# Nicknames with no relation to the longer name. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2019, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623 "2019-07-25T16:56:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/21 "2019-07-25T21:02:18Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > The Queen is named Elizabeth but always known in the family as Lilibet. You could probably fill a page with nicknames for Elizabeth…Liz, Lizzie, Lisa, Libby, Betsy, Beth, Betty, Bess, Bessie, Bet, Bette, Eliza, Elsa, Elsie, Izzy… ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/22 "2019-07-25T21:13:55Z")
The one the leaves me puzzled is how Russians (and other Eastern European cultures) get from Alexander to Sasha. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/23 "2019-07-25T21:27:35Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > The one the leaves me puzzled is how Russians (and other Eastern European cultures) get from Alexander to Sasha. [A 2011 SDMB thread on the topic.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=601117) TL;DR: “-sha” and “-ya” are commonly appended to portions of a proper name to create a nickname/diminutive in Russian. I’m guessing that one takes the “xa” (or “sa”) part of Alexander / Aleksander, add a “sha” to that, and you get “Little Alexander.” ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/24 "2019-07-25T23:12:50Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > The one the leaves me puzzled is how Russians (and other Eastern European cultures) get from Alexander to Sasha. It’s similar to how Scots get from Alexander to Sandy. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/25 "2019-07-25T23:20:43Z")
How about Ignatius -\> Nacho, but also Iggy ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/26 "2019-07-25T23:22:20Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s similar to how Scots get from Alexander to Sandy. Alexander-\>Xander-\>Xandy-\>Sandy (My youngest daughter goes to school with a Xander.) ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/27 "2019-07-25T23:31:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You could probably fill a page with nicknames for Elizabeth…Liz, Lizzie, Lisa, Libby, Betsy, Beth, Betty, Bess, Bessie, Bet, Bette, Eliza, Elsa, Elsie, Izzy… “Elizabeth, Elspeth, Beth, Betsy and Bess, All went together to take a bird’s nest. They found a nest with six eggs innit, Each took one, and left five innit.” ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/28 "2019-07-25T23:31:30Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Actually, I do too. The “Padre Putativo” explanation sounds like a joke.🙂 > > Then there’s “Concha” as short for Concepcion, which I understand has some unfortunate connotations in Argentina.😃 You can certainly say so 😃 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/29 "2019-07-26T01:31:33Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > \ Edward - Ed - Ned - Ted \ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but I don’t like being called ‘Eddie Baby’. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/30 "2019-07-26T01:33:24Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > (My youngest daughter goes to school with a Xander.) Check her backpack for stakes, holy water or crossbows. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/31 "2019-07-26T02:37:12Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I’m sorry, I’m sorry, but I don’t like being called ‘Eddie Baby’. So Eddie is a nickname for Burpo? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/32 "2019-07-26T05:26:43Z")
I should point out that “Jack” is not always a nickname. My father’s legal name - on his birth certificate - was Jack. He also had a first cousin by the same name. From time to time, he’d receive some quasi-formal mail addressed to “John \_\_\_\_\_”. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/33 "2019-07-26T07:50:23Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Margaret is shortened to Marg. Non-rhotic dialects hear Marg as Mag and then the a changed to an e around 1300 to make Meg. Then it’s the same principle as Dick where rhyming was cool and Peg happened to stick. Since the Welsh (not Irish) form of Margaret is Megan, it might have also traveled that route. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/34 "2019-07-26T08:16:32Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > There are a couple of interesting ones in Spanish. > > The nickname for Jose is Pepe. One theory is that this is derived from referring to San Jose/St. Joseph as the “Pater Putativus,” putative father, of Jesus. The abbreviation PP is pronounced as Pepe in Spanish. Less imaginatively it has been derived from the form Josepe of Jose, duplicating the last syllable of the name. (Similarly Guiseppe becomes Peppe in Italian.) > > The nickname for Francisco is Pancho. St. Francis of Assisi was the founder of the Franciscan order, and was hence known as the “Pater Comunitas,” father of the community. Paco is an acronym of the first letters of the two words, and later became Pancho. On which note, how did Spanish get from “Jesus” to “Chuy”? That’s one that’s always perplexed me. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/35 "2019-07-26T10:41:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I should point out that “Jack” is not always a nickname. That’s true of every diminutive. There are people who are just named “Tom” or “Ted,” etc. > [@kitap](#): > > Since the Welsh (not Irish) form of Margaret is Megan, it might have also traveled that route. According to Wikipedia, it’s Margaret - Meg - Megan. So it’s the other way around ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/36 "2019-07-26T10:43:17Z")
One that I have never figured out is that Italian- Americans of a certain age named “Vincent” go/went by “Jimmy”. Anyone know why? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/37 "2019-07-26T11:03:48Z")
Could someone explain the path my ex-wife took to get from James (my first name) to Lazy Ass? mmm ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/38 "2019-07-26T12:42:02Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > On which note, how did Spanish get from “Jesus” to “Chuy”? That’s one that’s always perplexed me. Shorten to the “sús” part, then sound-drift to “Chu”, then diminutive to Chuíto (in PR we stopped there) or Chuín, then shorten that to “Chui”, move the stress back to the u, write it with a “y” at the end because in Spanish ortography that how you most often end a word with an unstressed “i” sound. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/39 "2019-07-26T13:22:05Z")
Makes me think of the Kennedy men. John to Jack, Robert to Bobby, and Edward to Teddy. How did the last one evolve? I can see Theodore to Teddy, but Edward? And show did Stacy, originally a nickname for Anastasia, become a man’s name? ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623/40 "2019-07-26T13:29:05Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > You could probably fill a page with nicknames for Elizabeth…Liz, Lizzie, Lisa, Libby, Betsy, Beth, Betty, Bess, Bessie, Bet, Bette, Eliza, Elsa, Elsie, Izzy… [LizardBreath](https://fborfw.com/strip_fix/thursday-june-24-1993/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-with-no-relation-to-the-longer-name/837623.md?page=3)