# Do you use your first name, middle name, initials or a Nickname in daily life? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495 "2014-10-16T15:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![scareyfaerie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scareyfaerie/32/3135_2.png) [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2015, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/81 "2015-12-17T09:46:55Z")
First name or nickname, depending on who I’m talking to. Various people know me by different names, so they just use whatever feels best. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/82 "2015-12-18T04:04:39Z")
Family and friends I grew up with call me Charlie, Friends and associates from about high school on call me Charles NOBODY calls me chuck, that was Grandpa and I never answered to it since I don’t really care for it. Straight Dope and two email accounts are the only places I use the nick/abbreviation chaz or chas ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/83 "2015-12-18T05:13:16Z")
Many Welsh people apparently only use their first name within their family. Their middle name is their public name. My doctor was Dr Huw Llewelyn but his first name was David. My landlord also used his middle name as his public name but was known by his first name to his family. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/84 "2015-12-18T14:07:32Z")
It’s not clear to me if by being called “Rick” I should have voted for first name or nickname; my legal name is Richard but I am basically never called that except by people reading it off a form, like a nurse or something. It’s not even on my business card. But maybe I’m wrong and nickname meant something like “Booger” or “The Heap.” ---
**Author:** ![Norm66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@Norm66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norm66)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/85 "2015-12-18T14:58:22Z")
I’ve been ‘Norm’ since my first day at college (alcohol related) in 1990. My mom and god-mother are about the only people who still use my real first name. My dad calls me Norm since we share a first name, it’s just easier. It wasn’t until years later I discovered that George Wendt (Norm from Cheers) and I shared a birthday. ---
**Author:** ![Nefario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/59ef9b/32.png) [@Nefario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nefario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2015, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495/86 "2015-12-18T15:52:18Z")
I go by middle name or it’s contraction because my first name is the same as my Dad’s. I usually sign with my full 3-part name. As a result; due to the arbitrariness of my employer’s IT and HR departments; at last count I have 4 usable work email addresses! ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-use-your-first-name-middle-name-initials-or-a-nickname-in-daily-life/701495.md?page=4)