My squads are just starting to get nicknames, so I'm curious. Thanks in advance.

Also, one of my guys was given the handle of "Puppy", which amuses me. I guess the game thinks he is adorable?

I just assume they are all sexual pet names given to each other while I'm scanning for alien objects.

Dude is named Septic. Don't want to know why.

They are random and sometimes racist. My favourite one I got was a Black Lady from Africa who got the nick name of Smokey. I usually just rename them anyway.

@Brodehouse said:

Dude is named Septic. Don't want to know why.

Hahahaha

I had a sniper lady who got named "spider" right after a mission where she was zooming around a lot with the grappling hook.  That could be a coincidence, but I feel like all my soldiers' nicknames suit them pretty well based upon how I use them.

One of my assaults was called 'DJ.' When she's not slaughtering aliens, I guess she likes to spin.

I've also had 'The Prototype' Rogers and 'All Day' McKenzie.

@gladspooky said:

One of my assaults was called 'DJ.' When she's not slaughtering aliens, I guess she likes to spin.

I've also had 'The Prototype' Rogers and 'All Day' McKenzie.

All Day. Think about it.

@Seppli said:

@gladspooky said:

One of my assaults was called 'DJ.' When she's not slaughtering aliens, I guess she likes to spin.

I've also had 'The Prototype' Rogers and 'All Day' McKenzie.

All Day. Think about it.

But most missions are at night! Wait a minute...

My guy who used explosives a lot got "Nova".

Support are "Bishop" and "Doc", appropriately.

I think it is at least somewhat related to what they do, unlike their class designation.

In my first game, the psionic sniper who ended up saving the world was named "Zulu". He utilized more than a little voodoo before the end.

@gladspooky said:

One of my assaults was called 'DJ.' When she's not slaughtering aliens, I guess she likes to spin.

I've also had 'The Prototype' Rogers and 'All Day' McKenzie.

Wait I have 'All Day' Mckenzie also, is that just a coincidence? Is she assault for you too?

My only survivor from the first mission is 'Lights Out' Medina, and he's a heavy. It sounds kinda badass especially when he destroys the giant mech things because of his talents, he does like 16-18 damage to them.

What do I have to do to get 'Big Jeffrey'?

@Icicle7x3 said:

What do I have to do to get 'Big Jeffrey'?

Take a dump on all the aliens and then never be seen again.

I named a unit Oscar Meyer and he got "Smokey", which is just so perfect.

Also, a sniper named Ryan "Long Shot" Davis and a heavy named Gabe "Boomer" Newell, so it can't be totally random. ("Boomer" came first, I named him Gabe Newell because of it.)

I got an assault with "All in" that really seems to fit with the run and gun, double shot shotgun to the face

Only other one I kept was "Bishop" a support that's happened to turn into a crazy psionic

Tracy "Boom Boom" Watkins uses her grenades and rocket launcher a lot.

Have one sniper named "Lockdown" Olsen, which is fitting as he pretty much was/is ultimate punishment from leaving the safety of cover. My other was "Nighmare" Greene, which was fitting at the time for his kill count but even greater when I found out that he was gifted.

I had a Heavy who I had a habit of smashing buildings with and he was Ivan 'Kong' Chavez

Captain Julie "Garrote" Goosens kills aliens with her Sniper Rifle pretty often.

I name my marines after my friends and family, and one of them was nicknamed Mustang, which is very fitting because he's had a mustang since he could drive. His whole family loves mustangs

By reading this thread, and by my own experience with nicknames, it seems that they are random but tied to the class. I have a support/medic named Missionary, a sniper named Longbow, and a heavy named Diesel.

Supports always seemed to have weird nicknames. Scotch, Pops, Ace, Shield, and Strings.

@Patman99: Yeah, I also believe they are classed based, but it seems to take into account what you have them do or what perks they have. For instance, I've got a support with the 3 for 1 medkit perk called "Bonus", my heavy who I always use to blow sides off of buildings is called "Kong", my sniper is called "Stalker", etc.

I think they're can be a bit of variation even in that, but I think you've got it right.

My sniper is nicknamed "Alpha" and I assumed it was because he was always in my away team and always kicking ass. And one of my supports is called "Doc" and I figured it was because he was my only healer at the time.

But then I've got a heavy nicknamed "Moose", an assault nicknamed "Coney", and a psionic assault nicknamed "Wildchild" so I don't even know what the fuck.

My Larry "Big ol' Dick" Gooseman doesn't give a fuck if anyone dies and never panics in combat. He is assault.

@Dagbiker said:

I just assume they are all sexual pet names given to each other while I'm scanning for alien objects.

i like this idea so much that im gonna say its a fact.

pore burn and fury they got teamed up with snake eye again

I created an old Scottish man who I named Tabby O'Callahan who earned the nickname 'Pops.' It couldn't have been more perfect.

US Pipe!

I don't know, but my Sniper is called "Demon" and my Heavy is called Doomsday, so that's pretty cool.

Hell yes the nicknames have meanings.

Yukiko "Cyclops" Fujiwara will fuck your shit up with her Plasma Sniper!

I had an assault who got ripped up by the aliens and almost died in a mission, at the end of the mission he got the nickname D.O.A., so I'm guessing they aren't totally random.

I have a guy with "Casino" because I like to gamble.

The ones I have seen:

• Sniper: Baroness, Emo
• Support: Prophet, Vita, Doc
• Heavy: Nova, Road Block
• Assault: Cash, Twitch, Spitfire

I've got Dominick 'Eyes' Cordier, a Sniper - which I quite like - Alejandro 'Crash' Vasquez the heavy (I think he earned it for smashing down some windows to gun down a floater during overwatch, it seemed appropriate), and Aidan 'Bull' Lam, because he was my point man Assault who would rush in and shotgun the faces off anything he could see. 
 
My female squaddies have had some... interesting names. Another heavy, a south african, became Kedeme 'Crater' Ngoyo after blowing up the side of a building to take out some chrysalids, and my Irish support officer is now Eileen 'Kitty' Meaney - I assume it's meant to be slightly condescending in that she's 'cute' and that she's always hanging out near the back of the squad to heal people up, but 'Kitty' doesn't really sum up her combat potential, as she is consistently smoking fools with her plasma rifle!

Damn, I'm not getting the really funny ones. Playing too conservatively I think.

Firaxis are a sure bet for "best nickname generating developer of the year" at least.

Definitely class based, but not sure about the other stuff since mine seem random and not based on what they do. I had a support named Angel and my assault was Desperado. He didn't really do that until after he got the nickname though. Angel was pretty awesome though.

Lockdown on my sniper was pretty fitting, even though she came with that as soon as i got her. It's almost like the game is psychic or something, knows exactly how you're going to use a soldier.

I think my Current team are called:

Geronimo: Assault

Twitch: Assault

Flash: Heavy

Rogue: Support

Pox: Support

Lockdown: Sniper

Geronimo, Twitch and Lockdown are all insanely appropriate for how I use them. I'm not sure how my secondary support got called Rogue, but he does kill more that he heals.

Snipers: Spider, Crow

Heavy: Apocalypse, Yeti, Blackout

Support: Doc, Fox

Assault: Cyclone, Bull, Cowboy (he's french, weird)

I've only played with rg characters, and the nicknames are mostly unoriginal but fine, except one: my badass support chick got 'Stacks' as her nickname...lolly.

Col. Ashley "Nightmare" Williams, Sniper -- The only character I've renamed, after noticing female voice 2 is Kimberly Brooks. Naturally I gave her pink armor and a tight bun haircut. Turned out to be the only psionic among my A squad. Also the only character I remember first & last name.

The nickname definitely fits, she always racks up a hell of a kill count. During the downed UFO story mission (the one with the ethereal) she took the Sectopod to 1 HP in one turn.

Col. "Moose" Diaz, Heavy -- My "sole survivor" from the first mission. Name fits a heavy.

Col. "Santa", Support -- First support. I randomly gave him the "Samus" red/yellow color scheme, I guess it kind of fits.

Col. "Magic Man", Support -- Sadly, not actually a psionic.

Col. "Desperado", Assault -- I like to pretend he wears a cowboy hat under his helmet.

Col. "Psycho" Nakamura, Assault -- I wish I could say she earned this nickname in a spectacular fashion, but I really can't remember.

My first psionic was a support that got the nickname "Pixie." Seemed appropriate for being the equivalent of a magic user. Also she's a girl wearing all pink armor so the nickname didn't seem as weird as it could have.

I also have a heavy that got the nickname "Collateral." I had been using him to blow down terrain a lot. I don't know if the game takes that into account. It's probably just a coincidence. I doubt the nicknames are determined using anything other than class and maybe psionic aptitude.

Other than that most of my stuff seems pretty generic ("Demon," "Spike," "Pops," etc ... )

I only let my troops keep their given nicknames until i come up with something more fitting and/or funny and/or stupid. Only a couple have managed to dodge my pulling rank on the nickname selection. :p

My senior support guy has had the game given nick "Rogue" for a while. Based on the last few missions I've noticed he's always bringing up the rear of the pack. His new name will be Caboose.

I currently have a heavy with the nickname 'Odin', he must feel pretty bad ass. ,

@Brodehouse: Same here. He has a shotgun to deal with people making jokes though.

I named my female soldiers after the Golden Girls. Of the two that survived, both are snipers.

Rose "Ice" Nylund

Sophia "Athena" Petrillo

Funny because Sophia is Mediterranean and Rose Scandinavian.

Ziggy Stardust got the nickname Strings. He surely did play it left-hand.

I think they are based on their actions. Heavy's called "Doomsday". Assault called "Sheriff", etc.

I didn't see anyone report this one yet, "Loco". I got it for my assault that would charge up to a weakened enemy and arc thrower them.

I have an Assault guy nicknamed "Double Deuce". Support "Deacon". They seem to be pretty class tied, not sure if they get more in depth than that.

I had a Nigerian sniper nick named "Demon". My favorite soldier so far, with nearly 80 kills.