# Why is "Chuy" the nickname for "Jesus?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385 "2003-03-18T22:10:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![hapaXL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@hapaXL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hapaXL)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/1 "2003-03-18T22:10:58Z")
Couldn’t find the answer on Search or Google. ---
**Author:** ![No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/no_me_ayudes_compadre/32/5224_2.png) [@No\_Me\_Ayudes\_Compadre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Me_Ayudes_Compadre)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/2 "2003-03-18T22:29:53Z")
Diminutive name forms are often derived from baby talk, i.e. small children’s inability to correctly pronounce the names. Jesús is Chucho, and I suppose it was then further diminutized to Chuy. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/3 "2003-03-18T22:31:15Z")
I can’t fully explain it, I can only point out that MANY common Spanish nicknames are formed by combing “Ch” with a syllable or syllables of the full name. “Chuy” is just one example. A girl named Isabel is often nicknamed “Chavela.” A guy named Ernesto is often called “Che” (it wasn’t just Senor Guevara!). That’s just a pattern within Spanish. To ask “why” is like asking “why do so many English nicknames seem to be rhymes for shortened versions of the full name (“Bob” for Rob/ert,” “Bill” for Will/iam, “Ted” for Ed/ward, etc.)?" The reason is… there IS no reason. Things just evolved that way. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/4 "2003-03-18T22:41:20Z")
I’m gonna name my kid Tedward. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/5 "2003-03-18T22:51:58Z")
Squidward? ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/6 "2003-03-18T23:22:11Z")
I thought “Ted” was short for “Theodore”. ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/7 "2003-03-19T00:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jpeg Jones \* > \*\*I thought “Ted” was short for “Theodore”. \*\* Sometimes. My father once bought a one-volume encyclopedia which asserted, in all seriousness, that the Kennedy brothers were named Joseph Jr., John, Robert, and Theodore. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/8 "2003-03-19T00:14:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jpeg Jones \* > \*\*I thought “Ted” was short for “Theodore”. \*\* Ted can be short for either Edward or Theodore. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2003, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/9 "2003-03-19T00:29:13Z")
I’m a José and I have been referred to as Che, Cheo or Cheíto. My brother is also a José and HIS nick is “Pepe” which is the most common variation for José. Jesús, in PR, is Chucho, just plain Chu, or Chuíto(diminutive) BTW, **astorian** , “Che” is used in Argentina as a generic way of addressing someone casually – sort of like some English-speakers will use “Mac” or “Buddy” – which would make it a sensible “handle” for him among fellow revolutionaries in Cuba, Central America and Bolivia, sorta calling him Ernest “the Argie” Guevara. ---
**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:** [March 19, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/10 "2003-03-19T00:32:34Z")
Oh, and Enrique (Henry) becomes “Quique” (pron: Kee-KEH), which at some point between 1960 and 1990 suffered a written metamorphosis to (I’m not making this up) “Kike” (still pron. Kee-KEH) ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/11 "2003-03-19T00:39:22Z")
I’ma name my son Bobert. I’ll call him “Rob.” Happy ---
**Author:** ![punkkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@punkkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punkkid)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/12 "2003-03-19T02:07:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Speaker for the Dead \* > \*\*I’m gonna name my kid Tedward. \*\* hijack ahead: Ned Flanders in the Simpsons is actually named 'Nedward Flanders." They said it in an episode. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/13 "2003-03-19T05:31:13Z")
Spanish speaking young children often also have difficulty pronouncing Jorgé correctly, at least initially. It oftentimes comes out as “Co-kay.” ---
**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:** [March 19, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/14 "2003-03-19T05:53:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*To ask “why” is like asking “why do so many English nicknames seem to be rhymes for shortened versions of the full name > (“Bob” for Rob/ert,” “Bill” for Will/iam, “Ted” for Ed/ward, etc.)?" The reason is… there IS no reason. Things just evolved that way. \*\* There’s some information on the origins of rhyming English nicknames in Dex’s Staff Report [What came first, Dick or “dick”?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdick.html) ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/15 "2003-03-19T10:40:26Z")
I asked a Jesús at University why he was called Chuy. He said that because there were so many boys called Jesús, they had to use a nickname to tell them apart, and the nickname they all used was Chuy. Russell ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/16 "2003-03-19T12:32:03Z")
FWIW, since you’re in Oakland, it may be the influence of KMEL/Wild 107/CMC DJ [Chuy Gomez](http://www.chuygomez.com/images/elvis_jv_biglou_chuy.jpg) (middle), who bears a slight resemblance to Jesus Christ. I know he’s referred to himself as “the guy who looks like Jesus Christ” on-air. ---
**Author:** ![brainfizz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/da6949/32.png) [@brainfizz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainfizz)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/17 "2003-03-19T12:59:56Z")
I thought Chuy was short was Chubacca? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/18 "2003-03-19T13:52:09Z")
how do you pronounce Chuy? sorry, my spanish is not so hot. ---
**Author:** ![OxyMoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9a140/32.png) [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/19 "2003-03-19T14:35:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JRDelirious \* > \*\*Oh, and Enrique (Henry) becomes “Quique” (pron: Kee-KEH), which at some point between 1960 and 1990 suffered a written metamorphosis to (I’m not making this up) “Kike” (still pron. Kee-KEH) \*\* Not just Enrique. When I read this post, I was immediately reminded of retired 16-term Texas congressman [Eligio “Kika” de la Garza, II](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=D000203). ---
**Author:** ![RussellM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed8c4c/32.png) [@RussellM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RussellM)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385/20 "2003-03-19T15:36:50Z")
**irishgirl** It’s pronounced like chewey [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-chuy-the-nickname-for-jesus/162385.md?page=2)