Nicknames By Linda Stowe
Nicknames. Some of us have them, most of us don’t. Why is that? What determines who gets a nickname? There are many reasons people get nicknames.
Some nicknames come about through family or group affiliation. The kid named after his father will likely be called Junior or something else to be clear as to which one was meant. I went to school with a guy who carried the name Scooter through an illustrious professional and academic career because he had been named Charles, the same name as a relative.
That same holds true in certain social groups where there is more than one person with the same name. Bars are a good example. Patrons often get nicknames because there are others with the same name. A bar I frequented had three regulars named Bill, so they were given names distinctive to them: Whirlpool Bill (he worked at Whirlpool), Beavercreek Bill who was from Beavercreek, and Zipper. I never got the final story behind the name Zipper. The bar also had two guys named Larry, one short and the other tall. They were given the monikers Little Larry and Lanky Larry.
Identity is another way people pick up nicknames. Names like Sarge, Sparky, and Ace are common nicknames. And then there are the mean-spirited names used by bullies. Fatso, Crooked Hillary and Sleepy Joe come to mind.
At one time I was convinced I needed a nickname to make me stand out. Now, in hindsight, I can see that I am better off without one.
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Polly here. I’ve had a few nicknames. The big one was “Krony,” for obvious reasons. My brothers and sisters sometimes call me “Cec” (sounds like fleece) for my middle name, Cecile.
I wonder who gave the first name ever.
The truth is, I’m guessing that as long as people have been talking about each other, they’ve been giving nicknames.
Long before anyone could write names down, people needed quick, memorable ways to tell other people apart. If there were three men named “Ugh,” one became Tall Ugh, another Fast Ugh, and another Grumpy Ugh. At least, I bet that’s how it went. Nicknames were practical tools.
By the time we gotwritten records, nicknames were already everywhere. In ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs used honor-type nicknames. These spoke about titles of power or divine favor. In ancient Greece. Epithets were common. These “epithets” were descriptor words that were added to names. They were things like “swift-footed,” or “wise,” and the like. Homer loved these, by the way. Ancient Rome showed nicknames, too. There is Roman graffiti from Pompeii that shows everyday people with nicknames. Names that were mocking, or praising, or labeling others.
Then, in the early Middle Ages, those good nicknames were everywhere. As those populations grew, one name wasn’t enough. So people became John the Baker. Alice Short. William Red. Eric Strong. And on. As you probably surmised, many modern surnames began this way.
Everyone, all around the world, had nicknames for someone else. All throughout history.
Some notables in history were
Pepin the Short. You guessed it. Short.
Charles the Bald. He was actually very hairy.
Ivan the Terrible. Need I say more?
Louis the Stammerer. You can say that again.
I guess Krony wasn’t so bad in comparison.
