# Standard nicknames that have no apparent resemblance to the full name **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 5, 2011, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699 "2011-10-05T16:55:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![keturah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e95f7d/32.png) [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/61 "2011-10-06T05:12:37Z")
Jim/Jimmy for James. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/62 "2011-10-06T05:19:14Z")
Hal or Hank for Henry. ---
**Author:** ![JessMagic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@JessMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessMagic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/63 "2011-10-06T06:01:15Z")
> [@Ms\_Boods](#): > > It’s not uncommon to take the first two letters of the name and add a zed to make the nickname. So, Jez = Jeremy, Daz = Darren, &c. Especially amongst English footballers. Eg. Wayne “Wazza” Rooney. Ooh, just thought of a good one - “Dode” for “George” (Scotland only, possibly only NE Scotland). ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/64 "2011-10-06T08:30:55Z")
Betty for Elizabeth has never made sense to me. And I had an Uncle Charles, whose nickname (not limited to him specifically) was Chicka. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/65 "2011-10-06T11:13:47Z")
It is apparently common for older Italian- Americans named “Vincent” to be called " Jimmy" . I have never been able to figure out why. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/66 "2011-10-06T11:18:45Z")
> [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](#): > > Pepe for Jose. That comes from P.P., initals of _Padre Putativo_, meaning assumed father. St Joseph (José) was Jesus’ assumed father; he appears in lists of saints (including almanacs’ listing of “feastday of…”) as José, P.P.. Solomon is Salomón, R. (king); Assissi appears as Francisco de Asís, Mje. (monk), etc. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2011, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/67 "2011-10-06T11:30:37Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > Interesting. Does this survive in any other modern names? It survives in tons of family names, like Atkins. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2011, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/68 "2011-10-06T11:31:46Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Hmm. I always thought “Jack” was related to “Jacques”, and had no direct descent from “John” in English. Jacques is James/Jacob, not John. ---
**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:** [October 6, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/69 "2011-10-06T11:41:46Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Surely a lot of these just come from the fact that so many people used the same names This is an important point. All of the diminutives in this thread have sensible explanations (_Harry_ for _Henry_ is via French _Henri_; _Hank_ for _Henry_ is via German _Heinrich_). But I’m not sure that reasonable explanations are wanted in this thread, so I’m not sure how much to go into any of it. ---
**Author:** ![Post\_Miss\_Post](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Post\_Miss\_Post](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Post_Miss_Post)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/70 "2011-10-06T12:01:19Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/71 "2011-10-06T12:21:45Z")
Shug for Hugh - why?? ---
**Author:** ![Hogfather65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7bcc69/32.png) [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/72 "2011-10-06T12:27:19Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Betty for Elizabeth has never made sense to me. I think this is to do with how Elizabeth was originally pronounced - Elisabet - Then shortened to either Elisa or Bet - or Betty ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/73 "2011-10-06T12:37:56Z")
> [@Hogfather65](#): > > I think this is to do with how Elizabeth was originally pronounced - Elisabet - Then shortened to either Elisa or Bet - or Betty Very likely. Another nickname for Elizabeth which I’ve just thought of and bears no resemblance that I can see to the name is ‘Libby’. My Uncle Chicka had two daughters, one Diane and the other was Elizabeth, who was always called Libby. ---
**Author:** ![Elret](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Elret](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elret)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/74 "2011-10-06T13:10:21Z")
I can see how Lizzy could morph to Libby. I don’t get Jim from James. I once knew an Andy who was really an Alexander, which does make sense but you don’t see it very often. ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/75 "2011-10-06T15:17:00Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > I can see how Lizzy could morph to Libby. I don’t get Jim from James. I once knew an Andy who was really an Alexander, which does make sense but you don’t see it very often. I’m puzzled at the puzzlement – James to Jamie to Jimmy, it’s just a vowel change. On the British z for r substitution the first time I encountered this was a Gary known as Gaz in 1973. However the most famous Gazza is called Paul – but his surname is Gascoigne. I think it just comes down to a combination of wordplay, the need to distinguish people of the same name (especially in the past when fewer names were used) and what Maya Angelou said – the child who is loved has many names. People just like to make up nicknames, some of them stick and some of them spread. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/76 "2011-10-06T15:24:27Z")
> [@LilyoftheField](#): > > Ted for Edward. What’s wrong with Ed - it’s one letter shorter! > It doesn’t really work for Theodore either. 😕 Hehe, I once had an English teacher (American actually) who was called Ted. He explained to us “All other Teds are Edwards. I’m Theodore”. I got the impression he didn’t really like his name. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/77 "2011-10-06T15:34:19Z")
> [@Elret](#): > > I can see how Lizzy could morph to Libby. I don’t get Jim from James. I once knew an Andy who was really an Alexander, which does make sense but you don’t see it very often. Also Liddy for Elizabeth. That drove Bob Dole’s wife nuts. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/78 "2011-10-06T16:59:35Z")
I have an Uncle Francis who goes by Bud, not Butch. And an Aunt Elizabeth who goes by Biz. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/79 "2011-10-06T17:26:10Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > I have an Uncle Francis who goes by Bud, not Butch. > > And an Aunt Elizabeth who goes by Biz. If she ever has her name in lights, it’ll be a Biz marquee! ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699/80 "2011-10-06T17:57:15Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I know a Richard and an Armand who go by Butch. I can see Armand wanting to go by another name Hammer? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/standard-nicknames-that-have-no-apparent-resemblance-to-the-full-name/598699.md?page=5)