- First families get their Secret Service code names at the very beginning of a presidential campaign.
- Presidents get to choose from a list provided by the White House Communications Agency.
- The code names are for security purposes, but they often get leaked or are overheard at events.
Secret Service code names, which Secret Service agents use when communicating about the security of the first family, are among the worst-kept secrets in Washington.
Though they're meant to be secret, the code names quickly become public either through government filings, sources who leak them to news outlets, or when agents are overheard at public events. Since new technology has allowed security agents to monitor officials in a variety of ways, the names aren't so top-secret anymore.
The White House Communications Agency assigns each member of the first family a code name for Secret Service agents to use during their time in the White House. These names come from a list of agency-approved choices that either the president chooses from or agents pick.
Other members of the family are then assigned names that share the same first letter. Sometimes, it's the same letter as the family's last name, but not always.
Here are the Secret Service code names used by the past 12 presidents and first ladies.
President John F. Kennedy: Lancer
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.
First lady Jacqueline Kennedy: Lace
Jacqueline Kennedy's code name was fitting for her image as one of the most elegant residents in the history of the White House, who wore lace for her high-profile wedding and during events like a widely covered state visit to France.
President Lyndon B. Johnson: Volunteer
Johnson kept the same Secret Service code name that he used as Kennedy's vice president.
First lady Lady Bird Johnson: Victoria
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.
President Richard Nixon: Searchlight
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.
First lady Pat Nixon: Starlight
Pat Nixon chose the code name "Starlight," corresponding to her husband's choice of "Searchlight."
President Gerald Ford: Passkey
Ford used the same Secret Service code name when he served as vice president under Nixon.
First lady Betty Ford: Pinafore
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.
President Jimmy Carter: Deacon
Carter's open devotion to his Christian faith made this codename spot-on. After his retirement from politics, Carter even spent time teaching Sunday school.
First lady Rosalynn Carter: Dancer
Rosalynn Carter also used the code name "Lotus Petal."
President Ronald Reagan: Rawhide
The former actor had appeared as a cowboy on-screen, but Reagan's passion for all things Western also shaped his image as president.
First lady Nancy Reagan: Rainbow
The code name "Rainbow" was a nod to Nancy Reagan's affinity for wearing bright colors.
President George H.W. Bush: Timberwolf
Some of Bush's Secret Service agents served as pallbearers at his funeral in 2018, AP reported.
First lady Barbara Bush: Tranquility
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."
President Bill Clinton: Eagle
Though he never reached the rank of Eagle during his time as a Boy Scout, Clinton was given the patriotic code name.
First lady Hillary Clinton: Evergreen
Hillary Clinton's codename used during the 2016 presidential election was the same security code name that she had during her time in the White House.
President George W. Bush: Trailblazer
Bush originally used the code name "Tumbler" when his father was president. It was changed to "Trailblazer" when he became president.
First lady Laura Bush: Tempo
The Bushes' twin daughters, Barbara and Jenna, went by the code names "Turquoise" and Twinkle."
President Barack Obama: Renegade
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."
First lady Michelle Obama: Renaissance
The Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, were known as "Radiance" and "Rosebud."
President Joe Biden: Celtic
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.
First lady Jill Biden: Capri
Jill Biden also kept her Secret Service code name from her time as second lady.
President Donald Trump: Mogul
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.
First lady Melania Trump: Muse
It's been suggested the first lady's name refers to her career in front of the camera as a model in New York City before she met her mogul husband.
The name of Melania Trump's production company, Muse Films, is a nod to her Secret Service code name. Muse Films will release the documentary "MELANIA," which chronicles the lead-up to Trump's 2025 inauguration, on January 30.
