie Lynch King, Sr. and renamed at the age of two by his adopted father Gerald R. Ford, Sr.
37	Richard Milhous Nixon	Milhous was his mother’s maiden name
36	Lyndon Baines Johnson	named after W.C. Linden, a lawyer and family friend, Baines was his mother’s maiden name
35	John Fitzgerald Kennedy	named after his maternal grandfather, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald
34	Dwight David Eisenhower	originally named David Dwight Eisenhower after his father
33	Harry S Truman	named after his maternal uncle, Harrison Young, the middle initial represent both Shippe, after his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shippe Truman and Solomon, after his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young
32	Franklin Delano Roosevelt	after being nameless for seven weeks, he was named after his great-uncle, Franklin Hughes Delano
31	Herbert Clark Hoover	Clark was his father’s middle name
30	Calvin Coolidge	originally named John Calvin Coolidge after his father
29	Warren Gamaliel Harding	named after his great-uncle, Rev. Warren Gamaliel Bancroft
28	Woodrow Wilson	originally named Thomas Woodrow Wilson after his maternal grandfather, Rev. Thomas Woodrow
27	William Howard Taft	Howard was the last name of his paternal grandmother, Sylvia Howard
26	Theodore Roosevelt	named after his father
25	William McKinley	named after his father
23	Benjamin Harrison	named after his paternal uncle, Dr. Benjamin Harrison and his paternal great-grandfather Benjamin Harrison V
22/24	Grover Cleveland	originally named Stephen Grover Cleveland after Rev. Stephen Grover
21	Chester Alan Arthur	named after Dr. Chester Abell, the physician who delivered him, and his paternal grandfather, Alan Arthur
20	James Abram Garfield	named after his deceased infant brother, James, and his father Abram Garfield
19	Rutherford Birchard Hayes	named after his father, Birchard was his mother’s maiden name
18	Ulysses Simpson Grant	About a month after birth, he was originally named Hiram Ulysses Grant, Hiram was his maternal grandfather and Ulysses a Greek hero from mythology. At West Point, he changed his name to Ulysses Hiram Grant due to embarrassing initials. He erroneously enrolled under Ulysses Simpson Grant, Simpson was his mother’s maiden name.
17	Andrew Johnson	either named after Andrew Jackson or a maternal uncle
16	Abraham Lincoln	named after his paternal grandfather
15	James Buchanan	named after his father
14	Franklin Pierce	unknown
13	Millard Fillmore	Millard was his mother’s maiden name
12	Zachary Taylor	named after his paternal grandfather
11	James Knox Polk	named after his maternal grandfather, James Knox
10	John Tyler	named after his father
9	William Henry Harrison	unknown
8	Martin Van Buren	named after his paternal grandfather, Marten
7	Andrew Jackson	named after his recently deceased father
6	John Quincy Adams	named after his great-grandfather, John Quincy
5	James Monroe	unknown
4	James Madison	named after his father
3	Thomas Jefferson	named after his paternal grandfather, Thomas Jefferson II
2	John Adams	named after his father
1	George Washington	possibly named after George Eskridge, a lawyer who took care of Washington's mother after she was orphaned

[edit] Presidential first, middle and last names

[edit] First names

Six Presidents went by their middle names or nicknames in lieu of their official first names

• James Earl Carter, Jr. went by Jimmy
• William Jefferson Clinton went by Bill
• John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. went by Calvin
• Stephen Grover Cleveland went by Grover
• Thomas Woodrow Wilson went by Woodrow
• Hiram Ulysses Grant went by Ulysses

Duplicates and multiples There have been: six named James, five Johns, four Williams, three Georges, and two Andrews, Franklins and Thomases.

Length

• Rutherford is the longest Presidential first name at 10 letters.
• John and Bill are the shortest Presidential first names at four letters.
• The average length in letters of commonly used Presidential first names is 6.14 letters.

[edit] Middle names

• Seventeen of the 42 Presidents to date have no known middle name.
• Several Presidential middle names were originally surnames: Baines, Birchard, Delano, Fitzgerald, Walker, Knox, Milhous, Quincy and Simpson, et al. Most of these were the President's mother's maiden name.
• Gerald Rudolph Ford was born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. therefore giving him the middle name of Lynch before his mother remarried when he was 3, however his name was not legally changed until 1935 while in law school.
• Ulysses S. Grant was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. His name was changed when he entered West Point Military Academy.
• Harry Truman's middle name was only an initial; the "S" didn't stand for another name. Nevertheless he signed his name using the period after the letter.
• George Herbert Walker Bush is the only President with two middle names.
• There are no duplicate Presidential middle names, with the partial exception of Herbert Walker and Walker.
• Three Presidents used their middle name as their given name:
  • John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. went by Calvin
  • Stephen Grover Cleveland went by Grover
  • Thomas Woodrow Wilson went by Woodrow

[edit] Last names

• There have been two Adamses, two Bushes, two Harrisons, two Johnsons and two Roosevelts. See List of United States Presidents by genealogical relationship.
• Thirty-two of the Presidents have had unique last names.
• Eisenhower and Washington had the longest last names, with 10 letters each.
• The Bushes, Taft, Polk and Ford have or had the shortest last names, with four letters each.
• The average Presidential last name has 6.64 letters.
• The only two-word last name is Van Buren. Van is a surname prefix common to people of Dutch ancestry.
• Despite the fact the surname "Smith" is the most common in the United States, no President's surname has ever been "Smith."
• Only three of the ten most common surnames (Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown, Davis, Miller, Wilson, Moore, and Taylor) in the United States have been the surnames of Presidents (Johnson (Andrew and Lyndon), Wilson (Woodrow) and Taylor (Zachary)).

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Paleta, Lu Ann, and Fred Worth. The World Almanac of Presidential Facts. Pharos Books, 1993.
• DeGregario, William A. The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents. Barricade Books, 1991.

[edit] Presidential trivia lists

v • d • e Lists of Presidents and Vice Presidents of the United States
Presidential lists by order	Order of service · Age at ascension · Birth · Death · Earliest Living · Longevity · Historical rankings · Military rank · Number Living · Oldest · Post-presidency length · Time in office
Presidents' personal lives	Nicknames, name origins & first, middle and last names · Genealogical relationship · College education · Military service · Pets · Place of birth · Place of primary affiliation · Previous occupation · Religious affiliation · Residences · Children
Presidents' professional lives	Political affiliation · Political occupation · Inaugurations · Doctrines · Pardons · Vetoes · Control of Congress · Assassination attempts · Currency appearances · Libraries
Vice Presidential lists	Order of service · Time in office · Birth · Tie-breaking votes · Longevity · Vacancies
Succession	Line of succession · Designated survivor
Elections	Electoral College margin · 2000 Electors · 2004 Electors
Candidates	Democratic tickets · Republican tickets · Height · Lost their home state · Former presidents who ran again
Unsuccessful candidates	Received at least one electoral vote
Fictional	Fictional Presidents · Fictional Vice Presidents · Fictional Presidential candidates · Fictional presidential succession
Ladies	First Ladies · First Ladies by longevity · Second Ladies