Abstract We have explored the replacement of proper names with nicknames—the renaming process—from a psychoanalytic perspective. This clinical research was conducted with adolescents in two Latin-American countries. By analyzing participants’ talk during their interactions in gathering places for artistic performance, along with individualized interviews, we approach the symbolic universe surrounding proper names and nicknames. Our work sheds light on how the meanings and signifiers of nicknames impact youth identities, expanding on the “funny” emergence of the social bond and these youngsters’ subjectivity, hereinafter referred to as “par-ceros” (pals; or literally “pair-zero”).