# Is your Doper name used in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817 "2010-07-15T19:24:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/1 "2010-07-15T19:24:51Z")
Mine is. All my closest friends refer to me almost exclusively as Stoid and they have for probably 20 years. It dates all the way back to high school, it came from a distortion of my real name, which includes the the letters “est”, so my friend started calling me \_\_ESTOIDIAN Flake. She made up a bunch of names for all of us around the same time, but mine is the only one that got shortened and permanently affixed. When I think of myself by name, I think of myself as Stoid more than anything else. Most of my closest friends are known by nickname to me as well: Bear (Carrie–\> Care Bear—\>Bear) Hane (Jane by way of Spanish. Our BFF name: Stoidenhane.) Banana (I met her at a seminar, her name is Barbara, but it was written by hand on her name tag and looked for all the world like “banana”. She’s been Banana to me ever since.) And I grew up calling one of my sisters Boo Boo. And you? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/2 "2010-07-15T19:27:08Z")
I’ve never had a nickname. “CalMeacham” is my only alias, and I only use it on this Board and for Teemings. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/3 "2010-07-15T19:34:36Z")
I am rarely called Wile E. I have one person who knew me outside of the Internet start calling me Wile E after emailing me. I have people who I have met through the Internet and in person continue to call me Wile E when we met in person because I am slow to give out my real name and even if they know it they are just used to calling me Wile E. ---
**Author:** ![melodyharmonius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/melodyharmonius/32/21310_2.png) [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/4 "2010-07-15T19:39:56Z")
Anyone who met me first online tends to call me Mel or Melody or Mel Mel or Melly or some iteration thereof. I end up going by 4 names in real life anyway: My family calls me either by my (1) birth name or (2) the shortened version of that name (which I hate) My friends/coworkers/anyone who has met me since 1988 all call me by (3) my nickname. My online friends call me (4) some version of Melody. It makes it easy to tell how someone knows me by what they call me. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/5 "2010-07-15T19:42:16Z")
All the time. Just not in reference to me :). ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/6 "2010-07-15T19:45:46Z")
When the Dallas Dopers were getting together regularly, we defaulted to addressing each other by our Doper names, and made reservations in the name of “the Adams family”. We got lots of interesting reactions from restaurant staff. Aside from that, I know Toaster IRL now, and she sometimes calls me “Bal”, though that’s mostly from gaming together. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/7 "2010-07-15T19:48:10Z")
No one calls me by my Doper name, though I am called alternately Hair (I have curly brown hair) and Vodka Tonic (not because of my drinking habits, though). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/8 "2010-07-15T19:50:29Z")
Mostly definitely. I have a knack for getting hurt doing everyday things. I have sliced my leg open while cutting boxes as a stock boy. I have slipped and hit my head on the edge of a pool. There was the time I got an electrical shock from brushing my hand against an exposed wire. I’ve shattered both kneecaps. Even had a can of butane exploded a mere few feet from my head. As a child I have had steel pipes dropped on my head, fallen out of shopping carts, slipped of the edge of a drop off in a lake and nearly drowned, crashed my bike into others, broken every toes dozen of times, broken each finger at least once, cracked my left wrist twice, and dozens of other accidents I don’t remember. It’s not from being active either, as I am not. It’s just clumsiness. As a result, I’ve earned several nicknames. Booboo bear, Mr. Accident, Accident Prone Man (with matching icon). There’s probably a few I’m missing. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/9 "2010-07-15T20:03:35Z")
Yeah – it’s my college nickname. There are relatively few who use it these days, but a couple friends, including two guys that I see at least every several months, still call me Cliffy more than Alex. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/10 "2010-07-15T20:11:27Z")
Everyone here knows me as “Czarcasm”. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/11 "2010-07-15T20:11:47Z")
God, I hope not. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/12 "2010-07-15T20:49:22Z")
No, and I’m quite happy with that. This is my username, not my name. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/13 "2010-07-15T20:58:15Z")
Nope. Anyone from here I’ve become friends with IRL calls me by my RL name. ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/14 "2010-07-15T21:03:47Z")
Electric Warrior is a name I only use here. The only nickname I’ve ever gone by, and only a small group of people ever used it, was “mouse”. (As far as I can tell, this came about because I am super short.) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/15 "2010-07-15T21:14:22Z")
Yes, I am known as WordMan (or Verbiage, or Verb) by a very few friends, and have been since high school, decades (sigh) ago… ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/16 "2010-07-15T21:15:46Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > God, I hope not. It’d be pretty fukkin’ hilarious, tho. ---
**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:** [July 15, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/17 "2010-07-15T21:18:12Z")
Nobody calls me Zipper in real life, while lots Dopers do. No Dopers call me JJ, but in real life lots of people do. ---
**Author:** ![Shocker\_Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c57346/32.png) [@Shocker\_Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shocker_Khan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/18 "2010-07-15T21:20:50Z")
Not in public, no. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/19 "2010-07-15T21:21:04Z")
Rysto was my high school nickname, but nobody has called me that for at least five years. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817/20 "2010-07-15T21:25:32Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Yes, I am known as WordMan (or Verbiage, or Verb) by a very few friends, and have been since high school, decades (sigh) ago… That is cool. My original doper name (Venus Hottentot) is a nickname used by many I know IRL. But Nzinga is never used by anyone except SDMB, Giraffe Board, Mellophant. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-your-doper-name-used-in-real-life/546817.md?page=2)