Nickname

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A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name, (for example, Nick is short for Nicholas). As a concept, it is distinct from a pseudonym, though there may be overlap between the two.

Etymology: In Middle English the word was ekename (from the verb to eke, "enlarge"; compare Swedish �knamn). Later, an ekename developed into a nickname.

In Viking societies, many people had nicknames heiti, vi�rnefni or uppnefi which were used in addition to, or instead of their family names. In some circumstances the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal ceremony and an exchange of gifts.

Table of contents

1 People and their Nicknames

2 Cities and their Nicknames

3 Some Common Items and their Nicknames

4 Professions and their Nicknames

People and their Nicknames

Types of personal nickname:

1. A nickname may relate directly to a person's first name. Examples:

Ally for Allison
Andy and Andie for Andrew and Andrea
Bill, Billy, Will, Willy for William
Bob, Rob for Robert
Chuck, Chaz, Charlie for Charles
Donna for Donnatella
Jack for John
Kate, Katie, Kathy for Katherine
Leo for Leonard or Leopold
Mandy for Amanda or Madeline
Nate, Nat for Nathan, Nathaniel, Natalie
Nell for Eleanor
Peggy, Maggie, Meg, Marg for Margaret or Megan
Ron, Ronnie for Ronald
Ricky, Dick, Rich, Rick for Richard
Sam for Samuel or Samantha
Steph or Stephie for Stephanie
Steve for Stephen or Steven
Sue for Susan/Susanne/Suzanne
Ted, Ned, Ed, Eddie for Edward
Ted, Teddy for Theodore and Edward
Tom for Thomas
Trish for Patricia

2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples:

Mitch for someone with the surname Mitchell
Sully for someone with the surname Sullivan

3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples:

Chalky for someone with the surname White
Sandy for someone with the surname Brown
Dicky for someone with the surname Bird

4. A nickname may reflect a national or cultural style. In the United States, for instance, rhyming contractions or plays on a person's name are common, as in:

Flo-Jo Florence Griffith Joyner
Ho-Jo, any person named Howard Johnson
J-Lo Jennifer Lopez (a play on Jell-O)

Calling a person by their initials is also common.

5. Nicknames, whatever their original basis, may become cultural norms. 'Sis', (slang for 'sister') for example, is often picked up and used by all the members of a family, their friends and society at large. Similarly, 'Chip' (off the old block) and 'Junior' can be used for any youngster and the nickname may follow the person into adulthood.

6. A nickname may relate to the person's calling. Examples:

Chip for a carpenter
Chief for a boss

7. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin. Examples:

Aussie for an Australian
Kiwi for a New Zealander
Limey for an English person (U.S. usage); Pom or Pommy (Australian usage)
Mac or Jock for a Scottish person
Scouse for a person from Liverpool
Taff for a Welsh person
Tex for a person from Texas
Wack for a person from Liverpool (obselete)

8. It may relate to a person's physical characteristics. Examples:

Tubby for a fat person
Lofty for a tall person
Four-eyes for a person with glasses

Conversely, it may be used ironically for someone with the opposite characteristic, e.g. Curly for someone with straight hair - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g:

Blue for a person with red hair
Shorty for a very tall person
Slim for a fat person

9. It may relate to a person's character. Examples:

Grumpy
Swotty
Romeo

10. It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali, Comical Ali.

Many fictional characters have nicknames relating to events: Examples include the Red Comet, White Tiger, Desert Tiger and Hawk of Endymion.

11. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples:

Napoleon or Hitler for someone with a dictatorial manner

11. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them:

Tippecanoe for William Henry Harrison
Dubya for George W. Bush, a president who uses and has acquired several other nicknames as well. Dubya is from the Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial.
Jack The Dripper for painter Jackson Pollock who created many of his works by dripping paint over horizontal canvas
Spithead for Paul Wolfowitz.

12. A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Harold" may be nicknamed "Fred" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" to avoid confusion.