# The nickname "Elvira"......should someone be offended **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390 "2019-06-11T20:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/1 "2019-06-11T20:09:57Z")
Someone I know, her first name starts with “E”. I’ve nicknamed her “Elvira”. Would you take offense?? ---
**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:** [June 11, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/2 "2019-06-11T20:15:51Z")
Eh, giving someone a nickname is kinda lame and patronizing. ---
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/3 "2019-06-11T20:17:50Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > Eh, giving someone a nickname is kinda lame and patronizing. Patronizing is kind of the point of the nickname with this person. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/4 "2019-06-11T20:19:36Z")
If your point is to be patronizing, then yes, I’d take offense.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/5 "2019-06-11T20:32:36Z")
Offense is a strong word but annoying perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/6 "2019-06-11T20:42:18Z")
I thought about writing a bunch of questions about why Elvira, but then I thought, it doesn’t matter. If she’s told you she doesn’t like the nickname, you stop using it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/7 "2019-06-11T20:51:46Z")
It depends–is your heart on firah for her? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/8 "2019-06-11T20:53:17Z")
(Also, it is much less of a problem than “Booberella”.) ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/9 "2019-06-11T20:57:38Z")
Nicknames are stupid unless you’re certain a person really likes you. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/10 "2019-06-11T21:27:08Z")
> [@LiveFree](#): > > Patronizing is kind of the point of the nickname with this person. 🙂 Ick. Yes, if you’re calling someone a name they don’t like, specifically to be patronizing, then the person has every right to be offended. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/11 "2019-06-11T21:40:21Z")
I want people to call me Skip. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/12 "2019-06-11T21:44:18Z")
You want to patronize her but not offend her? Good luck with that! ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/13 "2019-06-11T22:03:49Z")
Yeah, doesn’t matter how many people think she “should” or “should” not be offended–if she IS offended and you keep using it, you’re the asshole. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/14 "2019-06-11T22:12:10Z")
Are you asking whether there’s something offensive about renaming somebody without their permission? Yes, that’s offensive. Call people what they ask you to call them. And most certainly don’t call people anything they ask you not to call them. ---
**Author:** ![LiveFree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@LiveFree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveFree)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/15 "2019-06-11T22:24:59Z")
I’ll just add this. This lady is a pure bitch. She’s not a friend. I’ve never used the name in front of her. Just asking if “Elvira” would irk someone. Appears so. ---
**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:** [June 11, 2019, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/16 "2019-06-11T22:30:00Z")
> [@LiveFree](#): > > I’ll just add this. This lady is a pure bitch. She’s not a friend. I’ve never used the name in front of her. Just asking if “Elvira” would irk someone. Appears so. I don’t think the responses are a result of the specific name. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/17 "2019-06-11T23:49:16Z")
> [@LiveFree](#): > > I’ll just add this. This lady is a pure bitch. She’s not a friend. I’ve never used the name in front of her. Just asking if “Elvira” would irk someone. Appears so. Lots of names would irk someone. If you are just going for “irking” why does it have to start with the same letter as her name? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/18 "2019-06-12T00:02:19Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t think the responses are a result of the specific name. Mine certainly wasn’t. Is there something abouit the name “Elvira” that I don’t know? (This is quite possible.) The problem I see isn’t that it’s Elvira, or Emma, or Elizabeth, or Elmer, or whatever. It’s that apparently it’s not the name the person wants to be called. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/19 "2019-06-12T00:18:27Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Mine certainly wasn’t. > > Is there something abouit the name “Elvira” that I don’t know? [Yes](https://www.elvira.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2019, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390/20 "2019-06-12T00:19:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Is there something abouit the name “Elvira” that I don’t know? (This is quite possible.) Despite it’s older reputation as an old-fashioned name, my first thought is the gaudy [Elvira, Mistress of the Dark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvira:_Mistress_of_the_Dark_(film)), which certainly has some sexual connotations. And possibly those of creepiness. And of being a joke, I guess. I linked to movie instead of character just for the image. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nickname-elvira-should-someone-be-offended/835390.md?page=2)