Well, “ch” seems to work its way into a lot of Spanish nicknames, and not just at the beginning. Ignacio often becomes “Nacho,” Pablo often becomes “Pancho,” etc. Then there are all-purpose nicknames like “Chico.”
If Peggy can be short for Margret without anyone complaining, I don’t see the problem.
I have heard that this peculiar nickname is derived from padre putativo (p.p., pronounced “pay-pay”), referring to the fact that Joseph (José) was the putative (alleged) father of Jesus.
My favorite Spanish nickname is “Lalo” for Eduardo.
Does anyone know tha standard nickname for “Jaime” (Spanish for James, pronounced "HY-meh)? That is my name is Spanish - and what the Mexican side of my family calls me. I have never heard a snappy apodo for “Jaime” in Mexican Spanish. Once a Puerto Rican started calling me “Mito” - which either is from “(Jai)mito” - or he was saying I am a compulsive liar.
'tis a recurrent subject, this matter of name-shortening and how we end up with things like “Peggy” for “Margaret” and so forth.
I stick to my main thesis: it’s baby talk. “Jesus” becomes “Zooey” becomes “Chooey” the same way “Margaret” gives way to “Maggie” and then “Peggy”. Little kids find certain sounds harder to make than others, and shorter words easier, of course, than longer ones. I know “M” and “R” are difficult (and therefore “P” and “D”, respectively, are often substituted). I would imagine the Spanish “J” sound (guttural “H”) doesn’t come easy either.
The fancy name for these pet names or name of endearment is hypocorism. In Spanish they are very common and as El Mariachi Loco points out, are mostly the result of baby talk or mispronunciation.
For those who speak or read Spanish here is a great site:De Alfonso a Poncho
Names like:
Jesús = Chuy
Salvador = Chava
Vicente = Chente
usually have an /s/ sounding consonant followed by a vowel. The /s/ is changed to /ch/.
And then you have :
Francisco = Pancho
Josefina = Chepina
Alfonso = Poncho
Where also the /f/ is changed to /p/.
There are many others that can be included in the baby talk form:
Antoñio 0 Toño
Dolores = Lola (¡mi santa suegra!)
Eduardo = Lalo
Then there are others where the name is shortened at the end. (apocope).
Rafael = Rafa
Gilberto= Gil_
Teresa= Tere
Others drop the them at the beginning (apheresis):
Ernestina= Tina
Guadalupe = Lupe
And some can do either:
Guillermina = Guille or Mina
Fernando = Fer or Nando
On top of all of this diminutive suffixes can be added to the already abbreviated forms:
Pancho = Panchito
Lupe = Lupito
Lalo = Lalito
Attaching the diminutive -ito to the normal form of the name isn’t found.
Interesting article. Francisco can also be Paco.
I thought Chuy’s was the bar where the Bush girls got busted. 
I’ve heard some Jaime’s in Mexico call themselves (and be called) “Jimmy” – granted I don’t know how to spell that in Spanish; maybe “Gimi”? My father-in-law calls me Jimmy, but, well, I’m James or Jim anyway, but I certainly never, ever mentioned that I go by “Jimmy” to him, so it seems to have a certain acceptance in Mexican Spanish (central Mexico, not border-town Spanglish).
The name Chuy for Jesus is a derivative of the Hebrew name Yahshua, Yehoshua, Y’shua, Yeshua, Iesous, Iesus Or Jesus.
The common name or shortened name for the name Jesus is “Shua”.
Which is where the name Chuy originates and is derived from.
Yeshua - “Shua”
Jesus - “Chuy”
Chombie?
Makes sense. Do you have a link that will back that up? Or other citation?
The one I’ve never understood is “Cuca” for Refugio. Any ideas for that one?
There’s a teenaged Hispanic girl (probably 3rd- or 4th-generation Mexican-American) who works at a local fast food restaurant I frequent, and her name tag says “Yeimmy”. I finally asked her how it’s pronounced and she said “Jamie” (as “JAY-mee”, not “HY-mee”). I’ll take her word for it, of course, but it struck me as odd. I’m familiar with the Spanish “J” being pronounced like an English “Y” in certain words, but I’d never heard the reverse.
Anyway, thanks to the OP - I used to be acquainted* with an older Mexican man named “Chuy”, but until now I had no idea how it was spelled or that it was a nickname for Jesus. The other Jesus’s I’ve known all went by “Jesus”.
- By “acquainted” I mean he was a regular customer of a bar I used to frequent. I only knew his name because it’s what the bartender called him. I don’t think he spoke any English, because he never said a word. You’d say “hello” and he would smile, nod, and lift his mug to you.
Spelled, of course, Chubaxa
It’s very common for firstnames copied from English, such as that “Yéimi”. For a short time we got tons of Jennifers (pronounced “yenifér” more often than “yénifer”); now they directly spell it Yenifer.
It’s not “Cuca for Refugio”; it’s a Refugio who happens to be called Cuca. Cuca means “cute one” and it’s one of those multipurpose nicks which hold no relationship to their bearer’s nicknames - like Chico, Nena or Chiqui.
Thanks–I guess it’s just a coincidence that the two people I’ve know named Refugio were also nicknamed Cuca!
Zombie Jesus rising from the dead after eight years: It’s taking longer than we thought.
I know three Cucas: a María Jesús, a Camino and a Candelaria. Well, OK: María Jesús, María del Camino and María Candelaria, according to their IDs…
I worked with a Jesús Baca. He hated Chuy for some reason.