Editing Nickname

{{Short description|Informal name of a person, place, or thing}}
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A '''nickname''', in some circumstances also known as a '''sobriquet,''' or informally a "'''moniker'''", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia = Britannica|url = https://www.britannica.com/topic/nickname|title = Nickname|first = Daniel|last = Costa|date = September 6, 2022}}</ref> used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait. It is distinct from a [[pseudonym]], [[stage name]], or [[title]], although the concepts can overlap.

== Etymology ==
The compound word ''ekename'', meaning "additional name", was attested as early as 1303.<ref>{{citation |title=eke-name, n. |work= OED Online |date=June 2017 |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/60061 |access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> This word was derived from the [[Old English]] word ''eac'', meaning "also",<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nickname#learn-more |title=nickname |work=Merriam Webster Online| access-date= 2020-06-05 }}</ref> related to ''eacian'', meaning "to increase".<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=nickname |access-date= 2007-08-31 | title = nickname |work=Online Etymology Dictionary}}</ref> By the 15th century, the [[rebracketing|misdivision of the syllables]] of the phrase "an ekename" led to its rephrasing as "a nekename".<ref>{{cite web |title=nickname |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/nickname |website=Dictionary.com |access-date=10 June 2020 |language=en}}</ref> <!--Unsure what this reference is for.  misplaced?  incorrect?  perhaps look at history tab --> <!-- |date=July 2006 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages= 1, 4–9, 2 |issn= 1931-9592 | pmid = 16922251 |journal=Profiles in healthcare communications}}</ref> --> Though the spelling has changed, the meaning of the word has remained relatively stable ever since.

== Various language conventions ==
English nicknames are generally represented in quotes between the bearer's first and last names (e.g., ''[[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower]]'' and ''[[Bubba Franks|Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks]]''). It is also common for the nickname to be identified after a comma following the full real name or later in the body of the text, such as in an obituary (e.g., ''[[Frankie Frisch|Frankie Frisch, "The Fordham Flash"]]''). Any middle name is generally omitted, especially in speech. Like English, German uses (German-style) quotation marks between the first and last names (e.g., ''[[Niki Lauda|Andreas Nikolaus „Niki“ Lauda]]''). Other languages may use other conventions; for example, Italian writes the nickname after the full name followed by ''detto'' "called" (e.g., ''[[Salvatore Schillaci|Salvatore Schillaci detto Totò]]''), in Spanish the nickname is written in formal contexts at the end in quotes following ''alias'' (e.g. ''Alfonso Tostado, alias «el Abulense»''), in Portuguese the nickname is written after the full name followed by ''vulgo'' or between parenthesis (e.g. [[Pelé|Edson Arantes do Nascimento, vulgo Pelé]] / Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé)) and Slovenian represents nicknames after a dash or hyphen (e.g., ''[[Franc Rozman – Stane]]''). The latter may confuse because it resembles an English convention sometimes used for [[married and maiden names]].

== Various societal uses ==
In [[Viking]] societies, many people had ''heiti'', ''viðrnefni'', or ''kenningarnöfn'' (Old Norse terms for nicknames)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LLJPAQAAMAAJ&q=heiti,+vi%C3%B0rnefni,+or+kenningarn%C3%B6fn+(|title = Icelandic Nicknames|last1 = Willson|first1 = Kendra Jean|year = 2007|publisher = University of California, Berkeley}}</ref> which were used in addition to, or instead of, the first name. In some circumstances, the giving of a nickname had a special status in Viking society in that it created a relationship between the name maker and the recipient of the nickname, to the extent that the creation of a nickname also often entailed a formal [[ceremony]] and an [[gift exchange|exchange of gifts]] known in Old Norse as ''nafnfestr'' ('fastening a name'). Nicknames are widely attested in [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon England]], and similar social models have been applied to these names.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alphey |first1=Tristan. K. |title=Nicknames in Early Medieval England: A Socio-onomastic Study of Agnomina Before the Twelfth Century |date=2025 |publisher=PhD Thesis |location=Oxford}}</ref>

In [[Bengalis|Bengali]] society, for example, people will often have two names: a [[Bengali name|''daknam'']] (pet name) which is the name used by family and friends and a ''bhalonam'' which is their formal name.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Lahiri|first=Jhumpa|date=2003-06-09|title="Gogol"|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/06/16/gogol|access-date=2021-12-24|magazine=The New Yorker|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Singh|first=Amardeep|date=2007|title="Names Can Wait": the Misnaming of the South Asian Diaspora in Theory and Practice|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02759527.2007.11932500|journal=South Asian Review|language=en|volume=28|issue=1|pages=21–36|doi=10.1080/02759527.2007.11932500|s2cid=166091604|issn=0275-9527|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In England, some surnames have nicknames traditionally attached. A man with the surname 'Clark' will be nicknamed 'Nobby'; the surname 'Miller' will have the nickname 'Dusty' (alluding to the flour dust of a miller at work); the surname 'Adams' has the nickname 'Nabby'. Several other nicknames are linked traditionally with surnames, including Chalky White, Bunny Warren, Tug Wilson, and Spud Baker. Other English nicknames allude to a person's origins. A Scotsman may be nicknamed 'Jock', an Irishman 'Paddy' (alluding to Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland), or 'Mick' (alluding{{clarify|date=June 2023}} to the preponderance of Roman Catholicism in Ireland), and a Welshman may be nicknamed 'Taffy' (from Welsh ''[[Dafydd]]'', David). Some nicknames referred ironically to a person's physical characteristics, such as 'Lofty' for a short person, 'Curly' for a bald man, or 'Bluey' for a redhead.

In Chinese culture, nicknames are frequently used within a community among relatives, friends, and neighbors. A typical southern Chinese nickname often begins with a "阿" followed by another character, usually the last character of the person's given name.<ref>{{cite book|last=Liwei|first=Jiao|title=A Cultural Dictionary of The Chinese Language: 500 Proverbs, Idioms and Maxims|date=12 November 2019|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781000713022|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kb29DwAAQBAJ&q=southern+Chinese+nickname+with+a+%22%E9%98%BF&pg=PT157}}</ref> For example, Taiwanese politician [[Chen Shui-bian]] (陳水扁) is sometimes referred as "阿扁" (A-Bian). In many Chinese communities of Southeast Asia, nicknames may also connote one's occupation or status. For example, the landlord might be known simply as ''[[:wiki: Towkay|Towkay]]'' ({{zh|t=頭家|s=头家|poj=thâu-ke}}), [[Hokkien]] for "boss") to his tenants or workers, while a bread seller would be called "Mianbao Shu" 面包叔 (literally, Uncle Bread).

== Computing ==
{{See also|User (computing)}}

In the context of information technology, ''nickname'' is a common synonym for the ''screen name'' or ''handle'' of a [[User (computing)|user]]. In [[Computer network programming|computer networks]] it has become a common practice for every person to also have one or more nicknames for [[pseudonymity]], to avoid [[ambiguity]], or simply because the natural name or technical [[IP address|address]] would be too long to type or take too much space on the [[Computer display|screen]].

In the [[IRC | IRC (Internet Relay Chat)]] text-based messaging system first developed in the late 1980s, a nickname (or "nick") was required for every client that connected to an IRC server.<ref>{{cite IETF| rfc = 1459|title=Internet Relay Chat Protocol| sectionname = Clients| section = 1.2| page = 5| idanchor = ietf}}</ref>

== People ==
[[Image:Carter-inauguration-large.jpg|thumb|right|287px|"I, Jimmy Carter...": [[Jimmy Carter|James Earl Carter]] is sworn in as President of the United States using his nickname "Jimmy" in January 1977.]]

Nicknames are usually applied to a person and they are not always chosen by the recipient themselves. Some nicknames are derogatory [[name calling|name calls]].

=== Abbreviation or modification ===
A nickname can be a [[abbreviation|shortened]] or a modified variation on a person's real name.
* [[Contraction (grammar)|Contraction]]s of longer names: Margaret to [[Greta (given name)|Greta]].
* [[Initials]]: using the first letters of a person's first, middle and/or last name, e.g. "DJ" for Daniel James.
* Dropping letters: with many nicknames, one or more letters, often R, are dropped: [[Fanny (given name)|Fanny]] from Frances, [[Walt]] from Walter.
* Phonetic spelling: sometimes a nickname is created through the phonetic spelling of a name: Len from Leonard.
* Letter swapping: during the [[Middle Ages]], the letter R would often be swapped for either L or D: [[Hal (given name)|Hal]] from Harry (which in turn comes from Henry); [[Molly (name)|Molly]] from Mary; [[Sadie (disambiguation)|Sadie]]<!--please leave the link to dab to show examples--> from Sarah; Hob, Dob, Rob, Bob, and Nob from [[Robert]]; Rick, Dick, and Hick from [[Richard]]; Bill from [[William (name)|Will]] (which in turn comes from William); and Peg and Meg from Margaret. In the 19th-century frontier United States, Mary and Molly were often given the nickname [[Polly]].

=== Name portions ===
* Front of a name. Sometimes a nickname can come from the beginning of a given name: [[Al (given name)|Al]] from Alan/Allan/Albert/Alfonse/Alfred/Alden/Alexander, [[Art]] from Arthur, [[Chris]] from Christopher/Christina; Dot from Dorothy, [[Ed (given name)|Ed]] from Edward, Edmond, Edgar or Edwin, Iz or Izzy from Isaac, Isaiah, Isidore, Isabel, or Isabella; [[Joe (disambiguation)|Joe]] or Jo from Joseph, Josephine, or Joanna.
* End of name: Drew from Andrew; Xander from Alexander; Enzo or Renzo from Lorenzo; Beth from Elizabeth; Bel, Bell, Bella or Belle from Isabelle/Isabella.
* Middle of name: Liz from Elizabeth; Tori from Victoria; Del or Della from Adelaide.
* Addition of diminutives: before the 17th century, most nicknames in English had the diminutive ending ''-in'' or ''-kin'', where the ending was attached to the first syllable: thus Walter → Wat → Watkin, Robert → Rob → Hob → Hobkin, Thomas → Tom → Tomkin. While most of these have died away, a few remain, such as Robert → Rob → [[Robin (name)|Robin]], [[Henry (given name)|Henry]] → Henkin → Hank, John → Jankin → [[Jack (disambiguation)|Jack]], and Nicolas → [[Colin (given name)|Colin]].
* Many nicknames drop the final one or two letters and add either ie/ee/y as a diminutive ending: Penny from Penelope, Edie from Edith, Davy from David, Charlie from Charles, Mikey from Michael, Jimmy from James, and Marty from Martin.
* [[Acronym and initialism|Initialization]], which forms a nickname from a person's initials: [[A. E. Housman]] from Alfred Edward Housman, or Dubya for [[George W. Bush]], a Texan pronunciation of the name of the letter 'W', President Bush's middle initial. Brazilian striker [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] was given the nickname R9 (initial and shirt number).<ref name="Official profile">{{cite news|title=Ronaldo Nazario – "O Fenômeno"|url=https://ronaldo.com/football-news/ronaldo-nazario-o-fenomeno/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Ronaldo.com|quote=Nickname: R9|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921162243/https://ronaldo.com/football-news/ronaldo-nazario-o-fenomeno/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Nicknames are sometimes based on a person's last name ("Tommo" for Bill Thompson, "Campo" for [[David Campese]]) or a combination of first and last name such as "A-Rod" for [[Alex Rodriguez]]).
* Loose ties to a person's name with an attached suffix: Gazza for English footballer [[Paul Gascoigne]] (though used more widely in Australia for [[Gary (given name)|Gary]]) and similar "zza" forms ([[Michael Heseltine|Hezza]], [[John Prescott|Prezza]], etc.) for other prominent personalities whose activities are frequently reported in the British press (see also [[Oxford "-er"]] for a similar but wider phenomenon).
* Use of the [[second name]].
* Use of the [[Suffix (name)#Generational titles|generational suffix]], like "Junior", or nicknames associated with a particular generational suffix, like [[Trey (given name)|Trey]] or [[Tripp (nickname)|Tripp]] for ''III''.
* Combination of the first and middle name, or variations of a person's first and middle name. For example, a person may have the name Mary Elizabeth but has the nickname "Maz" or "Miz" by combining Mary and Liz.
* Doubling of part of a first name. For example, forming "NatNat" from Nathan/Natasha or "JamJam" from James.

=== Relationship ===
A nickname may refer to the relationship with the person. This is a [[term of endearment]].
* In [[Japanese culture]], [[Japanese honorifics]] are designed so that a term of endearment conveys the exact status of the relationship between two people. Recipients are allowed to restrict use to a certain person.

== Geography ==
=== Placenames ===
[[File:Nicknames of the states, 1884.jpg|thumb|Nicknames of U.S. states, 1884]]
Many geographical places have titles, or alternative names, which have positive implications. [[Paris]], for example, is the "City of Light", [[Rome]] is the "Eternal City", [[Venice]] is "La Serenissima", and [[New Jersey]] is the "Garden State". These alternative names are often used to boost the status of such places, contrary to the usual role of a nickname.  Many places or communities, particularly in the US, adopt titles because they can help in establishing a civic identity, help outsiders recognize a community or attract people to a community, promote civic pride, and build community unity.<ref name=Wisconsin>{{cite web|last =Muench|first = David |date =December 1993|url = http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/economies/communityindicators/communityslogans.pdf |title =Wisconsin Community Slogans: Their Use and Local Impacts|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309175857/http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/economies/communityindicators/communityslogans.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-09 |publisher =[[University of Wisconsin|University of Wisconsin – Extension]] }}</ref> Titles and slogans that successfully create a new community "ideology or myth"<ref name=Branding/> are also believed to have economic value.<ref name=Wisconsin /> Their economic value is difficult to measure,<ref name=Wisconsin /> but there are anecdotal reports of cities that have achieved substantial economic benefits by "branding" themselves by adopting new slogans.<ref name= Branding>Andia, Alfredo (September 10, 2007) [http://www.monu.org/monu7/Branding.pdf "Branding the Generic City"] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080521163526/http://www.monu.org/monu7/Branding.pdf |date=2008-05-21 }}, MU.DOT magazine</ref>

By contrast, older [[city nickname]]s may be critical: [[London]] is still occasionally referred to as "The Smoke" in memory of its notorious "pea-souper" [[smog]]s (smoke-filled fogs) of the 19th and early 20th centuries, and [[Edinburgh]] was "Auld Reekie" for the same reason, as countless coal fires polluted its atmosphere.

=== Residents ===
Besides or replacing the [[demonym]], some places have collective nicknames for their inhabitants. Many examples of this practice are found in [[Wallonia]] and in Belgium in general, where such a nickname is referred to in French as "[[blason populaire]]".

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[Antonomasia]]
* [[Athletic nickname]]
* [[Australian national sports team nicknames]]
* [[wikt:calling name|Calling name]]
* [[Code name]]
* [[:Category:Nicknames]]
* [[Epithet]]
* [[Honorific nicknames in popular music]]
* [[Legal name]]
* [[List of baseball nicknames]]
* [[List of basketball nicknames]]
* [[List of nicknames used in cricket]]
* [[List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity]]
* [[List of monarchs by nickname]]
* [[List of nicknames of jazz musicians]]
* [[List of nicknames of United States presidents]]
* [[List of North American football nicknames]]
* [[List of sportspeople by nickname]]
* [[Lists of nicknames]]
* [[Metonymy]]
* [[Pet name]]
* [[Pseudonym]]
* [[Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces]]
* [[:Category:Regional nicknames]]
* [[Sobriquet]]
* [[Stage name]]
* [[Synecdoche]]
* [[Terms of endearment]]
* [[Victory titles]]
* [[Cliché]]
* [[Call sign]]
* [[Military call sign]]
* [[Snowclone]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Nicknames}}

{{Personal names}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Student culture]]
[[Category:Names]]
[[Category:Nicknames| ]]