# Circumcised First Names **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831 "2009-03-26T02:49:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/21 "2009-03-26T14:02:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally Posted by **bibliophage** > Gina, Geena, and Ginny are often short for Virginia. (e.g., Geena Davis). Ginger Rogers was a Virginia. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/22 "2009-03-26T14:18:19Z")
Hey. Ah, **Zeldar**. You may want to re-read the OP. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/23 "2009-03-26T14:22:28Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Probably “circumscribed first names”, right? Circumcised seems to make more sense since most of the examples just had a little taken off near the tip of the word. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/24 "2009-03-26T14:28:45Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > Hey. Ah, **Zeldar**. You may want to re-read the OP. Beg pardon. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/25 "2009-03-26T14:53:01Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Probably “circumscribed first names”, right? The first word of the thread title was originally spelled “circumcized.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/26 "2009-03-26T14:58:52Z")
Elizabeth --\> Betty or Bette, especially since you can pronounce the full name as “Elizabet.” Bette Davis is an example. ---
**Author:** ![ThePylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@ThePylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThePylon)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/27 "2009-03-26T15:32:37Z")
Liv Tyler’s an Olivia - and a reason I agreed to name Kid #2 with that name ;). ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/28 "2009-03-26T15:38:03Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I seem to recall that in those days, some kids called “pizza” _za_ with the same desire to be different. Well, “pizz” would be a rather unappetizing alternative. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/29 "2009-03-26T15:51:00Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The first word of the thread title was originally spelled “circumcized.” It was worse than that. _blush_ Thanks to the mod. Got to stopp reliing on speel chackers to do my thimking for me. Wonder if Moon Unit, Dweezil, and Ahmed will change their names to Unit, Zil, and Med? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/30 "2009-03-26T15:53:57Z")
Harvey La **Van** Cliburn. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/31 "2009-03-26T17:28:50Z")
From fiction: Mina Murray Harker – from **Dracula** and **The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen** had the given name of “Wilhelmina.” ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/32 "2009-03-26T18:15:44Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Most of these shortenings I’d never realized were such. My given first name is Gregory. By their logic I could shorten my first name to “Gory”. Cool. I’d love to hear somebody call Gregory House that. \*Yeah, I know. House is a character, not a celeb. But still, “Gory” House would sound cool. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/33 "2009-03-26T18:15:49Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > I can’t think of any celebrity example, but Ric is sometimes short for Eric. The case of Eric Nelson is not entirely devoid of interest. Originally known as Ricky, when he was 21 he started lopping letters of the end of his name by becoming Rick. Unfortunately, he died before he could further truncate this nomenclature, otherwise I’m pretty sure he would have become Ric by now. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/34 "2009-03-26T18:19:07Z")
> [@Eats\_Crayons](#): > > Well, “pizz” would be a rather unappetizing alternative. It worked for [Strong Bad](http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail179.html). ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/35 "2009-03-26T18:19:45Z")
> [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > The case of Eric Nelson is not entirely devoid of interest. > > Originally known as Ricky, when he was 21 he started lopping letters of the end of his name by becoming Rick. Unfortunately, he died before he could further truncate this nomenclature, otherwise I’m pretty sure he would have become Ric by now. Or Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/36 "2009-03-26T18:35:22Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > Tina Fey’s real middle name is “Stamatina.” Her real first name is Elizabeth, and she looks like one. (My idea of an Elizabeth is dark, slender, and classically beautiful: Taylor, Ashley, Hurley, this woman I used to work with…) Oh yeah…Beth. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/37 "2009-03-26T23:01:01Z")
There’s Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who everybody knows as “Wolfie”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/38 "2009-03-27T12:21:11Z")
Drew Carey’s full name is Drew Allison Carey. WTF were his parents thinking? Maria Villers Farrow Became Mia. Allen Stewart Konigsberg legally changed his name to Haywood Allen and became Woody. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/39 "2009-03-27T12:28:57Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Allen Stewart Konigsberg legally changed his name to Haywood Allen and became Woody. I don’t think he ever changed his name to Haywood. He performed as Woody Allen and pretended Woody was short for Haywood when telling that “_Master_ Haywood Allen” joke. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2009, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831/40 "2009-03-27T13:04:16Z")
“Marion Robert Morrison” became John Wayne. If he had stuck to his real first name, he could have been a Mario. Or a Rion. I like it! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcised-first-names/490831.md?page=3)