That does seem to be a Hispanic thing. I know a number of folks from Puerto Rico and they all seem to have nicknames like that.
Back in college, I knew a Moose. It was short for “Moose balls”. I think that by the time we graduated, most of the band didn’t even know he had any other name.
Going back a generation, my mom’s best friend went by “Chummy”, and one of my aunts was “Corky”.
I still talk to a friend from high school who is called Butch. He is 62
Back in uni, I had a friend we all called Spiff, but it was used ironically.
Common Thai nicknames include Frog, Bird and Pig. Really. Very common. The wife’s nickname is something like Eung, hard to pronounce for a nonnative speaker but means something like “amphibian.”
I had a dog named Butch (actually, Butchie-I didn’t-name-him) and at some point in his life was handed the business card of a man named Butch. Couldn’t let that go without remarking on it.
Does make me wonder if nicknames are less common now. The name my nephew gave me when he was too young to say my name correctly was used by a lot of my friends at one time, but most of them have drifted out of my life and now very few people call me that, though I would still answer to it.
I had a housemate for about a year called “Moose.” Never knew his real name.
Same deal with a “Crackers.” Different house, though.
Just one Moose. She wasn’t happy about that.
Plus Cat and Fish.
I once knew a Peach. She didn’t like that name either.
On the other hand, I also knew a Furry who did.
I’ve worked with both a Moose and a Tank.
Newt, maybe? :dubious: 
I know a woman whose given name is Princess. Ack.
I know a man named Marvelous. He was the only son with eight older sisters, hence the moniker. He goes by Marv, so most people simply assume he’s a Marvin.
My granddad had a hunting buddy nicknamed Blue Tooth. I never knew why, as his teeth looked normal enough to me - and weren’t dentures.
One of my best friends is nicknamed Sharkey, which sounds vaguely mobbish, unless you know that he was a competitive swimmer and got the nickname through his sport.
I know a guy who used to be called Lefty. And knew a Moose at college.
I’ve known Moose, Orc, Buzz, Mouse, and Spaz.
Come to think of it, I had a friend 20-odd years ago who was known around Moscow as Dikky Ziggy. Not because he was a dick (he most assuredly was not!) but because dikii is Russian for wild/batshit crazy (which he was, but in a good way).*
*He was also from the US.
That last one is what my brother used to call me back in the early '60s. :mad:
I know a Lefty. He’s alright.
I know a man who’s nickname is Princess. Granted, he often wears a kilt…
Guess I know who *my *friends are!
I have employees called “el tacuache”, “el flaco”, “el veneno”, “el tayson”, “el gueroski”, “el cono”, “malacara”, “el enano”, “ojitos” and “seis dedos”. More have nicknames than those who don’t.