Chicago Cubs nickname history explained

The Chicago Cubs name was founded in the early 1900’s after they were originally known as the Chicago White Stockings back in 1876.

The Chicago Cubs nickname history stretches back to 145 years when the team was first introduced into the National League. However, they were not known by their now famous name at the time.

When the franchise was founded in 1876, the team was known as the Chicago White Stockings (1876-89). But then, they went through some moniker changes, as they were called the Colts (1890-97) and the Orphans (1898-1902) over the years before they stumbled upon the Cubs team name.

How did the Cubs get their nickname?

Back in 1901, the National League dealt with numerous players jumping ship to the newly-founded American League. Chicago lost players as a result, and they were left with an inexperienced roster.

In a 1902 Chicago Daily News article, the team was called “the Cubs,” given the amount of young players on the roster. The name was not officially picked up by the franchise until 1907, according to the teams’ franchise timeline on MLB.com. The rest, as they say, was history.

The Cubs won their first World Series title in 1907 by defeating the Detroit Tigers in four games. Chicago had similar success the following year, as they beat the Tigers in five games to win back-to-back World Series titles. As we know, the Cubs went into their world title slump that lasted until 2016, when the team defeated the Cleveland Indians in a tense seven-game series to finally lift the Commissioner’s Trophy after 108-years of waiting.

All-in all, the Cubs franchise have won three World Series titles and 17 NL pennants in 21 postseason appearances dating back to 1876.

There you have it, that is how the popular Chicago Cubs team name came to be.