Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames
Nicknames often carry stories, emotions, or a touch of humour—and when it comes to famous personalities, their nicknames become almost as iconic as their real names. Whether coined by fans, the media, or peers, these aliases often reflect personality traits, achievements, or unique quirks. In this post, we explore famous personalities and their nicknames, diving into the meanings, origins, and the fascinating anecdotes behind them.
Why Nicknames Matter
Nicknames are more than just shortened versions of names. They tell stories, evoke emotions, and often define legacies. From celebrity nicknames to historical figures and their aliases, these titles are a testament to the impact these individuals have had on the world.
Static GK Notes and Exam Support by Rohit Academy:
Rohit Academy offers simplified Static GK notes designed for easy comprehension, ideal for competitive exams such as UPSC, SSC, banking, railways, and state-level tests. Free study resources are available to support students across these exams. Some frequently asked questions related to this topic are provided below, which are very important for exam preparation. Check Rohit Academy’s official website or platform for access.
Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames
| Names | Nicknames |
| APJ Abdul Kalam | Missile Man of India |
| Amir Khusrau | Voice of India, Parrot of India / Tota-e-Hind |
| Ashutosh Mukherji | Bengal Kesari / Banglar Bagh |
| Bal Gangadhar Tilak | Lokmanya |
| Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay | Sahitya Samrat |
| Bhagat Singh | Shaheed-e-Azam |
| Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar / B.R. Ambedkar | Father of Indian Constitution, Baba Saheb |
| Brahmagupta | Newton of India |
| C. Rajagopalachari | Rajaji |
| Chanakya / Kautilya / Vishnugupta | Indian Machiavelli |
| Chandra Shekhar | Young Turk |
| Charles Freer Andrews | Deenbandhu |
| Chittaranjan Das | Deshbandhu |
| Dadabhai Naoroji | Grand Old Man of India |
| Dayanand Saraswati | Martin Luther King of India |
| Dhyan Chand | The Magician of hockey |
| Dr. Rajendra Prasad | Desh Ratna, Ajatshatru (***Note: Gandhiji called Dr. Rajendra Prasad as Ajatashatru.) |
| Dhundiraj Govind Phalke / Dadasaheb Phalke | Father of Indian cinema |
| E. Sreedharan | Metro Man of India |
| Girija Devi | Queen of Thumri |
| Gopinath Bordoloi | Lokpriya |
| Homi Jehangir Bhabha | Father of Indian Nuclear Programme |
| Indira Gandhi | Iron Lady of India, Priyadarshini |
| Irom Chanu Sharmila | Iron Lady of Manipur, Mengoubi |
| Jagjivan Ram | Babuji |
| Jatindra Mohan Sengupta | Deshpriya |
| Jatindranath Mukherjee | Baghajatin |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Chachaji, Pandit ji |
| Jayaprakash Narayan | JP, Lok Nayak |
| Jhulan Goswami | Chakdah Express |
| Kalidas | Shakespeare of India |
| Kapil Dev | Haryana Hurricane |
| Karpuri Thakur | Jan Nayak |
| Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan | Frontier Gandhi, Badshah Khan |
| Khudiram Bose | Agni Shishu |
| Lal Bahadur Shastri | Man of Peace |
| Lala Lajpat Rai | Punjab Kesari, Lion of Punjab |
| Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bipin Chandra Pal | Lal, Bal, Pal (Together) |
| Lata Mangeshkar | Nightingale of Bollywood, Swar Kokila |
| Lord Buddha | Siddhartha Gautam, The Light of Asia, Shakyamuni |
| M. S. Golwalkar | Guruji |
| Madan Mohan Malaviya | Mahamanya / Mahamana, Prince of Beggars (***Note: (i) Rabindra Nath Tagore gave the title 'Mahamana' to Madan Mohan Malviya. (ii) Gandhiji called Malviya 'Devata Purush’. |
| Major General Rajinder Singh | Sparrow |
| Matangini Hazra | Old Lady Gandhi |
| Milkha Singh | Flying Sikh (***Note : "Flying Sikh” name was given by Ayub Khan.) |
| Mohandas Karam Chand Gandhi / Mahatma Gandhi | Father of the Nation, Bapu, Mahatma, Saint of Sabarmati (***Note: (i) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was the first person to call Mahatma Gandhi as the ‘Father of the Nation. (ii) The title of Mahatma was given to Gandhi by Rabindranath Tagore.) |
| Mother Teresa | Saint of the Gutters |
| Muhammad Ali Jinnah | Quaid-i-Azam |
| Nagarjuna | Indian Einstein |
| P.T. Usha | Payyoli Express, Udan Pari, Golden Girl |
| Rabindranath Tagore | Vishwa Kavi, Kaviguru, Gurudev |
| Raja Ram Mohan Roy | Raja, Morning Star of India Renaissance, Father of Indian renaissance, Maker of Modern India |
| Sachin Tendulkar | Master Blaster, God of Cricket |
| Samudragupta | Napoleon of India |
| Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel | Iron Man of India, Bismark of India |
| Sarojini Naidu | Nightingale of India / Bharat Kokila (***Note : (i) The title Nightingale of India was given by Mahatma Gandhi. (ii) She was called 'Bharat Kokila' by Rabindranath Tagore.) |
| Saurav Ganguly | Dada, Prince of Calcutta, Maharaj, God of the Off Side |
| Sayyed Bandhu / Sayyid brothers | Kingmaker of Indian History |
| Shakuntala Devi | Human Computer |
| Sheikh Abdullah | Sher-e-Kashmir / Lion of Kashmir |
| Sheikh Mujibur Rahman | Bangabandhu |
| Shri krishna Sinha | Bihar Kesari |
| Subhash Chandra Bose | Netaji, Patriot of Patriots (***Note: Mahatma Gandhi called Netaji as "patriot of patriots".) |
| Sunil Gavaskar | Little Master |
| Surendranath Banerjee | Rashtra Guru |
| Syed Mir Nisar Ali | Titumir |
| Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu | Andhra Kesari, Lion of Andhra |
| Tenzing Norgay | Tiger of Snow |
| Tipu Sultan | Tiger of Mysore |
| Valmiki | Adi Kavi |
| Vinoba Bhave | Acharya |
| Verghese Kurien | Father of the White Revolution |
Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames PDF
Why This Topic is Crucial for Government Exams
Questions on famous personalities and their nicknames are a recurring feature in exams like SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, UPSC Prelims, Railways, and Banking exams. They test your knowledge of history, sports, and current affairs while being straightforward to memorize. For example, questions like “Who is known as the Iron Man of India?” or “Which personality is called the Flying Sikh?” are common and carry 1-2 marks each. Mastering this topic can give you an edge in the General Awareness section.
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| Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames in Hindi |
| Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames in Bengali |
Official Websites:
By clicking the following link, you can visit the official website of the respective organization.
- NCERT
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC)
- Railway Requirement Board (RRB
- Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC)
- Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UPSSSC)
- Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC)
- Public Service Commission, West Bengal (WBPSC)
- West Bengal Police Recruitment Board (WBPRB)
- Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB)
FAQs : Famous Personalities and Their Nicknames
Here is previous years’ government exam questions related to famous personalities and their nicknames. These types of questions are commonly asked in exams like SSC (CGL, CHSL), UPSC, RRB, CDS, NDA, and State PSCs.
Question 1
Who is popularly known as the ‘Iron Man of India’?
Answer: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Question 2
‘Missile Man of India’ is the nickname of which Indian scientist?
Answer: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Question 3
Who is referred to as the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution’?
Answer: Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
Question 4
Which freedom fighter is also known as ‘Netaji’?
Answer: Subhas Chandra Bose
Question 5
Who is known as the ‘Father of the Nation’ in India?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
Question 6
Who was popularly called ‘Punjab Kesari’?
Answer: Lala Lajpat Rai
Question 7
Who was known as ‘Lokmanya’?
Answer: Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Question 8
Who is known as the ‘Flying Sikh’ of India?
Answer: Milkha Singh
Question 9
‘Bapu’ was the nickname of which Indian personality?
Answer: Mahatma Gandhi
Question 10
Who was popularly known as the ‘Grand Old Man of India’?
Answer: Dadabhai Naoroji
Question 11
Who is known as the ‘Wizard of Hockey’?
Answer: Dhyan Chand
Question 12
Who is called the ‘Nightingale of India’?
Answer: Sarojini Naidu
Question 13
Who is known as the “Napoleon of India”?
Answer: Samudragupta
Question 14
Who is referred to as the “Haryana Hurricane”?
Answer: Kapil Dev
Question 15
Who was given the title “Deshbandhu”?
Answer: Chittaranjan Das
Question 16
Who is referred to as the “Bengal Tiger”?
Answer: Bipin Chandra Pal
Question 17
Who is referred to as the “Prince of Pilgrims”?
Answer: Hiuen Tsang
Question 18
Who is referred to as the “Father of the Indian Renaissance”?
Answer: Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Question 19
Who is known as the “Metro Man” of India?
Answer: E. Sreedharan
Question 20
Who is referred to as the “Waterman of India”?
Answer: Rajendra Singh
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