Taylor Swift, Conor Kennedy moniker: Caylor's in, TaCo's out

When two celebrities combine to become one unstoppable force of fame, it's all about the nickname.

The newest emerging nickname on the celeb circuit: Caylor -- a combination of Conor Kennedy's and Taylor Swift's names -- is tearing up the Twittersphere, thanks mostly to fans of the 22-year-old songstress. She has been glimpsed with Kennedy, the 18-year-old grandson of the late Sen. Robert Kennedy and his wife Ethel, both in Westchester and on Cape Cod, near the Kennedy homes in Hyannis Port.

Celebrity nicknames are nothing new: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz conjoined names in 1950 for their shared company "DesiLu Productions," but the craze really got legs after director Kevin Smith dubbed Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- the stars of his "Jersey Girl" -- "Bennifer." The uni-handle dominated magazine covers until the couple called it quits, only to get a resurgence when Affleck started dating another Jennifer, Garner.

In the age of social media, celebrity couple nicknames play out in hashtags, words preceded by a pound sign that serve as a convenient way for users to search for what others are saying about a specific topic on Twitter.

When reporting news of the couple, prominent gossip blogger Perez Hilton reported that fans had already bestowed on the duo the delicious designation of "TaCo." But despite Perez's blessing, the moniker didn't stick. One Swift fan even changed their username to "Caylor Swennedy."

Nearly all of the most famously uni-monikered pairs have parted ways: TomKat, Zanessa, even Swift's former romantic conquest with "Twilight" actor Taylor Lautner dubbed "Tay-Squared."

And many of Swift's partisans are braced for trouble in Camelot.

The country singer has made a career out of spinning personal heartbreak into songwriting magic.

As news of the pairing hit the Web, "Swifties" hit the send key.

"If you hurt her, Swifties wouldn't stay calm," warned one Twitter post. Another said: "Dear Conor Kennedy, take care of Taylor's heart, she's our world, don't break our universe. Sincerely, swifties."

Last week, the pair were spotted eating pizza in Westchester's Marcella's Pizza, a popular white-tiled pizzeria in the center of Mount Kisco. Witnesses said Swift and Kennedy ordered a couple of slices of cheese pizza--New York style, with an ultra-thin crust.

"She said it was absolutely delicious," recounted Grace Marcella, one of the family that runs the operation.

Last weekend they were seen strolling and embracing in Hyannis Port.

Forbes has estimated that the Grammy-winning songbird earned $57 million in the 12 months ending in May.

Still, Swift has nursed some heartbreak along the road to stardom. Among the former flames of the Cover Girl model: singer John Mayer ("Daughters") and actors Taylor Lautner ("The Twilight Saga") and Jake Gyllenhaal ("Source Code").

Kennedy, a scion of the storied, yet tragic, political family, has experienced his own anguish. His parents, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Mary Richardson Kennedy, were locked in a bitter divorce and custody battle in the past year. On May 16, his mother hanged herself at her Bedford home.

In early July, Conor was named administrator of his mother's estate just days after turning 18. He has three younger siblings.

A spokesman for the Kennedy family had no immediate comment on the romance.

The pairing of the curly-haired Kennedy and Swift seemingly stemmed from the singer's fascination with his 83-year-old grandmother, Ethel.

Swift, an acquaintance of Ethel Kennedy's daughter, Rory Kennedy, asked her for an introduction to the matriarch. That led to Swift's appearance at a showing of Rory's documentary about her mother, "Ethel," at the Sundance Film Festival, The Boston Globe reported.

One Kennedy led to another and soon Taylor and Conor were canoodling, witnesses reported.

Sweet summer fling? Fodder for a new song? Swifties and Kennedy watchers will just have to bide their time and hold their tweets.

Additional Reporting By Bryan Miller