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.
