Etymology
The compound word ''ekename'', meaning "additional name", was attested as early as 1303. This word was derived from theVarious language conventions
English nicknames are generally represented in quotes between the bearer's first and last names (e.g., '' Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower'' and '' Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks''). It is also common for the nickname to be identified after a comma following the full real name or later in the body of the text, such as in an obituary (e.g., '' Frankie Frisch, "The Fordham Flash"''). Any middle name is generally omitted, especially in speech. Like English, German uses (German-style) quotation marks between the first and last names (e.g., '' Andreas Nikolaus „Niki“ Lauda''). Other languages may use other conventions; for example, Italian writes the nickname after the full name followed by ''detto'' "called" (e.g., '' Salvatore Schillaci detto Totò''), in Spanish the nickname is written in formal contexts at the end in quotes following ''alias'' (e.g. ''Alfonso Tostado, alias «el Abulense»''), in Portuguese the nickname is written after the full name followed by ''vulgo'' or between parenthesis (e.g. Edson Arantes do Nascimento, vulgo Pelé / Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé)) and Slovenian represents nicknames after a dash or hyphen (e.g., '' Franc Rozman – Stane''). The latter may confuse because it resembles an English convention sometimes used for married and maiden names.Various societal uses
In Viking societies, many people had ''heiti'', ''viðrnefni'', or ''kenningarnöfn'' (Old Norse terms for nicknames) which were used in addition to, or instead of, the first name. 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 known in Old Norse as ''nafnfestr'' ('fastening a name'). Nicknames are widely attested in Anglo-Saxon England, and similar social models have been applied to these names. In Bengali society, for example, people will often have two names: a ''daknam'' (pet name) which is the name used by family and friends and a ''bhalonam'' which is their formal name. In England, some surnames have nicknames traditionally attached. A man with the surname 'Clark' will be nicknamed 'Nobby'; the surname 'Miller' will have the nickname 'Dusty' (alluding to the flour dust of a miller at work); the surname 'Adams' has the nickname 'Nabby'. Several other nicknames are linked traditionally with surnames, including Chalky White, Bunny Warren, Tug Wilson, and Spud Baker. Other English nicknames allude to a person's origins. A Scotsman may be nicknamed 'Jock', an Irishman 'Paddy' (alluding to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland), or 'Mick' (alluding to the preponderance of Roman Catholicism in Ireland), and a Welshman may be nicknamed 'Taffy' (from Welsh '' Dafydd'', David). Some nicknames referred ironically to a person's physical characteristics, such as 'Lofty' for a short person, 'Curly' for a bald man, or 'Bluey' for a redhead. In Chinese culture, nicknames are frequently used within a community among relatives, friends, and neighbors. A typical southern Chinese nickname often begins with a "阿" followed by another character, usually the last character of the person's given name. For example, Taiwanese politician Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is sometimes referred as "阿扁" (A-Bian). In many Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, nicknames may also connote one's occupation or status. For example, the landlord might be known simply as '' Towkay'' (), Hokkien for "boss") to his tenants or workers, while a bread seller would be called "Mianbao Shu" 面包叔 (literally, Uncle Bread).Computing
In the context of information technology, ''nickname'' is a common synonym for the ''screen name'' or ''handle'' of a user. In computer networks it has become a common practice for every person to also have one or more nicknames for pseudonymity, to avoid ambiguity, or simply because the natural name or technicalPeople
Nicknames are usually applied to a person and they are not always chosen by the recipient themselves. Some nicknames are derogatory name calls.Abbreviation or modification
A nickname can be a shortened or a modified variation on a person's real name. * Contractions of longer names: Margaret to Greta. * Initials: using the first letters of a person's first, middle and/or last name, e.g. "DJ" for Daniel James. * Dropping letters: with many nicknames, one or more letters, often R, are dropped: Fanny from Frances, Walt from Walter. * Phonetic spelling: sometimes a nickname is created through the phonetic spelling of a name: Len from Leonard. * Letter swapping: during the Middle Ages, the letter R would often be swapped for either L or D: Hal from Harry (which in turn comes from Henry); Molly from Mary; Sadie from Sarah; Hob, Dob, Rob, Bob, and Nob from Robert; Rick, Dick, and Hick from Richard; Bill fromName portions
* Front of a name. Sometimes a nickname can come from the beginning of a given name: Al from Alan/Allan/Albert/Alfonse/Alfred/Alden/Alexander, Art from Arthur, Chris from Christopher/Christina; Dot from Dorothy, Ed from Edward, Edmond, Edgar or Edwin, Iz or Izzy from Isaac, Isaiah, Isidore, Isabel, or Isabella; Joe or Jo from Joseph, Josephine, or Joanna. * End of name: Drew from Andrew; Xander from Alexander; Enzo or Renzo from Lorenzo; Beth from Elizabeth; Bel, Bell, Bella or Belle from Isabelle/Isabella. * Middle of name: Liz from Elizabeth; Tori from Victoria; Del or Della from Adelaide. * Addition of diminutives: before the 17th century, most nicknames in English had the diminutive ending ''-in'' or ''-kin'', where the ending was attached to the first syllable: thus Walter → Wat → Watkin, Robert → Rob → Hob → Hobkin, Thomas → Tom → Tomkin. While most of these have died away, a few remain, such as Robert → Rob → Robin, Henry → Henkin → Hank, John → Jankin → Jack, and Nicolas → Colin. * Many nicknames drop the final one or two letters and add either ie/ee/y as a diminutive ending: Penny from Penelope, Edie from Edith, Davy from David, Charlie from Charles, Mikey from Michael, Jimmy from James, and Marty from Martin. * Initialization, which forms a nickname from a person's initials: A. E. Housman from Alfred Edward Housman, or Dubya for George W. Bush, a Texan pronunciation of the name of the letter 'W', President Bush's middle initial. Brazilian striker Ronaldo was given the nickname R9 (initial and shirt number). * Nicknames are sometimes based on a person's last name ("Tommo" for Bill Thompson, "Campo" for David Campese) or a combination of first and last name such as "A-Rod" for Alex Rodriguez). * Loose ties to a person's name with an attached suffix: Gazza for English footballer Paul Gascoigne (though used more widely in Australia for Gary) and similar "zza" forms ( Hezza, Prezza, etc.) for other prominent personalities whose activities are frequently reported in the British press (see also Oxford "-er" for a similar but wider phenomenon). * Use of the second name. * Use of the generational suffix, like "Junior", or nicknames associated with a particular generational suffix, like Trey or Tripp for ''III''. * Combination of the first and middle name, or variations of a person's first and middle name. For example, a person may have the name Mary Elizabeth but has the nickname "Maz" or "Miz" by combining Mary and Liz. * Doubling of part of a first name. For example, forming "NatNat" from Nathan/Natasha or "JamJam" from James.Relationship
A nickname may refer to the relationship with the person. This is a term of endearment. * In Japanese culture, Japanese honorifics are designed so that a term of endearment conveys the exact status of the relationship between two people. Recipients are allowed to restrict use to a certain person.Geography
Placenames
Many geographical places have titles, or alternative names, which have positive implications.Residents
Besides or replacing the demonym, some places have collective nicknames for their inhabitants. Many examples of this practice are found inSee also
* Antonomasia * Athletic nickname * Australian national sports team nicknames * Calling name * Code name * :Nicknames * Epithet * Honorific nicknames in popular music * Legal name * List of baseball nicknames * List of basketball nicknames * List of nicknames used in cricket * List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity * List of monarchs by nickname * List of nicknames of jazz musicians * List of nicknames of United States presidents * List of North American football nicknames * List of sportspeople by nickname * Lists of nicknames * Metonymy * Pet name * Pseudonym * Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces * :Regional nicknames * Sobriquet * Stage name * Synecdoche * Terms of endearment * Victory titles * Cliché * Call sign * Military call sign * SnowcloneReferences
External links
* * {{Authority control Student culture Names