The Secret Service code names used by 12 presidents and first ladies, and the stories behind them

Kennedy’s code name harkens back to Lancelot, one of King Arthur’s heroic Knights of the Round Table. After his death, Jacqueline Kennedy popularized the moniker “Camelot” in reference to his presidency.

Jacqueline Kennedy’s code name was fitting for her image as one of the most elegant residents of the White House. The fashionable first lady wore lace for her high-profile wedding and during events, such as a widely covered state visit to France.

Johnson kept the same Secret Service code name that he used as Kennedy’s vice president.

Lady Bird Johnson was a woman of many names. Her birth name was Claudia Alta Taylor, but a nursemaid nicknamed her Lady Bird, according to the White House Historical Association. To the Secret Service, she was known as Victoria.

Nixon’s given code name adds an ironic tinge to his legacy in the context of the night raid that set off the Watergate scandal and led to his resignation. 

Pat Nixon chose the code name “Starlight,” corresponding to her husband’s choice of “Searchlight.”

Ford used the same Secret Service code name when he served as vice president under Nixon.

A pinafore is a type of women’s dress, but Betty Ford famously wore pants while dancing on top of the Cabinet Room table on her last day as first lady in 1977.

Jimmy Carter’s open devotion to his Christian faith made “Deacon” a fitting code name. After his retirement from politics, Carter taught Sunday school at a church in his Georgia hometown for over 40 years.

Rosalynn Carter also used the code name “Lotus Petal.”

The former actor had appeared as a cowboy on-screen, but Reagan’s passion for all things Western also shaped his image as president.

The code name “Rainbow” was a nod to Nancy Reagan’s affinity for wearing bright colors.

Some of Bush’s Secret Service agents served as pallbearers at his funeral in 2018, AP reported.

After her death, former Secret Service agent Jonathan Wackrow wrote for CNN that her code name “exemplified her demeanor and its calming, humanizing and gentle effect on those around her.”

Though he never reached the rank of Eagle during his time as a Boy Scout, Clinton was given the patriotic code name.

Hillary Clinton’s code name while running for president as the Democratic nominee in 2016 was the same one she used as first lady.

Bush originally used the code name “Tumbler” when his father was president, and he was under Secret Service protection as the child of the commander in chief. It was changed to “Trailblazer” when he became president himself.

The Bushes’ twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, went by the code names “Turquoise” and Twinkle.”

Though the name matched the bold optimism of Obama’s campaign, the president reportedly just chose his favorite from an approved list of proposed words that started with the letter “r.”

The Obamas’ daughters, Malia and Sasha, were known as “Radiance” and “Rosebud.”

Biden’s Secret Service code name served as a tribute to his Irish Catholic heritage. He also used the code name “Celtic” as vice president.

Jill Biden also kept her Secret Service code name from her time as second lady.

Though he said in a 2015 candidate debate that he would choose the name “Humble” for himself, the one he was ultimately assigned was likely inspired by decades spent in a real-estate dynasty handed down from his father. Trump has used the same code name during both of his terms in the White House.

The first lady’s code name likely refers to her career in front of the camera as a model in New York City before she met her husband.

The name of Melania Trump’s production company, Muse Films, is a nod to her Secret Service code name. Muse Films released the documentary “MELANIA,” chronicling the lead-up to Trump’s 2025 inauguration, in January.