Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 23:28     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:These new stretch nn are indeed annoying. I met a poppy, short for Penelope. I immediately wondered why they didn't go with Penny but I guess because of the OPE, poppy is ok. Though to me the end of Penelope sounds like uppy, so puppy would be more natural. ha!


But it's not a new thing. Check out the others mentioned. Richard and Dick. Robert and Bob. Margaret and Peggy.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:52     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Ned for Eddard.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:33     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Dick and Richard

Jack and John

Peggy and Margaret

Chuck and Charles


Many of these old nicknames, as well as the many nn's for Elizabeth, Henry, William, Mary, etc., made sense back in colonial or medieval times when they originated. We might not recognize where they come from anymore, but does doesn't mean the don't make sense.

There are a number of theories about where the English nn Jack came from, such as that it was derived from the French Jacques, or that it is a short form of "Jankin" or "Jenkin", which were themselves common pet names for John. (The surname Jenkins means "little John," "kin" being a common diminutive used in England around the 10th-11th century (from the Dutch) and Jen meaning John. In fact the nn Hank actually came from Hankin, which like Jack was a nn for John (from Hans-kin, or little Hans, Hans of course deriving from Johannes). For some reason Hank became used as a nn for Henry in colonial America.

Dick may come, believe it or not, from the English inability to pronounce the name Richard as it was pronounced by the Normans who introduced it to England in medieval times.

Etc.


Also, in medieval times, there just weren't that many names in use and people had lots of children. It wouldn't be uncommon for a family to have two boys named John, so you needed a nn for one of them. As a result, there were many, many nn's in use.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:31     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Daisy for Margaret is from Maisie as a nn then turned to Daisy. It's actually been around for generations. I like it.


It may have come to be used for Margaret because the French name for the daisy flower is Marguerite.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:29     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Dick and Richard

Jack and John

Peggy and Margaret

Chuck and Charles


Many of these old nicknames, as well as the many nn's for Elizabeth, Henry, William, Mary, etc., made sense back in colonial or medieval times when they originated. We might not recognize where they come from anymore, but does doesn't mean the don't make sense.

There are a number of theories about where the English nn Jack came from, such as that it was derived from the French Jacques, or that it is a short form of "Jankin" or "Jenkin", which were themselves common pet names for John. (The surname Jenkins means "little John," "kin" being a common diminutive used in England around the 10th-11th century (from the Dutch) and Jen meaning John. In fact the nn Hank actually came from Hankin, which like Jack was a nn for John (from Hans-kin, or little Hans, Hans of course deriving from Johannes). For some reason Hank became used as a nn for Henry in colonial America.

Dick may come, believe it or not, from the English inability to pronounce the name Richard as it was pronounced by the Normans who introduced it to England in medieval times.

Etc.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:28     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Tuck for Tom
Bo for Robert
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:15     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Daisy for Margaret is from Maisie as a nn then turned to Daisy. It's actually been around for generations. I like it.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:12     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Betsy for Elizabeth- that's me... And no one seems to get it.

FYI many of us who use nick names didn't choose them.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 22:06     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
PP here. Okay, you seem to be reasonable. I'll roll with it. Thanks.
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:52     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:So a family joke is a better reason to have a nickname that "doesn't make sense" by your standards, but choosing a nickname that is related to a name in some way does? That's ridiculous.

Jordan starts to "Jo" and ends with "Dan." I don't see why Jo and Danny (Dan probably more than Danny) are that odd.

Plus, who cares? Why would you start a thread like this? You obviously don't want to "pick on" people who have "cute" reasons for using nicknames, but you do want to pick on other people, huh?


The reason is that a family joke has a reason and came about naturally. Chuck = the kid reminded his sister of a woodchuck. Sia because the brother couldn't pronounce the name. So these naturally happened and have a cute story.

Danny for Jordan is annoying because it's so typical dcum and doesn't come about naturally. "Let's see, I'm going to name him Jordan but insist that people call him Danny, same amount of syllables but I just like the sound of Danny but would rather name him a totally different name, just to be annoying and "unique." Name him Daniel or Dan or Danny if you like the damn name Danny.

Same goes for the new born girl I met last week. "Her name is Elizabeth but we're going to call her Timmy" WHAT? "ooooh, that's cute. How'd you come up with that?" "We just thought it was a cute name" ok...........


Main point, these nicknames that don't naturally occur and are pushed on children and their teachers and friends, are used to be unique or some other way of making a point by the parents (we had a girl, chose a traditional female name but decided to insist that people call her Timmy because we want to make sure everyone knows that we're "feminists"). If you don't like this thread, move on.


Fair enough, but almost every nickname has a REASON. The parents might not explain it all, but they probably have a reason for those nicknames. Maybe Jordan is a family name, but they didn't actually want to call their kid Jordan every day. Or maybe a kid is called Thomas John and goes by T.J. (or even Teejay) because of his initials. These are WAY more logical and natural than calling someone Chuck because a kid thought the baby looked like a woodchuck. Seriously?

And it doesn't really seem "cute" that someone changed what their child was called simply because her brother couldn't pronounce her name at the moment she was born and he was 2 years old. That seems silly. Should we also call water "wawa" forever because that's what he says, too?

Sorry, but I think you are being overly judgmental and pretty much have it backwards about what makes sense and what doesn't.


PP, I think you've gotten me wrong. The example you used, Thomas John = TJ/TeeJay, makes total sense. This is a natural nn.

The examples I used, Chuck and Sia, are not cases where people "changed what their child was called". These are nicknames that the family uses, but the children are not introduced as these names. Similarly to how you wouldn't say "and one glass of wawa for my daughter."

You're right, all nn probably do have a REASON, but some of those reasons are dumb. Calling your kid TeeJay is fine and seems logical. Calling your little Thomas John, CRAIG, while you're still pregnant is weird! Why not just name your kid Craig. (this is just an example name, but I've run into this sort of thing and that is what I'm complaining about). Also, I don't take anything on DCUM seriously, that's probably why I don't think this thread is overly judgmental. I actually enjoy kind of pointless threads like this more than "serious" threads that don't go anywhere and turn into debates about public breastfeeding or when to turn your toddler forward facing (been there done that).
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:49     Subject: Re:Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Polly for Mary
Tess for Elizabeth
Sasha for Alexandra or Alexander
Daisy for Margaret
Bunny for Edmund


It's Bess for Elizabeth, not Tess. Tess is for Theresa.

Sasha for Alexander (Aleksandr) is Russian. The Sa- is from Alek-SA-ndr, and the -sha is the nickname ending (in this case).
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:14     Subject: Re:Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
3 pages and no one's mentioned Bill for William?
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:07     Subject: Re:Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Polly for Mary
Tess for Elizabeth
Sasha for Alexandra or Alexander
Daisy for Margaret
Bunny for Edmund


I thought Tess was for Teresa/Theresa...
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:04     Subject: Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Ned for Edmund.


Ted for Edward
Anonymous
Post 07/06/2015 21:02     Subject: Re:Nicknames/short names that don't make sense
Anonymous wrote:Polly for Mary
Tess for Elizabeth
Sasha for Alexandra or Alexander
Daisy for Margaret
Bunny for Edmund


Daisy for Margaret: Daisy (the flower) in French is Marguerite.