# Why is "Dick" short for "Richard"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 6, 2002, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615 "2002-07-06T10:59:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![The\_Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2002, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615/21 "2002-07-14T16:17:58Z")

</div>

Shuggy for Hugh

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2002, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615/22 "2002-07-14T18:12:51Z")

</div>

I agree “Dick” is a weird nickname. And, the “evolution” from Rich to Dick, or even Margaret to Peggy, is about as logical as the statement “Yeah, and if a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass a’hopping!” I mean, what’s the point? You keep changing letters, and you can make any name evolve into another!

I think it all started with Richard Nixon 😉 Yes, I’m sure we are justified to blame Tricky Dicky!!! …even before Watergate. It’s comforting to know Americans elected the right-hand man of Joe McCarthy! I mean, what else did Americans expect to happen?

You gave “Richard” a bad name!

- Jinx

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615/23 "2002-07-14T18:14:41Z")

</div>

> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by The Gaspode \*  
> \*\*But how DO we go from John to Jack. Hank is a nickname for Henry. But Jack is a name in its own right.  
> \*\*

Are you sure on this? I don’t know anyone who goes by “Jack”, but I was under the impression that it was pretty much always an “alternate” name for “John” – though I’m sure there are certainly some with “Jack” on their birth certificates, just as there are some with “Dick”, “Marty”, and “Bob” on their birth certificates.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [July 14, 2002, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615/24 "2002-07-14T20:03:15Z")

</div>

I always thought the strangest was Sasha for Alexander. I know it comes from Russian, but have no idea how.

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-dick-short-for-richard/117615.md?page=1)