20 Most Popular Barack Obama Nicknames

This article provides a list of nicknames for Barack Hussein Obama, America’s 44th President and the first of Black-American descent.

A fun fact about Obama is that he is the first and only American leader born outside the continental United States. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961.

Let’s dive right into some of the popular nicknames ascribed to Barack Obama.

Popular Nicknames of Barack Obama

The following are the more popular nicknames and monikers of Barack Obama:

1. No Drama Obama

To appreciate the origins of the nickname “No Drama Obama,” it might be necessary to draw comparisons with his predecessors, who had some interesting and even scandalous moments during their time in office. Obama took over from Republican President George W. Bush, who infamously had a pair of shoes thrown at him in 2008 by an Iraqi journalist at a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq. Or before Bush, Bill Clinton was involved in a sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky that got him impeached. Obama earned the nickname “No Drama Obama” because of his cautious and meticulous presidential campaign in 2007–08 and a scandal-free presidency over his two terms in office.

2. Deporter in chief

 While Obama may have scored some points, notably with the stabilization of the American economy and the killing of Osama bin Laden, his policy on immigration brought about some unpleasant nicknames, one of which was “Deporter in chief.” The nickname came about following what was, at the time, the most expansive removal program in American history, with over two million deportations taking place under his command, a good number of those being Latino voters who, in response, coined that nickname. 

3. Cheatin’ Obama

 There are no marks for guessing the originator of the nickname “Cheatin’ Obama,” who is none other than Obama’s successor, Donald Trump. Trump, who pushed the Obama birther conspiracy over claims that Obama wasn’t born in America, also claimed on Twitter that his poll numbers were “higher than Cheatin Obama.” As CNN reports, “It’s not clear exactly where Obama was “cheatin’,” but it doesn’t matter! It’s a nickname! It doesn’t have to make sense!”

4. Barry O’Bomber

Obama earned the nickname “Barry O’Bomber” long before moving to the White House, following his exploits on Hawaii’s Punahou High basketball team. According to the Washington Post, Obama earned the nickname “Barry O’Bomber” because of his love of taking difficult shots—which he often missed, according to former teammate Darin Mauer. Although Obama mainly was a bench warmer on the team—which he wasn’t pleased with—the team was regarded as one of the best in the nation. Obama scored a basket in the championship game of his team’s 1979 state title victory. Not bad for a bench warmer.

5. Barack Oganja

 A rumor which went viral based on a photo of a younger Obama smoking claimed that Obama’s nickname while in college was “Barack Oganja.” While fact-checkers at USA Today have proven this to be false, Obama himself has admitted to the recreational use of marijuana in his younger days. Despite the fact check, this hasn’t stopped the nickname from gaining attention on the Internet.

6. Nobama

This moniker is a play on Obama’s name, turning it into a pun. The N turns the first syllable of Obama’s name into “no,” indicating a rejection of the president. But what policy and why it’s being rejected is unclear. At an Obama speech at Texas’s Eastfield College, an anti-abortion protester held a sign aloft reading “Nobama Baby Murderer,” according to an October 4, 2011, White House pool report.

7. Obummer

Obummer” has a fairly meh ring to it, but it’s easy to get the feel around it once you hear it, as in “Oh, bummer.” An example of its use is when on March 28, 2010, a Free Republic commenter, ncfool said, in response to Obama not picking the right teams to go to the NCAA Final Four, “Poor Obummer he put the curse on four great teams and they lost.” 

8. Owebama

It’s hard to miss the reference. “Owebama” speaks to discontent over the debt Obama accrued during his tenure and fears that it might become a heavy burden for future generations of Americans. A commenter sarcastically used it: “More of owebama’s ‘virtual’ recovery. The economy is better. Just look at these numbers we made up. This PROVES it.”

9. Obozo

Not one of the nicer ones, “Obozo” is a nickname that makes a mockery of Obama and suggests that he possesses a clownish stupidity. Robert Johnson created a board game by the same name, which pokes fun at Obama and his welfare system.

10. Renegade

The codename assigned to Obama by the Secret Service, “Renegade,” is taken from the title of a movie that stars one of his favorite actors, Keifer Sutherland. According to Vanity Fair, “throughout those excited, sleepless nights onboard the Obama ’08 bus, no movie left its mark quite like 1989’s Renegades, in which Sutherland reaches new dramatic heights as undercover agent Buster McHenry. And so, upon his election as our nation’s 44th president, he asked the Secret Service to refer to him only as Renegade.”

Other notable monikers Obama has been called include:

11. Odumbo

12. Odummy

13. Bammy

14. Obonehead

15. Obey-me

16. Liar in Chief

17. Golfer-in-Chief

18. King of Teleprompters

19. Barry the weak

20. Eunuch-in-Chief

Do you know any other nickname people call Barack Obama, or maybe you have some personal nicknames for him? Please drop all your favorite, funny, and weird Obama nicknames in the comments.

More President Nicknames:

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Stephen Agwaibor is a writer, editor and journalist with an academic background in economics. His writing interests cover various topics, including science, politics, business and social commentary.
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