# President's nicknames **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174 "2007-02-14T10:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/1 "2007-02-14T10:29:06Z")
Frank’s Bush rant in BBQ got me thinking. Bush get’s called Bush Jr. (which Frank doesn’t approve of. I have no opinion on whether this is correct or not.) He also get’s called Dubya and (my favorite) Shrub. (Plus a lot worse but let’s stick to standards nicknames.) So what have other presidents been called? Good or bad. Who was so boring they didn’t even warrent a nickname? Let’s make a list. (Well, I think nicknaming our leaders bouds (sp?) well for democracy. When we can’t make fun of the president we’ll be in really trouble). ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/2 "2007-02-14T11:07:47Z")
There’s a [list at Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_nicknames) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/3 "2007-02-14T12:13:02Z")
[QUOTE=Ice Wolf] There’s a [list at Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_nicknames) [/QUOTE] _sigh_ There’s a list for everything on the internet. Takes the fun out of everything. ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/4 "2007-02-14T17:24:23Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] _sigh_ There’s a list for everything on the internet. Takes the fun out of everything. [/QUOTE] Agreed. I come into threads like this thinking “hooray lets make a list!” then wikipedia rears its ugly head and I think “Boo wikipedia”. It’s worse than the “Google is you friend” jazz. I can’t think of any good presidential nicknames,guess I’ll go look at that damn list. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/5 "2007-02-14T18:55:11Z")
[QUOTE=betenoir] I have no opinion on whether this is correct or not. [/quote] It’s not. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/6 "2011-04-13T01:56:45Z")
I happened to think about this today and sure enough, there’s an sdmb topic that had almost reached zombiedom until I rescued it 🙂 The Wiki article numbers the presidents backwards, including BO, but there are only 43 so I wonder (but not enough to look it up) who’s missing? I like the initial names FDR, JFK, LBJ. I also liked the use of Bush-41 & Bush-43 to distinguish between them (and am embarrassed to admit it took me a while to learn why they kept saying Bush-43), but Dubya is hard to beat for the quirky reference to the middle initial alone and the subtle jab. Tricky Dick and Slick Willie are also hard to beat as pejorative but well-earned nicknames. Another embarrassing confession: it also took me a long time to figure out why there was an XM Radio political talk channel called “POTUS” ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/7 "2011-04-13T03:49:56Z")
> [@Ice\_Wolf](#): > > There’s a [list at Wiki.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Presidential_nicknames) It doesn’t have Shrub, which was mentioned in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/8 "2011-04-13T04:07:16Z")
I notice Wikipedia didn’t list Walter Mondale’s nickname for President Carter: Iron-ass Jimmy Or Mr. Peanut as once stated by Inspector Luger on _Barney Miller_. I think Mike Royko once called Nixon President Sneaky. Not all that imaginative for ol’ Mike. I’ve called Bush Jr. Ratboy before, referencing Fratboy. ---
**Author:** ![Oldeb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@Oldeb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oldeb)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/9 "2011-04-13T05:08:51Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > The Wiki article numbers the presidents backwards, including BO, but there are only 43 so I wonder (but not enough to look it up) who’s missing? Without looking it’s going to be Grover Cleveland. He served two non-consecutive terms so if you’re just seeing a list of people who’ve been POTUS there’s only 43. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/10 "2011-04-13T14:13:14Z")
OK, you forced me to look it up. And you’re right, the suffixed numbers refer to the presidency (combining consecutive terms), not the person [List of presidents of the United States - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States) This makes for a good bar bet…even the media misstates Obama as the 44th president [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/) whereas he is actually only the 43rd. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/11 "2011-04-13T14:23:22Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > This makes for a good bar bet…even the media misstates Obama as the 44th president [http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/President44/) > whereas he is actually only the 43rd. Yeah, I’ve seen that discussed here before. You could say his administration is the 44th but he’s not the 44th person to be president. The error is not going to go away any time soon. As you said, people often referred to Bush-41 and Bush-43, and it caught on to the point that even George W. Bush was known to call his father “41” on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/12 "2011-04-13T14:25:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It doesn’t have Shrub, which was mentioned in the OP. That’s now been added. It’s wonderful having an encyclopedia which can be corrected almost instantaneously. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/13 "2011-04-13T14:29:53Z")
Can we start the damn list already, and screw wikipedia? I’ll start with the obvious because I’m cheap. President 16, Abraham “Honest Abe” Lincoln President 37, Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/14 "2011-04-13T14:33:27Z")
My favourite is “Old Tippecanoe”, used in the campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”. (Since General Harrison died shortly after taking office, “Tyler Too” became the first Vice-President to succeed on the death of the President.) ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/15 "2011-04-13T15:01:53Z")
Why is calling him Bush Jr offensive? His parents gave him the same name as his father. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/16 "2011-04-13T15:21:52Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > That’s now been added. It’s wonderful having an encyclopedia which can be corrected almost instantaneously. And it’s now been deleted. I’ve joined in the argument on the talk page, since I’m sure that “Shrub” belongs there. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/17 "2011-04-13T15:47:23Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > Why is calling him Bush Jr offensive? His parents gave him the same name as his father. It’s not offensive. It’s just incorrect, because he’s not really a junior. The father is George Herbert Walker Bush, while the son is simply George Walker Bush. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/18 "2011-04-13T18:27:47Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > It’s not offensive. It’s just incorrect, because he’s not really a junior. What does that have to do with the issue? Ronald Reagan wasn’t Dutch but that was still something people called him. Factually accurate or not, Bush Senior and Bush Junior were nicknames for the forty-first and forty-third Presidents. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/19 "2011-04-13T18:41:06Z")
We know that’s what people called them. The question was how is calling Dubya “Bush Jr” offensive. His answer is it’s not, it’s just inaccurate. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidents-nicknames/392174/20 "2011-04-13T18:44:59Z")
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