Scottish Football Club Nicknames
A list of nicknames for Scottish league football clubs, some are well known, other nick names are rarely used anymore and have become obsolete. Where I can I've added explanations for some of the team nicknames.
Scottish Premier Division Clubs
Football Team |
Football Club Nickname |
Reason for nickname |
Aberdeen | The Dons | City was famous for having 2 Universities, or the river Don is one of the rivers that goes through Aberdeen |
Celtic | The Bhoys, The Hoops, The Celts, The Tic | Bhoys - An Irish pronouncement of boys, (Irish roots of club). Hoops - kit |
Dundee United | The Terrors, The Tangerines, or Arabs | Kit colour, The Arabs is said to have come from the 1960s when United used to heavily sand their pitch |
Dunfermline Athletic | The Pars | reason unknown, several theories from the shortening of Paralytics, because they played badly to the colour of their strip resembling a Parr fish. |
Falkirk | The Bairns | |
Heart of Midlothian | Hearts / Jam Tarts | Kit colour and rhymes |
Hibernian | The Hibees, Hibs | Shortening of Hibernian which is the old roman name for Ireland |
Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Caley Thistle, CaleyJags | |
Kilmarnock | Killies | Shortening |
Livingston | Livi, Lions | Abbreviation and a lion on club badge |
Motherwell | The Well, The Steelmen | Steelworks beside ground |
Rangers | The Gers, Light Blues, Teddy Bears | abbreviation and kit colour. |
Scottish first division footy nicknames
Football Team |
Football Nick name |
Reason for nickname |
Airdrie United | The Diamonds | Diamonds on the kit |
Brechin City | The City | |
Clyde | The Bully Wee | |
Dundee | The Dark Blues, The Dee | kit colour |
Hamilton Academicals | The Accies | |
Queen of the South | The Doonhamers | |
Ross County | The County | |
St Johnstone | The Saints | |
St Mirren | The Saints, The Buddies | |
Stranraer | The Blues | kit |
Scottish second division club nick names
Team |
Football Nickname |
Reason |
Alloa | The Wasps | Kit |
Ayr United | The Honest Men | From a poem by Robert Burns "Auld Ayr, wha'm ne'er a toon surpassess, for honest men and bonnie lasses" |
Dumbarton | The Sons | |
Forfar Athletic | The Loons | |
Gretna | The Black and Whites | Kit |
Morton | The Ton | |
Partick Thistle | The Jags | Thistles have jagged edges |
Peterhead | The Toons | |
Raith Rovers | The Rovers | |
Stirling Albion | The Binos | |
Scottish third division football nicknames
Team |
Football Nickname |
Reason |
Albion Rovers | The Rovers | |
Arbroath | The Red Lichties | |
Berwick Rangers | The Borderers, The Wee Rangers | Based in England! Wee rangers because they are a smaller club than the team from Glasgow. |
Cowdenbeath | The Blue Brazil | Blue kit - Brazil refers to quality of team! |
East Fife | The Fifers | |
East Stirlingshire | The Shire | |
Elgin City | The City | |
Montrose | The Gable Endies | |
Queen's Park | The Spiders | |
Stenhousemuir | The Warriors | |
Thanks to Ross and Paul (two pub quiz help visitors) for providing all these Scottish nicknames. Please drop me an email if you know of any good explanations for why a team has become known for a particular nickname.
Thanks also to several more Pub Quiz help visitors for suggesting nickname origins.