Custom Search

English football nicknames range from the exotic e.g. The Monkey Hangers (Hartlepool United) to the mundane - Blues, Reds, Whites or whatever colour the team happens to play in.

Fans in England have always had a traditional of applying nicknames to their favourite team, often sticking to familiar themes.

So you'll find football nicknames based on team colours, local industry, name of the team or their home ground, or a feature of the team crest (often an animal incorporated in the badge).

Some are based on local legend, like the Legend of the Lincoln Imp, while others derive from self-mockery like the Tractor Boys or the Gas.

Here's a list of some popular English football nicknames.

FOOTBALL NICKNAMES
CLUB	NICKNAME	REASON
Accrington Stanley	Stanley	Shortened name
Aldershot Town	Shots	Short version of name
Arsenal	Gunners	The club were founded by workers from the Woolwich armaments factory.
Aston Villa	Villans	Derived from "Villa"
Barnet	Bees	Based on the striped home kit.
Barnsley	Tykes	Colloquial name for a Yorkshireman.
Birmingham City	Blues	Colour of home football kit
Blackburn Rovers	Riversiders Rovers	After a side of the ground adjacent to a river Shortened name
Blackpool	Seasiders	Blackpool is a famous seaside resort.
Bolton Wanderers	Trotters	In the 19th century, one of their pitches was adjacent to a piggery.
Bournemouth	Cherries	Reference to a cherry plantation near the ground
Bradford City	Bantams	A reference to the claret and amber colours of the club's strip
Brentford	Bees	A misinterpretation of an early terrace chant "Buck up Bs"
Brighton & Hove Albion	Seagulls	Brighton is a seaside resort, therefore the nickname refers to a sea bird.
Bristol City	Robins	Red home kit similar in colour to a robin's chest
Bristol Rovers	Gas (unofficial) Pirates	Old Eastville ground was next door to a Gasworks. Reference to Bristol's maritime heritage
Burnley	Clarets	Colour of home strip.
Bury	Shakers	Club's first chairman, JT Ingham, commented before a game with Blackburn, "We will shake them. In fact, we are the Shakers"
Carlisle United	Cumbrians	From Cumbria, the county the club hails from
Charlton Athletic	Addicks	Corruption of the word 'haddocks', named after a local fishonger
Chelsea	Blues	Colour of home football kit
Cheltenham Town	Robins	Red home kit similar in colour to a robin's chest
Chester City	Blues	Colour of home football kit
Chesterfield	Spireites	Named for the famous crooked spire on the local Church of St. Mary and All Saints
Colchester United	U's	Initial of name (United)
Coventry City	Sky Blues	Colour of home strip
Crewe Alexandra	Railwaymen	Crewe is a major railway junction
Crystal Palace	Eagles	After the eagle featured on the club badge since the Seventies
Dagenham & Redbridge	Daggers	Derived from the club's name
Darlington	Quakers	A reference to the religious movement which had a historic influence on the town
Derby County	Rams	A ram features as an emblem of both the city and county, and also in the club's badge
Doncaster United	Rovers	Shortened name
	Donny	Derived from Doncaster
Everton	Toffees	After a local shop which sold sweets, including the "Everton Mint", on match days
Exeter City	Grecians	Because of the club's association with St Sidwell's Parish - people living in the parish have been known as Grecians or Greeks for many centuries
Fulham	Cottagers	From the club's home ground, Craven Cottage
Gillingham	Gills	Shortened version of the name
Grimsby Town	Mariners	Reference to Grimsby's maritime heritage - It was once the largest fishing port in the world
HartlepooUnited	Pools Monkey hangers	Refers to the twin towns of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool prior to the integration of the two in 1967. During the Napoleonic wars the citizens of Hartlepool allegedly hung a monkey believing it to be a French spy
Hereford United	Bulls	After the local breed of cattle
Huddersfield Town	Terriers	Named after the Yorkshire Terrier breed of dog
Hull City	Tigers	Colour of the amber and black home strip
Ipswich Town	Blues Tractor Boys	Colour of home football kit Originally a derogatory chant by rival fans refering to Ipswich's agricultural heritage, the nickname was adopted by Ipswich fans
Leeds United	Mighty Whites	Based on the colour of the home strip
Leicester City	Foxes	Reference to Leicestershire's hunting tradition.
Leyton Orient	O's	Initial of name (Orient)
Lincoln City	Imps (or Red Imps)	After the "Lincoln Imp" which, according to legend, plagued Lincoln Cathedral during the 14th century.
Liverpool	Reds	Colour of home kit.
Luton Town	Hatters	Reference to the hat making industry, which became synonomous with the town during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Macclesfield Town	Silkmen	Reference to the town's silk industry - Macclesfield was once the world's biggest producer of finished silk.
Manchester City	Citizens Blues	Derived from 'City' Refers to light blue home strip
Manchester United	Red Devils	The nickname originally belonged to nearby rugby league team Salford, and was "borrowed" by Man United fans.
Middlesbrough	Boro	Shortened version of name
Millwall	Lions	Adopted the nickname after being refered to as lions, due to their FA Cup giantkilling exploits in 1900.
Milton Keynes Dons	Dons	Derived from Wimbledon, a reference to the club's origins as Wimbledon F.C.
Morecambe	Shrimps	Morecambe Bay is a well known shrimping area.
Newcastle United	Magpies Toon	Based on black and white colours of the home strip Originates from the Geordie pronunciation of 'Town'
Northampton Town	Cobblers	Northampton was once a major centre of the shoe making industry.
Norwich City	Canaries	Rearing canaries was a popular pastime in the area during the early 20th century. The club adopted it's yellow strip because of the nickname.
Nottingham Forest	Reds	Colour of home kit
Notts County	Magpies	Based on black and white colour of home strip
Oldham Athletic	Latics	Short version of name (Athletic)
Peterborough United	Posh	Reportedly derived from former manager Pat Tirrel's comment that he was looking for, "Posh players for a posh team".
Plymouth Arglye	Pilgrims	Plymouth was the departure point of the Mayflower in 1620, carrying the pilgrims to the New World.
Port Vale	Valiants	Derived from Vale
Portsmouth	Pompey	The nickname for the city of Portsmouth.
Preston North End	Lillywhites	A reference to the white home strip
Queens Park Rangers	Hoops Super Hoops R's	Reference to the blue and white hooped home shirt Final initial of club abbreviation, QPR
Reading	Royals	The town is in the Royal County of Berkshire.
Rochdale	Dale	Short version of name
Rotherham United	Millers	After the club's home ground (Millmoor)
Scunthorpe United	Iron	Scunthorpe is the UK's largest steel processing centre.
Sheffield United	Blades	Sheffield has been a major centre for steel production and cutlery manufacture since the 18th century.
Sheffield Wednesday	Owls	Based on the name of the area in which the club is based (Owlerton).
Shrewsbury Town	Shrews	Shortened version of Shrewsbury
Southampton	Saints	The club was originally known as Southampton St. Mary's.
Southend United	Shrimpers	Reference to the local shrimping industry.
Stockport County	Hatters	Stockport was a major centre of the hatting industry.
Stoke City	Potters	Stoke is a world renowned centre of the pottery industry
Sunderland	Black Cats	Named after the Black Cat Battery gun based on the River Wear.
Swindon Town	Robins	Red home kit similar in colour to a robin's chest
Tottenham Hotspur	Lilywhites Spurs	Colour of home strip Short version of Hotspur
Tranmere Rovers	Rovers	Shortened name
Walsall	Saddlers	The town was a centre of the saddlery industry from the Industrial Revolution onwards.
Watford	Hornets	Refers to the yellow and black home strip
West Bromwich Albion	Baggies	The club historian suggests that it derives from "bagmen" who carried the matchday takings from the turnstiles to the cash office on the halfway line.
West Ham United	Hammers Irons	The club's crest features crossed metalworking hammers, refering to their origins as Thames Ironworks The club was originally called Thames Ironworks
Wigan Athletic	Latics	Shortening of Athletic
Wolverhampton Wanderers	Wolves	Based on shortening of the name
Wycombe Wanderers	Chairboys	High Wycombe has been a centre of the furniture production industry since the 19th century.
Yeovil Town	Glovers	Yeovil was a centre of the glove making industry during the 1800's.

Return from Football Nicknames to The Football Club Home Page

or Search the site

Custom Search