Southampton was founded in 1885 by the young men of St Mary’s Church, the mother church of Southampton. In the early years the club was known as Southampton St Mary's. This was shortened to Southampton FC, but the 'Saints' remained as the nickname. The church is actually just a few minutes walk from the ground.

The nickname 'Pompey' is a widely used term to refer not just to the football club, but to the whole city. The exact derivation of the word Pompey is not known, but it's almost certainly of naval extraction. Some of the theories are : A group of Portsmouth-based sailors, who scaled Pompey's Pillar near Alexandria, Egypt, became known as the 'Pompey Boys'. Others claim the name originates from a French battleship 'La Pompée', captured in 1793 and which eventually became the guardship to Portsmouth Harbour.