Zipper; "Missile With A Man In It"; Witwenmacher "Widowmaker" (Bundesluftwaffe nickname); Flying Coffin; Ground Nail; Bullet & Blades; Badmash "Wicked One" (Pakistani nickname for F-104As), Eiko "Glory" (Japanese nickname for F-104Js), Spaghetti Starfighter (Italian nickname for F-104S-ASAs.)

The Luftwaffe also called it Sargfighter, after the German word for coffin.