Babe Ruth’s most famous nickname was the name he went by throughout his career — “Babe.” Ruth’s given name was George Herman Ruth, Jr.

He was likely dubbed “Babe” by his veteran teammates when he debuted as a teenager with the minor league Baltimore Orioles in 1914. He was perceived as being a special project of O’s owner Jack Dunn and, indeed, to have received special treatment.

Thus, Ruth was Dunn’s darling, or Dunn’s “babe.”

As Babe Ruth moved into the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher, and especially during his legendary run with the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 1930s, he picked up many other monikers.

Here is a partial, though mostly complete, list Babe Ruth’s nicknames:

  • Babe
  • Bam
  • Bambino
  • Blunderbuss
  • Herman the Great
  • Jack Dunn’s baby
  • Jidge
  • Mastodon
  • Monarch
  • The Behemoth of Bust
  • The Big Bam
  • The Big Fellow
  • The Caliph of Clout
  • The Colossus of Clout
  • The Great Bambino
  • The King of Crash
  • The King of Swing
  • The Maharajah of Mash
  • The Mauling Menace
  • Modern Beowulf
  • The Prince of Pounders
  • The Rajah of Rap
  • The Sachem of Slug
  • The Sultan of Swat
  • The Titan of Terror
  • The Wali of Wallop
  • The Wazir of Wham
  • The Wizard of Whack