List of nicknames of presidents of the United States

Presidential nicknames

George Washington

• The American Cincinnatus 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 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 "to sink or swim; to live or die; survive or perish with my country"
• His Rotundity

  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, during which America became less divided politically, to the extent that the only opponents of the ruling Democratic Republicans, the Federalist Party, 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".
• Old Kinderhook , 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 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 potent oratory during his campaign for the Tennessee state legislature
• 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

  Franklin Pierce

• Young Hickory of the Granite Hills "Young Hickory" compared his military deeds with those of Andrew Jackson. "The Granite Hills" were his home state of New Hampshire
• Handsome Frank

  James Buchanan

• Old Public Functionary, used by Buchanan in his December 1859 State of the Union 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, 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

• Unconditional Surrender Grant, 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 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

  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 in The New York Times at least as early as 1900, even though he hated the nickname
• TR for signing communications this way; the first president to be known by his initials
• The Trust Buster, so called as a pioneer of busting business trusts

  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. However, the nickname dates back to 1921, when the ARA 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

  Dwight D. Eisenhower

• Ike, known for being in his campaign slogan "I like Ike"

  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 for his reputation for boasting at Southwest Texas State Teachers College
• Landslide Lyndon, sarcastic reference to the hotly disputed 87-vote win that took him to the Senate in 1949, which became more appropriate following his landslide victory in the 1964 presidential election
• Light-Bulb Lyndon, because he hated wasting electricity, and would often storm around the White House 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 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
• The Peanut Farmer, he owned a peanut farm 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 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 because nothing negative "stuck to" him ; 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 Walker Bush 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.
• Slick Willie, often used in the pejorative to refer to his alleged sexual misconduct with Monica Lewinsky and other prominent female accusers
• The Comeback Kid, coined by press after strong second place showing in 1992 New Hampshire primary, following polling slump
• The First Black President, used by Toni Morrison in reference to the 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, 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.

  Donald Trump

• The Donald since his first wife Ivana Trump referred to him as such in a 1989 Spy magazine cover story.
• 45, the 45, and similar names, referencing his being the 45th president, his penchant for wearing monogrammed "45" apparel.
• Conspiracy Theorist-in-Chief, for his penchant of promoting conspiracy theories.
• President Snowflake and Snowflake-in-Chief using the term "Snowflake", for his poor reactions to criticism, particularly on Twitter and regarding the Mueller probe and related investigations.