Fandom Nickname

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See also: Moniker, Pseudonym, Portmanteau, Pairing Name
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Many fandoms have nicknames.

Fandom nicknames are popular with music bands, films, television shows, books, games, and sports teams.

There are also nicknames for those who are fans of a specific celebrity or author and their body of work. Some examples are Duchovniks (David Duchovny), Cumberbitches (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Janeites (Jane Austen).

K-pop groups give their fans official fan club nicknames, which are widely used.

Wikipedia has a List of fandom nicknames, which states:

Many fandoms have their own nicknames that distinguish them from other fan communities. The nicknames are popular with singers, music bands, films, television shows, books, games, sports teams, and celebrities. Some of the terms are coined by fans while others are created by celebrities themselves.

The trend of giving a name to a fandom became more popular in the beginning of the 21st century with the invention of social media, although such nicknames were used much earlier. Some people consider the Sherlockians (fans of Sherlock Holmes) and Beatlemaniacs (fans of The Beatles) to be some of the oldest known examples.[1][2]

Similar Types of Nicknames

There are nicknames for fans of a specific character, such as "Spockite" (Spock) and "Scullist" (Dana Scully). Some examples of being a fan of a specific character, see: names for fans of specific characters.

There are many, many examples of specific nicknames for those who are fans of a pairing or relationship, see bibro. [need some more examples]

Why Nicknames?

As with names for musical genres and subcultures, it's not infrequent for fandom nicknames to emerge as insults (usually for unstable or embarrassing fans) before spreading to refer to well-balanced fans through self-deprecation. An example is how the name for Eminem's fandom, "Stans", emerged from a song describing a violent, delusional character who completely misinterpreted Eminem's creative project, and around the turn of the Millennium was used by Eminem fans to insult those who acted like the Stan character -- young, white, male, obsessional fans who imitate Eminem's nasty persona without understanding his ironic intent. Over time, it became an insult from hip-hop fans to any Eminem fan, then as an ironic way for fans to describe the intensity of their own feelings, and by the end of the 2000s, Eminem fans were proudly identifying as Stans.

Who Gets to Decide?

The fans themselves? TPTB and the media?

Organic evolution or a more formal process?

Pros and Cons of Fandom Nicknames

Examples of Fandom Nicknames

See list at Wikipedia for more.

Meta/Further Reading

References

  1. ^ Jason Richards (7 August 2012). "Beliebers, Directioners, Barbz: What's With Pop's Fanbase-Nickname Craze?". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 2022-05-10.
  2. ^ Scott Brown (20 April 2009). "Scott Brown on Sherlock Holmes, Obsessed Nerds, and Fan Fiction". Wired. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2015-03-12.
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