# How'd You Get Your Nickname? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 21, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477 "2010-07-21T16:28:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/21 "2010-07-22T16:06:01Z")
I’ve managed to never acquire a nickname. I was usually one of those “invisible” kids, I guess. When I was in the SCA, I had a name that I gave myself and which loads of people then knew me by… only a handful still use it - the first name is quite similar to my actual first name, so it can’t really count as a nickname on two counts. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/22 "2010-07-22T16:37:48Z")
My first name is “John”. All through school, I shared that name with at least two or three other guys in every class–indeed, every group of any kind that I was involved with. Despite that, I didn’t acquire a nickname; it never seemed to occur to anyone to try to give me one. If there was a chance of confusion, the others got called by nicknames, or by their last names (if those were more distinctive), but I just got called “John”. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/23 "2010-07-22T16:38:46Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > …although some have shortened it to Verb… Verb! So you’re what’s happening! 😃 My name is Kaileen. It’s pronounced like Eileen with a K in front. Of course, people mangle that pretty badly, so most people call me Kai. One friend calls me KaiKai, but someone the other day mentioned she sounded like a bird when she said it. My boss calls me propeller head, because I’m the resident geek. ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/24 "2010-07-22T17:25:33Z")
In college I worked at the campus golf course my freshman year. Some guys that lived down the hall were taking a golf class and recognized me there for the first time. I became Birdie. We became fast friends and remain so to this day. Birdman. Bird-o. Fine with me, because, you know, The Bird is The Word. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/25 "2010-07-22T17:42:49Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > Verb! So you’re what’s happening! 😃 Too funny. If only that were true when I was single! ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/26 "2010-07-22T20:00:41Z")
My nickname IRL is “Homie.” For real. I just tacked on the “Hey” part when I changed SDMB usernames. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/27 "2010-07-24T02:12:23Z")
> [@Rafe\_Hollister](#): > > In college I worked at the campus golf course my freshman year. Some guys that lived down the hall were taking a golf class and recognized me there for the first time. I became Birdie. We became fast friends and remain so to this day. Birdman. Bird-o. Fine with me, because, you know, The Bird is The Word. You utter bastard. You’ve just condemned me to "NA NA NA NAH the bird is the word, NA NA NA the bird is the word ", going through my head for at least the next three days…if I’m lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/28 "2010-07-24T02:46:33Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > You utter bastard. > > You’ve just condemned me to "NA NA NA NAH the bird is the word, NA NA NA the bird is the word ", going through my head for at least the next three days…if I’m lucky. Would you rather his name be “Hey Soul Sister”? 😃 I’ll be ducking and running now. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/29 "2010-07-24T02:51:32Z")
Ben calls me Fraba Goose based on the goosfraba thing from Anger Management, which we use on each other all the time when one or the other is being needlessly bitchy. Naturally, he refers to our fetus as Fraba Gosling. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/30 "2010-07-24T05:48:20Z")
Well, IRL I’m ShelliBean, but it’s been shortened to Bean. Because it takes a huge leap from Shelli, to ShelliBean. But then people get creative and call me Bean. Even my (now very young) kids have their stuffed animals call me Grandma Bean. So from now to eternity, I’m Bean. But I like it. I don’t mind. I’m looking for a cool new tattoo that will incorporate it. Because every grandma needs a cool new tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/31 "2010-07-24T17:06:43Z")
My Doper name is my nickname–at least, one cousin calls me that. The meaning is similar to [del]Eric the Red[/del]Disheaval’s other name. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![CateAyo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@CateAyo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CateAyo)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477/32 "2010-07-24T17:54:44Z")
Mine is not a nickname, it is a tribal name (which is why I am staying clear of the thread where the merits of having committed genocide are being polled and discussed). Cate means “red” Ayo means “hawk”. The words are pronounced “jah-dee” and “ah-yo”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/howd-you-get-your-nickname/547477.md?page=1)