The aim of this article is to discuss both the structure and the function of modern nicknames in Sweden. The material for the study has been collected, partly through postal surveys and, partly through interviews. In total, the material consists of 203 informants – 125 women and 78 men. In order to understand and analyze the nicknames, theoretical perspectives from sociology, ethnology, psychology, and linguistics are used. From these disciplines, I have applied reasoning used in pragmatics and onomastics, as well as different theoretical perspectives concerning power, identity and the interactional context as the basis for the analysis of the results. The categorization of the material is based on four categories: the source, the composition, the meaning, and the perceived reason for the naming. In general, nicknames occur in the childhood family (34 %), especially among women. Finally, three main functions of the nicknames, affective function, relationship function, and positioning function, are discussed in the article.