# Initials made into names **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 5, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645 "2011-08-05T22:01:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/1 "2011-08-05T22:01:34Z")
What are some letter pairs that sound like names? Or, vice versa, names that sound like initials? The ones I can think of: Ellis (LS) Ivy (IV) Casey (KC) I’ve got a character who goes by Ivy, because her initials are IV. I’ve decided she needs to be a guy, but neither of the two men’s names I can think seem right. (She’s got a snooty last name she’s hiding.) ---
**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:** [August 5, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/2 "2011-08-05T22:14:02Z")
Jeb. Either John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, former governor of Florida and son of one president and brother of another. Or James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart, Confederate Army general. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/3 "2011-08-05T22:15:08Z")
I knew a dude called Ari who was actually R.E. ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/4 "2011-08-05T22:20:10Z")
Abey (though Abe would be much more common) Eighty (don’t know why that would be a name might be some kind of nick name – that is others might think it a nick name and not recognize it’s initials)) Beady Diel (I’ve heard it as a name, but uncommon Icey (see Eighty above) Ian pronounced either EYE-n or EE-n Obie Odie Opie (though I’ve never heard of it except on Andy Griffith) ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/5 "2011-08-05T22:34:06Z")
I’ve worked with an O.C. for years and just recently found out his actual name is Ocie. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/6 "2011-08-05T22:38:18Z")
I used to know a Jaidi. The first few times my (now) ex-girlfriend told me his name I assumed it was J. D. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/7 "2011-08-05T22:40:57Z")
Bebe, when pronounced B-B like the Frasier character. Ellie - L-E. Elsie - L-C If your dialect pronounces mid-sentence ts like Ds: Katie - K-D. Arty- R-D. Petey - P-D If you pronounce R non-rhotically: Ella - L-R. Emma - M-R Tia - T-R More than two letters: Gianna - G-N-R. Jamie - J-M-E (pushing it a bit) Xavier - X-A-V-R A lot of those are girls’ names though. Plus, of course, lots of other two letter names that are just the initials, like CC, JD, JR, VJ, etc. (Obviously, any two letters can be used as a name, but some are more common than others). > [@OldGuy](#): > > Diel (I’ve heard it as a name, but uncommon The name Dalziel is pronounced D-L. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/8 "2011-08-05T22:43:43Z")
Not really a name, but more of an epithet - Q. T. - Cutie. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/9 "2011-08-05T22:43:58Z")
The father of one of my oldest friends went by the name of Argie, with a soft “g”. In the twenty-plus years I knew this gentleman, I always assumed it was his initials…R.G. When he died, I was suprised to read in the obituary that Argie was actually his given name. I’ve known a few Archies, but have never run across anyone else named Argie. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/10 "2011-08-05T22:56:07Z")
I just heard another long one on TV: Emmanuel. M-N-U-L. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/11 "2011-08-05T22:59:56Z")
Ellen - L N ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/12 "2011-08-05T23:53:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > If your dialect pronounces mid-sentence ts like Ds: > > Katie - K-D. > Arty- R-D. > Petey - P-D Considering I read Schlock Mercenary, I should have thought of Petey. Artie has possibilities… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/13 "2011-08-05T23:57:33Z")
**M_A_S\*H** had an entire episode centered on Hawkeye’s quest to find out what BJ Hunnicutt’s real name was. It turned out it was Bea Jay, named after (I think) both his mother and father. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/14 "2011-08-06T00:18:07Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Jeb. Either John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, former governor of Florida and son of one president and brother of another. Also Dubya. OK, it’s not really a “name” per se. How about Harvey (RV)? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/15 "2011-08-06T00:50:35Z")
Jay. My friend’s name is Jesse but he goes by J or “Jeh”. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Surb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@The\_Surb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Surb)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/16 "2011-08-06T00:59:21Z")
Not quite the same but I know a Mary Ellen Greene, she went by Meg because she hated the name Mary and detested the name Ellen. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/17 "2011-08-06T01:01:02Z")
I’ve seen Emjay spelled out as a name in a few different places. (M.J.) ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/18 "2011-08-06T01:09:45Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Jeb. Either John Ellis “Jeb” Bush, former governor of Florida and son of one president and brother of another. > > Or James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart, Confederate Army general. Can you explain what letters could ever possibly sound like “Jeb”. Because I do not believe it is possible in any English dialect. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/19 "2011-08-06T01:49:18Z")
After hearing about her in the news for a while, I was surprised to see her name written out: Jaycee Dugard. I thought they were using her initials J.C., like people who go by AJ or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645/20 "2011-08-06T01:58:14Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Can you explain what letters could ever possibly sound like “Jeb”. Because I do not believe it is possible in any English dialect. I think **cochrane** read the thread title and gave examples of people with the initials J.E.B. being called Jeb, which fits well with the thread title “Initials made into names” (kind of like the oldest brother character on **Arrested Development** ; everyone called him Gob, pronounced like Job in the Bible, because his name was “George Oscar Bluth”) and didn’t really understand from the OP precisely what **Silver Tyger Girl** had in mind. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/initials-made-into-names/591645.md?page=2)