nicknaming
nick-nam-ing
noun
The act or process of giving an informal, often descriptive, name to someone or something.
"His habit of nicknaming everyone was well-known."
verb
The action of giving an informal, often descriptive, name to a person or thing.
"They were nicknaming him 'Guv'nor' at the office."
Thesaurus
Synonyms: soubriquet, nickname, sobriquet, cognomen, moniker, byname, dub