# What is the name HAM short for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 31, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854 "2007-07-31T19:09:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LtnJck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19b73/32.png) [@LtnJck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LtnJck)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/1 "2007-07-31T19:09:33Z")
I’ve have been reading a few books (from the early 1900s) with that name and also I heard on TV Bette Davis was married to a guy named HAM, is it a general nickname or short for anything specific. Bette Davis’s husband was named Harmon btw ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/2 "2007-07-31T19:13:24Z")
Hamilton? Hampton? ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/3 "2007-07-31T19:16:55Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Hamilton? Hampton? [/QUOTE] Or Abraham, Hamish, Hamilcar…of course, if you asked him, he might just say “I ham what I ham.” ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/4 "2007-07-31T19:17:40Z")
I’ve only known one person named HAM. It was short for Hamlin. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/5 "2007-07-31T19:19:44Z")
A brief bit of looking also suggests the nickname Ham may result from the theft of some hams (Doc Savage) and, later, from one’s interest in that particular kind of radio as a hobby. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/6 "2007-07-31T19:41:39Z")
So why shouldn’t it be short for Harmon? It’s no dumber than Jack for John, or Ted for Edward. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/7 "2007-07-31T19:46:30Z")
Hamfast? ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/8 "2007-07-31T19:50:25Z")
Ham’s full name was Harmon Oscar Nelson, Junior. His middle name [may have been the inspiration](http://wiwi.essortment.com/historyacademy_refm.htm) for the dubbing of the Academy Award statuette as “Oscar”. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/9 "2007-07-31T20:16:20Z")
It could just be a standard Bibiical call-out to [the son of Noah.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_%28son_of_Noah%29) ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/10 "2007-07-31T20:23:30Z")
“Ham” is a commonplace diminutive variant of the surname “Travolta.” ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/11 "2007-07-31T20:40:17Z")
I’d vote for Hamilton. I had a [professor named Hamilton](http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/ham/richards/). Everybody called him Ham. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/12 "2007-08-01T10:38:06Z")
In some areas of the south, Ham is a common surname. Up north, I see Hamm more often. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/13 "2007-08-01T11:08:59Z")
I think it is first recorded for Sir Hammock of Banana ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/14 "2007-08-01T11:30:26Z")
The little boy in the cartoon strip “Baby Blues” is called Hammy. Does anyone know his full first name? ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/15 "2007-08-01T11:46:56Z")
[QUOTE=Finagle] It could just be a standard Bibiical call-out to [the son of Noah.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ham_%28son_of_Noah%29) [/QUOTE] And a character in David Copperfield. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/16 "2007-08-01T13:27:00Z")
How 'bout “Hamilton Burger.” I once read that Erle Stanley Gardner chose that name deliberately because he didn’t like the character and liked having Perry Mason grind him into “hamburger” meat in the courtroom. Of course, I don’t think he was ever called “Ham” in the series, but the implication was obvious. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/17 "2007-08-01T13:41:38Z")
[QUOTE=danceswithcats] In some areas of the south, Ham is a common surname. Up north, I see Hamm more often. [/QUOTE] Of course they are talking about beer. Ham is actually short for Hamnet. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-name-ham-short-for/413854/18 "2007-08-01T20:20:20Z")
[QUOTE=racer72] The little boy in the cartoon strip “Baby Blues” is called Hammy. Does anyone know his full first name? [/QUOTE] According to [_Toonopedia_,](http://www.toonopedia.com/babyblue.htm) it’s “Hamish”, which is a [Scottish variant of “James”.](http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Hamish) **danceswithcats** : Your post reminded me of Jack Ham, who played linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his career, there was always a sign in the stands at Three Rivers Stadium which read _Dobre Shunka_, which means “good ham” in several Slavic languages.