An epithet, from the Greek word epithetos (meaning “added” or “attributed”), is a nickname that is added to a person’s name (eg, Ivan IV Vasilyevich is known as Ivan the Terrible) or an attribution of specific qualities to a person’s name (eg, André René Roussimoff is known as Andre the Giant). Some epithets become so established that they are more well known than the actual persons they refer to (eg, most people know of Alexander the Great, but don’t know his real name, Alexander III of Macedon). Here is a list of some famous people and their epithets.
Adele: British Queen of Soul
Alexander III of Macedon: Alexander the Great
Muhammed Ali: The Greatest or The Greatest of All Time
Louis Armstrong: The King of Jazz Trumpet
Chuck Berry: King of Rock and Roll
Tony Blair: Teflon Tony
James Brown: Godfather of Soul
Jerry Brown: Governor Moonbeam
Al Capone: Scarface
Wilt Chamberlain: Wilt the Stilt
Winston Churchill: British Bulldog
Bill Clinton: Slick Willie or Bubba
William Frederick Cody: Buffalo Bill
Bob Dylan: King of Folk
Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Soul
Henry Louis Gehrig: The Iron Horse
Andrew Jackson: Old Hickory
Michael Jackson: King of Pop
Michael Jordan: Air Jordan
Abraham Lincoln: Honest Abe
Charles Lindbergh: The Lone Eagle
Madonna: Queen of Pop
Benito Mussolini: Il Duce (Italian for “The Chief” or “The Leader”)
Richard Nixon: Tricky Dick
Annie Oakley: Little Miss Sure Shot
Elvis Presley: King of Rock and Roll
Prince: The Artist or The Purple One
Ronald Reagan: The Gipper or The Great Communicator
Rihanna: Caribbean Queen
André René Roussimoff: Andre the Giant
Bruce Springsteen: The Boss
Taylor Swift: Country-Pop Princess
Mother Teresa: Saint of the Gutters
Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady
Usher: King of R&B
Ivan IV Vasilyevich: Ivan the Terrible
John Wayne: The Duke
Neil Young: Godfather of Grunge
Read related posts: Most Common Nicknames for Shakespeare
How Did O. Henry Get His Pen Name?
Who is Alan Smithee?
How Famous Singers Got Their Names
How Rock Bands Got Their Names
For further reading: Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English: Colloquialisms, and Catch-Phrases, Solecisms and Catachresis, Nicknames, and Vulgarisms by Eric Partridge
Baseball Nicknames: A Dictionary of Origins and Meaning by James Skipper
A Dictionary of Epithets and Terms of Address by Leslie Dunkling
https://www.ranker.com/list/best-political-nicknames/mike-rothschild
http://www.nicknamestories.com
Join the conversation