# "Ike" = Dwight D? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2008, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380 "2008-09-13T01:55:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/21 "2008-09-13T16:55:04Z")
> [@IntelSoldier](#): > > Not really. I mean, they’re set so far in advance. Now the hullubuloo is about using anglican/non-anglican names. What’s a “non-Anglican” name? You mean something “Papist”, like “John Paul II”? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/22 "2008-09-13T17:22:23Z")
> [@robardin](#): > > What’s a “non-Anglican” name? You mean something “Papist”, like “John Paul II”? He probably means English names like John, Margarette, and Peter, as opposed to names from other languages such as Juan, Margarita, and Petras. Or even Akira, Wang, or Mohammed. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/23 "2008-09-13T17:56:51Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Is retirement of a name a somewhat arbitrary decision, or are there specific rules about when to do it? Who controls the list and makes the decisions anyway? It’s an arbitrary decision, made by a committee of the World Meteorological Organization. Any country hit by a hurricane (or tropical storm, theoretically) can request that the name of that storm be retired. Note that “retirement” of a name means it is not used for at least ten years, not that it gets retired permanently. The name list is assigned six years in advance, so you can rest assured that the naming of Ike wasn’t a dig at anyone. It was originally expected to run up the Eastern seaboard rather than head into the Gulf of Mexico anyway. [http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/grounders/retirednames.html](http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/grounders/retirednames.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/24 "2008-09-13T18:01:53Z")
I think a relevant question is this: How did they get “Ike” out of “Dwight David Eisenhower”? Is “Eisen” the German equivalent of “Isaac”? ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/25 "2008-09-13T18:12:26Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > I think a relevant question is this: How did they get “Ike” out of “Dwight David Eisenhower”? Is “Eisen” the German equivalent of “Isaac”? I just figured it was a silly nickname that came about while someone was drunk, like how a guy I know got the nickname “Wombat F\*cker”, through no fault of his own, or how I got called “Phil” or “Jasper” despite my name not being anything close to that. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/26 "2008-09-13T19:49:09Z")
eisenhower means ironworker in german. he got his “nick” ike at west point. goodness only knows how or what inspired it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/27 "2008-09-13T19:55:46Z")
I suspect it rhymed well with “like”, as in “I like Ike”. Actually, I don’t know if he had that nickname before the campaign or not. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/28 "2008-09-13T20:56:29Z")
Then there is me… ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/29 "2008-09-13T21:03:33Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Then there is me… I just checked your profile, uh, Ike. Be truthful now, did you make up this nick upon seeing this thread? 😉 Otherwise, whence? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/30 "2008-09-13T21:06:50Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I just checked your profile, uh, Ike. Be truthful now, did you make up this nick upon seeing this thread? 😉 > Otherwise, whence? > Peace, > mangeorge Nope, the change was made upon the move to the new server. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/31 "2008-09-13T21:09:35Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Nope, the change was made upon the move to the new server. Cool! 🆒 ---
**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:** [September 14, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/32 "2008-09-14T01:47:35Z")
I did a search on the origin of Ike as Eisenhower’s nickname. Most sites have some variation of this same basic story. Ike somehow comes from a shortening of Eisenhower or the iron that Eisen means in German. David Dwight (he switched the order at West Point) was known as Ike from the time he was a baby. Other brothers were also called Ike at some point, with him being Little Ike. Some sites say that each of the six brothers were called Ike at some point. He didn’t appear to much like Ike as a nickname at first, but eventually came to terms with it. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/33 "2008-09-14T02:17:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I did a search on the origin of Ike as Eisenhower’s nickname. > > Most sites have some variation of this same basic story. Ike somehow comes from a shortening of Eisenhower or the iron that Eisen means in German. David Dwight (he switched the order at West Point) was known as Ike from the time he was a baby. Other brothers were also called Ike at some point, with him being Little Ike. Some sites say that each of the six brothers were called Ike at some point. > > He didn’t appear to much like Ike as a nickname at first, but eventually came to terms with it. That makes it likely his father might have been called Ike. It could be a german cultural thing. My dad’s friends all called me “Little John” till I got older, although I was his stepson. ---
**Author:** ![bigdfrombigd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bigdfrombigd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bigdfrombigd)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/34 "2008-09-14T16:42:04Z")
Dadnabbit! I was sent an e-mail from a friend in Corpus Christi that depicted the face of Ike (of Ike and Tina Turner) in the eye of the hurricane with the caption saying “I’m gonna whoop your ass Texas!” It was pretty darn funny. Wish I hadn’t deleted it! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2008, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/35 "2008-09-14T19:18:40Z")
I have Stephen Ambrose’s biography of Eisenhower in front of me, and the only reference he makes is that while growing up in Abilene, DDE had the nickname “Little Ike” while his older brother Edgar was called “Big Ike.” So Ambrose would seem to back up **Exapno Mapcase** ’s research that “Ike” was a family nickname that simply stuck with him. ---
**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:** [September 14, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/36 "2008-09-14T22:37:05Z")
Also [Ike (Icarus) Pappas](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/02/entertainment/main4408655.shtml). ---
**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:** [September 14, 2008, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/37 "2008-09-14T23:56:18Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > DDE had the nickname “Little Ike” while his older brother Edgar was called “Big Ike.” I would have called them IKEA and IKEB. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/38 "2008-09-15T13:24:13Z")
Also Ike Clanton. About whom I know nothing outside the TOS episode, “Spectre of the Gun.” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/39 "2008-09-15T13:27:23Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Or even Akira, **Wang** , or Mohammed. Certain to hit Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380/40 "2008-09-15T13:31:52Z")
Names are permanently retired, IIRC, when they’re associated with a storm so big/nasty/memorable that they go down in history. There will never be another Hurricane Katrina, for instance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ike-dwight-d/463380.md?page=3)