# List the people you personally know (or have known) who go by two initials rather than a first name **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 18, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442 "2017-01-18T02:01:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/21 "2017-01-18T13:27:28Z")
When I was a young lad we had a minister at our (Southern Baptist) church who was the seventh son of a seventh son. Those folks are supposedly born with special powers and were sometimes given initials instead of first and middle names. His were DW. His wife called him “Dub”. …and he was the coolest minister I ever met. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/22 "2017-01-18T13:39:54Z")
Male - JR. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/23 "2017-01-18T13:44:09Z")
I have a friend who is a First Middle Last III. He goes by Terry for 3rd. When he and his wife named their first boy, they named him First Middle Last IV, and ended up going with a nickname of TJ, for “Terry Junior” 😉 And yes, the commonality of J as a part of an Initial Pair is interesting. AFAIK, completely unbiased by research ;), I believe that started with **J.P. Morgan** , who was so powerful at the turn of the 20th century that his name was shorthand for Financial Power and for being the Boss. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/24 "2017-01-18T13:46:53Z")
I know 2 JDs and a JT. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/25 "2017-01-18T13:51:07Z")
Quite a few male JJ, who tend to be Juan José. Those happen to be among the most common firstnames in Spanish, and that combo a very common one; enough to be treated as a multiword firstname even though strictly speaking it’s not. One of the professors I had in grad school was known as _kéisi_. It took us a while to realize it was his initials, KC (some of my coworkers thought his name was Casey). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/26 "2017-01-18T14:11:05Z")
CJ AJ VJ RD JP (x 7 or so - It’s a _very_ popular Afrikaans thing) ED (not Ed - pronounced Edie) LV BB ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/27 "2017-01-18T14:15:16Z")
Our new Attorney General is TJ Donovan. And we’re a northern state. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/28 "2017-01-18T14:27:15Z")
Female Three BJs (two Bonnie Jeans and a Betty Joe) Male DJ JT AJ ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/29 "2017-01-18T14:30:02Z")
Just two. I worked with a female CJ at the Bullseye, knew a male JP in high school. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/30 "2017-01-18T14:33:58Z")
RJ and DJ, both male and both twenty-something. My father used to go by W.E. in writing, especially professionally; however, in speech he always used and was always addressed by his first name. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/31 "2017-01-18T14:56:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Male: BJ (actually, I know two of these) > CJ (but he also goes by his first name commonly) > > Female: CE Oh, and I just remembered a TJ, as well, that I worked with many moons ago. No idea what his actual first name was. It is interesting to see how many of these do involve a “J,” though. I’d be a “PJ” if I wanted to, but I never liked the sound of that. Perhaps reminded me too much of pajamas. Then again, the BJs I know don’t seem to care about the other association with their initials (no, not “back judge,” before one of you wags gets to it, the other one), so, there ya go. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/32 "2017-01-18T15:04:14Z")
I was in a community theater play last year that was directed by a woman called J.J. I never did find out what her full name was. People called her “J” for short. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/33 "2017-01-18T16:15:35Z")
My wife had someone in her family who was born back in the 1910s or thereabouts. His name was “W. A.”, neither of which stood for anything. One time, he was having chest pains, and my father-in-law was driving him to the hospital (Kaiser Permanente). My mother-in-law was on the phone telling the emergency room he was coming in. The conversation went something like this: W. A. [redacted] is coming in with chest pains. W. A. … [redacted] W. A. … No, the “W” doesn’t stand for anything. No, the “A” doesn’t stand for anything. No, it is not “Walter”, “Wilbur”, or “William”. Nothing. NO, IT IS NOT “WAH”!!! W. … A. W period … A period Please give me your supervisor! ---
**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:** [January 18, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/34 "2017-01-18T17:23:32Z")
I am actually a JJ (female). I have a friend who jokingly calls me “Jayge” for short. I went to high school with a BJ (Bill Jr), JR (John Ray) and JR who’s name is actually Greg. As far as I know all three of those guys now go by their “long” names now as adults. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/35 "2017-01-18T18:42:00Z")
I knew a guy once who called himself AJ, and we always called him HA, just to mess with him. He was never really sure if he was being called that. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/36 "2017-01-18T18:49:37Z")
My grandfather - PR. I called him Par. ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/37 "2017-01-18T19:02:29Z")
JR male BJ female AJ male JD male my uncle RF That was his legal name: RF ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/38 "2017-01-18T19:17:36Z")
Once when we used the tax service at Sears, our preparer was named C.U. Mehta. It was a contributing factor to our both getting a bad case of the giggles during the session. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/39 "2017-01-18T19:32:29Z")
Following a trend here, a A **J** and a C **J**. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442/40 "2017-01-18T19:34:07Z")
TC RE (Pronounced and written as “Ari”) DD (Her sister has the initals “VV”, but that never caught on as a name) JR (He’s really a Junior, but goes by J.R.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-the-people-you-personally-know-or-have-known-who-go-by-two-initials-rather-than-a-first-name/777442.md?page=3)