In the dating world of regular people like you and me, there are several levels to gauge where the relationship stands. You’ve got the phase of firsts, moving in together, getting engaged — you know the drill. But in the celebrity world, there exists another oh-so-coveted stage that solidifies a couple’s place as one of the great loves of Hollywood history: the celebrity couple nickname. And although many of these romances actually don’t work out, their ‘ship names prove to be everlasting.
Where did this storied tradition begin? We can’t be sure with all certainty. What we do know is that typically someone on social media or a member of the media at some point blends the names of celebrities in a relationship to form a cute (read: hashtaggable) nickname. To our recollection, this trend really took off circa 2002 to 2004 with then-supercouple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, aka “Bennifer” 1.0. When Affleck later moved on and married Jennifer Garner, we got Bennifer 2.0. And so on and so forth, right up to present-day pairs like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, affectionately referred to as “Kimye.”
Of course, this is all very cutesy and in no way a metric of how successful a relationship truly is. However, it does make fans feel more invested in the pairing, and having the support of the public is much better than the alternative. “As silly as it sounds, this new tendency to make up single names for two people, like ‘Bennifer’ and ‘TomKat,’ is an insightful idea,” Robert Thompson, director of the Centre for the Study of Popular Television, told The Age at the onset of the fad. “‘Brangelina’ has more cultural equity than their two-star parts. You get interested in this whether you want to or not. It’s by osmosis.”
So, with that said, let’s take a look at some of the more memorable celebrity couple nicknames to ever hijack headlines (and fans’ hearts).
Ashmi
As far as celebrity couple nicknames go, we’re calling it: former husband-and-wife Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore once had the cutest ever with “Ashmi.” Alas, not even an adorable blended moniker could save their relationship. They were married six years before splitting. He is now happily married to Mila Kunis, with whom he has since secured the current most precious couple nickname: The KuKus.
Robsten
Sigh. TBH, we’re still not over this one. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson met and fell in love while filming the Twilight franchise, blurring the line between real-life and their onscreen counterparts’ immortal love story. But one truly shocking affair later, Robsten was kaput. Happily, they seem to have maintained a mutual respect for one another.
Gyllenspoon
Did anyone else totally forget these two were once a thing? Yet, they were fascinating enough to fans to earn a couple’s nickname: Gyllenspoon. There was even an intriguing rumor during their short courtship that they joined the “Mile High Club.”
Haylor
Swift’s dalliance with the former One Direction-er lasted mere months, and yet it remains one of her most talked-about romances. Hence, Haylor. They would later go on to describe their relationship as a “learning experience.”
Cruise Control
Ah, remember the Cruise-Cruz years? These two met on the 2000 set of Vanilla Sky, in which they had some admittedly intense scenes together. And although they were officially together only six months after Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman filed for divorce, he and Cruz have always maintained their relationship was platonic up to that point.
Hiddlesticks
The pics of the two making out on the beach shook the world. But are they actually dating? Who knows, but the nicknames are endless: Hiddlesticks, Hiddleswift, Toylor and on and on… Also, Calvin Harris is not very pleased.
Kimye
Hey, at least Kim and Kanye didn’t go the Will and Jada route (Jaden and Willow) and name one of their kids Kimye.
Vaughniston
Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn co-starred in 2006’s The Break-Up and had their real-life breakup a year later.
Bennifer
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck began dating in 2003, just when tabloids began to explode.
Bennifer 2.0
Ben Affleck began dating Jennifer Garner soon after his breakup from Jennifer Lopez. The two would go on to be married for 10 years and have three children together, but separated after he allegedly had an affair with the nanny. The two have divorced and are still living together, for the sake of their kids.
TomKat
Who could forget Tom Cruise jumping on Oprah’s couch as he professed his love for the much younger Katie Holmes. One child and five years later, Holmes left Cruise and Scientology. It is speculated that Holmes is now dating Cruise’s Collateral co-star, Jamie Foxx.
Speidi
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt got together on MTV’s The Hills and, surprisingly, are still going strong 10 years later.
Taylor Squared
Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner’s relationship lasted as long as their appearance in the movie Valentine’s Day. He kinda fell off the grid, while she went on to date quite a few other famous guys.
Brangelina
Proving their critics wrong, Brad and Angelina showed the world their relationship was much more than an alleged affair and are now married and parents to their six children. They have even co-starred in a few movies together… shame those weren’t as successful as their marriage.
G.I. Joe
Probably the most creative hybrid name, Gigi Hadid — who Joe Jonas pursued since she was 13 years old — reportedly ended the relationship because of their busy schedules. Gigi of course went on to date Zayn Malik just two weeks later. Jonas was not pleased.
Posh and Becks
Yes, these were their individual nicknames before getting together, but it still counts. The Beckhams have been married for 16 years now, have four kids, and they constantly express their love for one another on Instagram.
Shefani
Maybe the newest couple to the nickname game, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton found love again in each other after their respective and very public divorces.
Billary
Are we still allowed to call them Billary after Hillary becomes president and he becomes first man?
Zanessa
These High School Musical sweethearts dated for five years — which is an eternity when you are that young. Vanessa Hudgens moved on to Austin Butler, but now that Zac Efron is single again, it looks like he may be trying to win Vanessa back.
Jetheroux
Jennifer Aniston got it right with now-husband, Justin Theroux. Only a couple this cool could pull off a Jethro Tull-inspired nickname.
DraLo
Rumors began swirling in December 2016 that these two were moving on from their respective exes in style. Neither Drake nor Loez have confirmed their relationship personally, but the proof is pretty hard to deny. These two are just living life to the fullest and having a fun time doing it.
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