People do this at my work all the time. I mean all the time. I decided to try and come up with something more original in the nicknames I give out and it has worked. A couple of examples.
The Owner has a son named Tim. Kid's a bit of a spoiled rich kid. No initiative. I nicknamed him Flub-it. Now even his Dad calls him that.
We have a new window installation supervisor. He delights in telling everyone how if it weren't for him _______________ would have been all screwed up. I nicknamed him Dudley Do-Right. Now when the receptionist pages someone at work to say they have a call from him, people start singing..."Here I come to save the day."
There's a couple of installers who work together, both named Dave. One is very vocal. The other comes across as a bit lost. Good worker though. They came to see us. The vocal guy was a pretty normal looking guy. The lost guy is a great big lumbering ox. Probably 6'4", 350 pounds. Mouth always open. My immediate reaction..."Of Mice and Men." He's Lenny. "Tell me about the rabbits George." Everyone calls them George and Lenny now.
It's actually been kind of fun. My immediate boss cracks up every time she gets a call from "Lenny" because me and the other guy who work in our office say in unison, "tell me about the rabbits." I bet he thinks she's an idiot because every time she answers the phone she's giggling. Gotta come up with one for that.