# Origin of Chuy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 28, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456 "2004-01-28T20:22:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![interficio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/34f0e0/32.png) [@interficio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interficio)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/1 "2004-01-28T20:22:45Z")

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I have been searching for a long time now and I cannot seem to determine why people named Jesus have the nickname Chuy. Does anyone out there in reader land know about the origins of the name Chuy?

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**Author:** ![interficio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/34f0e0/32.png) [@interficio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interficio)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/2 "2004-01-29T00:08:38Z")

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No takers huh? Is the question not worded well? or is it just one of those mysteries that will go unsolved forever: like why planes can fly?

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**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/3 "2004-01-29T00:54:01Z")

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From [here](http://www.behindthename.com/nmc/spa.html);

> [@](#):
>
> CHUCHO m Spanish  
> Spanish pet form of JESÚS
> 
> CHUS m Spanish  
> Spanish pet form of JESÚS

It’s pretty easy to see how either of these could evolve into “Chuy”.  
Peace,  
mangeorge

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**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 29, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/4 "2004-01-29T03:59:17Z")

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Here’s a thread from last year: [Why is “Chuy” the nickname for “Jesus?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=170758)

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**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2004, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/5 "2004-01-29T21:58:49Z")

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Jesus was a Wookie?

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/6 "2004-01-30T05:07:33Z")

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In many languages, including Spanish, nicknames often arise from baby talk. That is, when a baby is just starting to talk, he’s unlikely to be able to pronounce his own name correctly. More likely, he’ll get a consonant or two correctly- a syllable at most.

A baby boy in Italy probably isn’t going to be able to say “Giuseppe.” He’s liable to pronounce it “Pepe.” Not surprisingly, that’s a common nickname for Joseph in Italy.

A French baby boy probably won’t be able to pronounce “Christian.” It’s liable to come out sounding like “Kiki.” Lo and behold, that’s a common nickname for little French boys named Christian.

“Chucho” and “Chuy” probably come from such babble among Spanish and Mexican babies. Maybe, to a baby in Mexico, Jesus (normally pronounced “hay-SOOSE”) comes out like “ay-CHOOCH”… and his Mama starts calling him variations on that baby name.

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**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2004, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-chuy/226456/7 "2004-01-30T11:20:55Z")

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> [@jimpatro](#):
>
> Jesus was a Wookie?

\<snort\> bwahahahaha!!!