29+ Celebrity Nicknames We Never Knew About

the tea

| LAST UPDATE 08/29/2022

By Rylee Wise

Stars, they're just like us! Well, sort of. These celebrities have been given their fair share of hilarious nicknames, and we totally can relate. From The Queen to Cardi B, here are some of our favorites!

Jennifer Lawrence: Nitro

Just like their characters, celebs have been given a variety of nicknames by family or friends. Sometimes they hit, and sometimes they just miss! Jennifer Lawrence shared her adorable nickname in an interview with 60 Minutes.

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 Albert L. Ortega via Getty Images

The Hunger Games actress revealed her nickname "Nitro" was given to her by her brothers when they were just children. So, why Nitro? Apparently, the young Lawrence was so energetic as a kid that Nitro seemed the appropriate nickname - and she still is sometimes called it today.

Jennifer Aniston: Dr. Aniston

Next up is the one and only Jennifer Aniston. The Friends actress got her nickname from her producing partner, Kristin Hahn, who sat down with the Los Angeles Times to share Aniston's nickname is Dr. Aniston. So how exactly did this actress score her doctorate title?

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Juan Naharro Gimenez via Getty Images

"If you give this woman a problem to solve, she will spend whatever time it takes to come up with a plan and tell you how to deal with it. And I mean, any kind of problem. We call her Dr. Aniston," revealed Hahn. We can only imagine the types of problems the actress has encountered, but we would take her advice any day!

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Keanu Reeves: The Wall

According to Collider, Keanu Reeves scored his nickname in college back in the day. Although The Matrix actor struggled academically, he thrived in sports and theater (duh). Reeves took a particular liking to hockey and ended up playing as a goalie at De La Salle College, where he received his nickname.

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David Davies - PA Images / Contributor

The talented athlete killed it as a goalie, where he received the nickname "The Wall." Apparently, he was so skilled at the field that he even considered going pro for a while. We can only imagine Keanu "The Wall" Reeves playing hockey for the Los Angeles Kings, but we're glad we got John Wick instead.

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Mila Kunis: Goldfish

So it looks like animal-inspired nicknames are the inspiration for some of these Hollywood celebs! The That '70s Show star Mila Kunis confessed her friends call her Goldfish, of all things, even though she has been named one of the world's sexiest women a few times.

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Rich Polk via Getty Images for IMDb

When asked about her nickname, Kunis said her friend "came up with that because goldfish go around the tank and then a few seconds later they are just as happy to go back round again. She thought it suited me because apparently, I have a very short attention span. Just like a goldfish!" That could get hard for an actress, no?!

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Daniel Radcliffe: Shrimpy

It's hard to believe Harry Potter himself could have ever had anything less than a magical nickname! But as it turned out, Daniel Radcliffe didn't have the best luck with nicknames growing up and revealed that his nickname was far from a "decent" one.

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Junko Kimura via Getty Images

"I'm really not sure I ever had a decent nickname," Radcliffe recalled. "I remember getting called Shrimpy a lot because I was very, very pale and very skinny." Born in London, we understand that there isn't much sun all year round, which could explain the pale-ness! But no matter what he looks like, we'll always be #TeamHarry!

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Queen Elizabeth II: Cabbage

The royals, too, have nicknames! Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband, Prince Philip, were married for over 7 decades, so they were bound to have developed a few nicknames for one another over the years! In the 2006 film, The Queen, audiences see Philip get into bed and tell Her Majesty, "move over cabbage." Yes, the vegetable.

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Oli Scarff / Staff via Getty Images

According to the film's screenwriter, Peter Morgan, "I inquired in royal circles and was told on very good authority that that is what the Duke sometimes calls the Queen," and was later confirmed by the Queen's biographer. The nickname is thought to come from the French phrase, "mon petit chou," meaning "my darling" in English.

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Lea Michele: Grandma

We can totally relate to this actress's nickname! During an interview with V Magazine, where she was featured, later on, Lea Michele told the magazine her nickname is actually "grandma!" Sometimes, there's nothing like a nice early night indoors - what can we say!

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Tibrina Hobson / Contributor via Getty Images

"My friends call me Grandma, but like, Grandma's killing it right now. I'm pretty sure Grandma nailed it in a half-naked Terry Richardson shoot, okay? So I'm fine with it. I just do my thing. I do what's best for me. That's it." We get it, girl! And Grandma is totally killing it.

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Lewis Hamilton: Billion Dollar Man

Recognized as one of the most successful Formula 1 drivers in the world, Sir Lewis Hamilton has quite the nickname to coincide with his unbelievable career. The racecar driver was even knighted by Charles, Prince of Wales - no small accomplishment there!

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Joe Portlock - Formula 1 / Contributor via Getty Images

The athlete gained the nickname of the "billion dollar man" after holding the record for winning the most Grand Prix and joint-most world championships, amongst plenty more achievements. However, he is currently not a billionaire. But he still racks in the big bucks and is a major millionaire!

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Timothée Chalamet: Timmy T

The Call Me by Your Name actor might have one of the most difficult last names in Hollywood to pronounce, but his friends just call him "Timmy." That feels right. Timothée Chalamet may be an all-star actor, but at heart, he has an easy nickname - just like the rest of us.

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Matt Winkelmeyer / Staff via Getty Images

A few videos have surfaced on the web of the young actor rapping in high school, where he goes by the nickname "Little Timmy Tim" or "Timmy T," so those also work. Lastly, his Chinese fans have given him the nickname "Tian Cha," meaning "sweet tea," because the term sounds a lot like "Timothée Chalamet."

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Olivia Colman: Colly

Although her real name is actually Sarah Sinclair, the Oscar-winning actress goes by Olivia Colman. However, her close friends call her "Colly." The Crown actress revealed in an interview to The Independent in 2013 that she "I was never Sarah; I was always called by my nickname, Colly."

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Pool via Getty Images

The actress continued, "one of my best friends at university was called Olivia, and I always loved her name." So, "it didn't seem so awful not to be called Sarah," she confessed, after being nicknamed Colly her whole life by her friends. We may as well call her Queen Elizabeth II for her outstanding role in The Crown!

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Prince George: P.G.

Speaking of the royals, let's throw another royal family member onto the list! Prince George of Cambridge, William and Kate's eldest son, has a pretty easy nickname to go by: P.G. The adorable nine-year-old attends Thomas Battersea primary school, where he coined the cute nickname.

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Mark Cuthbert / Contributor via Getty Images

"George is really happy at school, his nickname is P.G.," an anonymous parent told Vanity Fair. "He's very popular and has lots of friends, and there's very little fuss made about who he is." We love to hear it. "Either William or Kate do drop off, and they are always very friendly." Sounds like a drop-off we would love to get in on.

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Blake Shelton: Toad

Just because he's an award-winning country superstar doesn't mean he shouldn't have a cute little nickname - especially given to him by momma Shelton! Blake Shelton's mom, Dorothy Shelton, told Men's Journal that the boy who grew up in Oklahoma got his nickname due to all the time he spent in the great outdoors!

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Emma McIntyre / Contributor via Getty Images

"We had to drag him into the house at night," Momma Shelton recalled. "He loved all animals: grasshoppers, locusts, lizards, snakes, worms. One time I had a flyswatter, and I killed a fly, and he cried." So with this great love of animals came his adorable nickname, Toad.

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Kevin Hart: Flip

One of the funniest guys on the planet, Kevin Hart, wasn't always the king of comedy! He was once just a high school student looking to fit in like the rest of us, and his nickname, "Flip," was just a testament to the grueling high school tactics. What a time to be alive!

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Johnny Nunez/WireImage via Getty Images

The Central Intelligence star confessed he "wore sneakers that were too big because the girls would see them and think: Oh my god, you know what that means." Noted. "They were flipping off all over the place," and from there on, he was known as "Flip."

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Chris Pratt: Monkeyboy

The Tomorrow War star actually chose his own nickname! So what's the story? According to Pratt, "Monkeyboy came from high school. I was a kid who loved monkeys. Everything was about monkeys." He told IMDB, "I was a bit of an entertainer and attention-seeker, so I was always carrying monkeys around and drawing monkeys everywhere."

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Jon Kopaloff / Stringer via Getty Images

"Then, when I became a door-to-door salesman, I told everyone we had to pick a nickname because on the weekly bulletin for the company, they would put the lead salespeople, and they would give you a nickname, so I chose Monkeyboy. And it really stuck from there and continued on." Alright, Monkeyboy!

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Nick Jonas: Old Man Jonas

The entertainer might only be 29 years old, but according to his wife, Priyanka Chopra, he's an "old soul," which is why she's given him the nickname "Old Man Jonas" or "OMJ." Considering he began his Hollywood career at just seven years old on Broadway, maybe he's a little tired!

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Jeff Spicer via Getty Images

Chopra revealed the cute nickname for her hubby OMJ comes from his being an "old soul, [and] extremely smart," which is "so good for me because he grounds me [her] so much." The actress continued, "I'm a wild child, I do whatever I want whenever I want, and he always supports me." We love to hear it!

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Ryan Gosling: Mouseboy

After an old interview was released of a young 12-year-old Ryan Gosling from his days as Mouseketeer, the La La Land star confessed his nickname from the show was Mouseboy! Gosling began his career as one of the Mouseketeers back in the '90s alongside Justin Timberlake!

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DAVID GANNON AFP via Getty Images

In the adorable clip, young Gosling was asked about his new on-screen job, to which he responded, "My friends are really great about it, they think it's really cool, they're really excited. They call me Mouseboy and things. They're all happy for me." Gosling said he was "surprised" his friends weren't making fun of his nickname!

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Miley Cyrus: Smiley

Miley Cyrus is used to having a few different identities - Hannah Montana, anyone? So naturally, the entertainer has the whole nickname thing down. Born Destiny Hope Cyrus, the actress was named by her parents, who believed it was her "destiny to bring hope to the world."

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Frazer Harrison / Staff via Getty Images

However, the Party in the U.S.A singer often went by her nickname, Smiley. Why Smiley? Because she was a smiley kid growing up! Over the years, Smiley turned into Miley, and in 2008 she legally changed her name to Miley, and now we couldn't imagine her as anything else! Besides Hannah, of course.

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Meghan Markle: Meg

Another royal family member, Meghan Markle, comes with a nickname. Although it may not be cabbage, it's definitely a symbol of herself before she became the Duchess of Sussex! The Duchess' makeup artist and old friend opened up to People about his relationship with her leading up to the big wedding.

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Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

According to Daniel Martin, when he first saw Markle before the wedding, he wasn't sure what to do! "I asked her that. 'Do I bow to you? I don't want to disrespect you, but I've known [you] for almost 10 years. What's up?' She started laughing, and she said, 'I'm always going to be Meg. Meg.'" Okay, Meg!

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Bella Thorne: Pickle

That's the thing with nicknames; the person dawning the name doesn't get to choose it, but rather the name is chosen for them! So, in this case, Bella Thorne was handed the nickname "Pickle" by fellow actress Drew Barrymore. We would gladly take any nickname given to us by Miss Barrymore!

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 David Livingston via Getty Images

Thorne and Barrymore worked side by side in the 2014 film, Blended, and since then, she has rocked the nickname Pickle. The two became quite close on set, as Barrymore became a sister/mother figure to the younger actress and said, "I can't remember why I started calling her Pickle, but that's what she'll be for life."

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Cardi B: Bacardi

So technically, yes - Cardi B is the rapper's stage name. However, growing up, her childhood nickname was Bacardi, like the rum. Born Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, the rapper went from Bacardi to Cardi B after she got into some problems with Instagram.

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Gilbert Carrasquillo / Contributor via Getty Images

The singer told Jimmy Fallon her sister's name is Hennessy, "so everyone used to call me Bacardi, and I started calling myself Bacardi," she said. "Then it was my Instagram name, but for some reason, my Instagram kept getting deleted. I think it was Bacardi that had something to do with it, so I just shortened it to Cardi B."

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Tom Hardy: Weasel

In an interview with Esquire, Tom Hardy revealed his old-age nickname, and we're getting a kick out of it. The actor confessed he was more of a wild child growing up and disliked school, so instead would end up roaming the streets with his friends, getting into some trouble!

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Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic via Getty Images

In fact, his parents pulled him out of secondary school when he almost got kicked out at a young age - which probably explains his nickname, Weasel. "I was one of those oiks that was on the street, like the moped gangs that are out and about now," he said.

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Liam Payne: Cheesy Head

There are some nicknames that are a little more questionable than others, but they always come with a story! That same sentiment goes for One Direction star Liam Payne, who grew up as "Cheesy Head." So how does one get the name Cheesy Head growing up?

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Lauren Hurley - PA Images / Contributor via Getty Images

In an interview with Liam Payne, he revealed his sisters "used to call me [him] 'Cheesy Head' because I ate cheesy crisps all day." We get it - they are yummy. Payne also revealed his sisters used to "dress me [him]" and "used to try to influence my [his] fashion a bit." Nothing like sisters, right?

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Matthew Perry: Matty

Fellow Friends co-star Matthew Perry has joined the list, following Jennifer Aniston with a rather simple nickname. The hilarious actor Matthew Perry goes by Matty to some of his nearest and dearest pals! We wonder what we would have to do to get in on that short list of friends.

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Paul Zimmerman / Contributor via Getty Images

So, how did the nickname come to fruition? Well, when the actor finally joined Instagram in 2020, Dr. Aniston commented on his first post, "Yay, Matty! Could you TAKE any longer?' with a shocked emoji and a heart, while Courteney Cox wrote, 'Yes, Matty!!! and a heart." And just like that, he's Matty!

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Anne Hathaway: Annie

A simple nickname for the one and only Princess of Genovia herself, Anne Hathaway. The actress made an appearance on the Tonight Show, Starring Jimmy Fallon, last year, where she told the host that she is over being called Anne and would much rather go by her nickname, Annie. Anything you say, Annie!

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Jacopo Raule via Getty Images

The actress told Fallon, "Call me Annie, everybody, everybody, call me Annie, please." But why? "The only person who calls me Anne is my mother, and she only does it when she's really mad at me, like really mad," she said. "So every time I step out in public, and someone calls my name, I think they're going to yell at me."

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Cameron Diaz: Skeletor

Believe it or not, Cameron Diaz was occasionally bullied growing up. Raised in Long Beach, California, the actress grew up in a predominately Latina neighborhood and was picked on for being both thin and having fair skin with a Spanish name. Her father was Cuban, and her mother was of English and German descent.

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 L. Cohen/WireImage via Getty Images

The Bad Teacher actress was deemed "skeletor" by the kids in her neighborhood because she was so tiny. Diaz recalls learning early on to hold her own and "trust my [her] street sensibilities." Well, in the end, her street smarts paid off, as she's one of the most influential stars in Hollywood.

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Rihanna: Robyn

Buckle in because we've been saying her name wrong all this time! Sure, Rihanna has at least 10 nicknames. But behind closed doors, she goes by something entirely different: Robyn, a.k.a. her real name. "I get kind of numb to hearing Rihanna, Rihanna, Rihanna," she told Rolling Stone. "When I hear Robyn, I pay attention."

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Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Rihanna is the singer turned business mogul's middle name, with her first name being Robyn. The Diamonds singer hails from the beautiful island of Barbados and has nicknames like The Barbados Babe, The Caribbean Queen, The Bajan Beauty, and The Princess of R&B - as well as many more!

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Barack Obama: Barry O’Bomber

So how did the former President of the United States end up with the nickname Barry O'Bomber? Well, the name goes all the way back to his high school days when he played basketball! The President was known for attempting many difficult shots and, well, missing.

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Streeter Lecka / Staff via Getty Images

According to Darin Maureer, a friend of Obama's who played ball with the President from 7th to 12th grade, Obama was often "teased a lot for taking hard to make shots." Maureer told NBC News that they were on the team with some pretty athletic jocks, so neither of them ever started, which "was hard."

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Mariah Carey: Mirage

The Queen of Christmas is already a pretty good nickname and most definitely checks out - but before she was the popstar sensation that she is, she was known to her peers as "mirage." The singer coined the name pretty early on in school for never showing up to class - and therefore, a mirage!

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Handout via Getty Images

The All I Want For You singer knew from an early age she was going to be a star - so she figured, why show up for class? Carey's guidance counselor recalled trying to talk to the teenager, but "it didn't do any good" because she would respond by saying, "she was going to be a rock star." Well, she was right, to be fair!

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Drew Barrymore: Poo Poo

There's nothing like matching nicknames, which seems to be the case for BFFs Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz! While we already know Diaz has a few nicknames, Barrymore does too. The two stars go way back to their Charlies Angels days and have remained close ever since.

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 VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

"It started out as classic boy humor," Drew said. "And then it just stuck, we love it; it will never change," Cameron added. "When we're at a restaurant, she'll say to the waiter, 'Ask Poo Poo what she wants.' And people will be like, 'What?' We call each other Poo Poo. I call her Poo Poo. She's in my phone as Poo Poo," Cameron laughed.

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Hugh Jackman: Sticks

It may be hard to believe that the X-Men star ever rocked this nickname, but apparently, he thinks he still should! Hugh Jackman took to his Instagram to reveal to his fans that his nickname from middle school was "sticks" while posing for the camera in a fantastic three-piece suit.

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Instagram via @thehughjackman

The Hollywood star uploaded a photo of himself with a big smile on his face, writing in the caption, "this photo is evidence of why my nickname in middle school was "sticks" and it probably still should be." The actor was referring to his extremely long legs!

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