When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West fueled relationship rumors with a marathon date in New York recently, reporters and fans wasted no time in dubbing the would-be couple "Kimye." The catchy moniker was pretty much inevitable; it's been customary to bestow A-list celebrity couples with portmanteaus since the days of "Bennifer."
"Brangelina," the nickname assigned to soon-to-marry couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, has perhaps been the most enduring of these. As a 2006 Reuters story notes, "'Brangelina' has more cultural equity than their two star parts."
In 2005, Bonnie Fuller, then editorial director of American Media, told the New York Times that using playful uni-names helps fans feel as if they're "shaping the stars' image." "They want to have a nickname for the couples because they feel as if they are part of the stars' extended group of family and friends," Fuller said.
Of course, for every successful neologism, there's one that falls flat. "Spederline" died with the demise of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's brief marriage. "Vaughniston" ended when life imitated art for "The Break-Up" co-stars Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. And while the media tried to make "Ashmi" happen, it never quite took off despite the couple's longevity. (Last year, Ashton Kutcher explained to Conan O'Brien that it’s easier to pull off a combined nickname “if one person has a monosyllabic name,” such as Brad or Ben.)
While not every mash-up moniker is meant to be, the trend of anointing supercouples with an endearing nickname clearly hasn't lost its appeal, if "Kimye" is any indication.
We've rounded up some of the best and worst celebrity couple nicknames; take a look through our timeline below.
Photos: Getty