Here are the 2016 candidates’ Secret Service code names — and your own

If news reports are to be believed, we now know the Secret Service code names of the 2016 presidential contenders and their families. This is a tradition in the presidential campaign process: reporters competing to figure out which one-word term will hover around the future president for the next four years.

Without further ado, the Clintons will retain their code names from the last time they lived in the White House. Hillary Clinton is EVERGREEN and Bill Clinton EAGLE. Donald Trump is MOGUL, according to reports, and Melania Trump MUSE.

The vice presidents get code names, too: Mike Pence is HOOSIER — a little on the nose — and his wife HUMMINGBIRD. Tim Kaine is DAREDEVIL, somewhat ambitiously. His wife's? To be determined. We know it almost certainly starts with a D, given the pattern the Secret Service follows. But for now, it remains a secret.

In fact, it's trickier than it might seem to track these down, especially as you start reaching further into the past. Once upon a time, people seemed less interested in what the guys protecting a vice-presidential candidate's wife called her; perhaps our steady diet of James Bond and Jason Bourne has given the idea of a crisp, military-style moniker added cachet.

Using what sources we could — including Wikipedia, one of the few places the names are collected — we tried to ID the codes the Secret Service used for each candidate and spouse back to Jimmy Carter. Sometimes, multiple names are indicated, in which case we used the one we thought was cooler. (According to the McLaughlin Group in 2000, for example, Al Gore's code name was "Sundance," which is just mean.) We're missing some names for vice-presidential spouses — and the code name for Joe Lieberman, Democratic vice-presidential pick in 2000. It doesn't come up on Nexis, so if you know it, hit us up. Update: Someone found it!

The Republicans

Year	President	Spouse	Vice president	Spouse
1976	Gerald Ford Passkey	Betty Ford Pinafore	Nelson Rockefeller Sandstorm	Happy Rockefeller Stardust
1980	Ronald Reagan Rawhide	Nancy Reagan Rainbow	George H.W. Bush Timberwolf	Barbara Bush Tranquility
1984
1988	George H.W. Bush Timberwolf	Barbara Bush Tranquility	Dan Quayle Supervisor	Marilyn Quayle Sunshine
1992
1996	Bob Dole Ramrod	Elizabeth Dole Rainbow	Jack Kemp Champion	Joanne Kemp Cornerstone
2000	George W. Bush Trailblazer	Laura Bush Tempo	Dick Cheney Angler	Lynne Cheney Author
2004
2008	John McCain Phoenix	Cindy McCain Parasol	Sarah Palin Denali	Todd Palin Driller
2012	Mitt Romney Javelin	Ann Romney Jockey	Paul Ryan Bowhunter	Janna Ryan Buttercup
2016	Donald Trump Mogul	Melania Trump Muse	Mike Pence Hoosier	Karen Pence Hummingbird

The Democrats

Year	President	Spouse	Vice president	Spouse
1976	Jimmy Carter Deacon	Rosalynn Carter Dancer	Walter Mondale Cavalier	Joan Mondale Cameo
1980
1984	Walter Mondale Cavalier	Joan Mondale Cameo	Geraldine Ferraro Duster	John Zaccaro
1988	Michael Dukakis Peso	Kitty Dukakis Panda	Lloyd Bentsen Parthenon	Beryl Ann Longino
1992	Bill Clinton Eagle	Hillary Clinton Evergreen	Al Gore Sawhorse	Tipper Gore Skylark
1996
2000	Al Gore Sawhorse	Tipper Gore Skylark	Joe Lieberman Laser	Hadassah Lieberman Liberty
2004	John Kerry Minuteman	Teresa Heinz-Kerry Mahogany	John Edwards Speedway	Elizabeth Edwards
2008	Barack Obama Renegade	Michelle Obama Renaissance	Joe Biden Celtic	Jill Biden Capri
2012
2016	Hillary Clinton Evergreen	Bill Clinton Eagle	Tim Kaine Daredevil	Anne Holton

That's all well and good. But what's really important is what your Secret Service code name would be. In the fall, after Republican candidates were asked to pick their own code names during a debate, we made a tool that assigned you a code name of your own. Allow us to repurpose that for this moment.

I got PRIME ARGUS, which is also my "Transformers" name. I also generated one for Joe Lieberman. From now on, he will be known as JET.

Perfect.

Update: Wikipedia editor Randolph Finder provided several additional code names, and notes that Zaccarro waived protection, so he may not have had a code name.