Upper/Upper-Middle Class Nicknames

Who thinks of class nowadays?

certainly the ones on this thread questioning the OPs use of upper working class!

My nickname is Hetty, because my middle name is Henrietta. Most people I meet now have no clue what my real name is!

I agree that some of the "where do they come from?" nicknames can be straightforward diminutives. I too have come across a Minty / Araminta, Fliss is short for Felicity (say it quickly), Tori comes from Victoria - had both the latter in my moderately ordinary Australian primary :) I think there are both class and cultural differences in nickname choices but their presence is fairly universal. And I say that as one who hardly ever shortens my own children's names (longish but both have at least couple of common diminutives to choose from. I was reminded of a less common version of one of them and might have used it but the child in question was already too old to like it!)

If home is a place that dislikes NOTIONS, you must be from Ireland

Notions would be calling the person who gave birth to you "Mummy" rather than Mam, Ma, Mammy, or Mom.

I once worked with a vair posh bloke who was always referred to as Borlase, despite that not being related to either his first or second name. His wife we all called Chummy - never did find out her real name!

YABU. Who thinks of class nowadays? 😆 But mainly, all the people I know with nicknames that aren’t abbreviations of their actually names come from a wide variety of backgrounds. There are loads of names like this. People usually get them at school. Some stick and some don’t.

You seem to think they’re affectations but there’s no reason why Bunty is any more an affectation than Dodge. Genuine nicknames that have stuck naturally over the years are fine, whether they’re ‘posh’ or not.

🤔 I wondered too

I was going to say this, although I think the usual spelling is Tirzah.

My father and his cousins (very rural working class) renamed themselves as children, and this has continued into their 60/70s. My mother was under the impression for some time that my dad had two brothers, as he used the names interchangeably. I do find it a bit amusing that there is a famous eventer who chooses to compete under her nickname - Piggy French. But honestly, I thought most people had nicknames, across the class divides?

I am working class and nicknames (some similar to your description) are very common amongst men where I grew up. Particularly older men. Not sure it’s strictly just for the middle/upper classes. In fact, my brother doesn’t call any of his work colleagues by their actual names, they’ve all got nicknames. It’s stupid, personally 😂

Ah yes indeed, I was there in the early noughties, same....

I always thought it was a boarding school thing- the poor affection starved kids will do anything to create a bond with their peers (lighthearted).

But I absolutely find it cringe when colleagues or acquaintances expect you to use a nickname- fair enough if you’re mates but being asked to call someone twinky in a meeting is not on. Or at least give a choice- my name is Hortencia but you can call me Biffy if you want.

I shared a school bus with the boys’ grammar, and all the boys had nicknames they called each other by. Personally I think it was to do with the fact that at that time they were called by their surnames at school by the teachers and each other at first, and as they got to know each other using their first names seemed too intimate to them but using surnames too formal. I don’t think they did that consciously I just think that’s why they did it. So they were called things like Blue, Windy, Shark, Toad.

My favourite nickname ever which I saw on Twitter was the guy known as Manbat because his name was Wayne Bruce.

I know a Jonathan who is called Jonny, he is actually very posh, I also know a Lettie and Pips.

This makes me think of the Aussie cricketer Nathan Lyon, who his teammates call Gazza. There was an Australian rules footy player called Gary Lyon which is where Nathan was swapped for Gary and of course Gary = Gazza.

But I agree, OP, the nicknames of posh English people are very odd. JK Rowling describes them well in the Strike novel, Lethal White.

I know a Boo. She is quite posh.

My Dad had five brothers, he and four of his brothers, all working class, had nicknames. When asked why his oldest brother didn't have a nickname my Dad told me it was Currant Bun (number one). He was pulling my leg about that one.

Nicknames (as in unrelated names) plus shortenings (from first name or surname) whether wanted or not, are really really common in the military

So I think it goes across all classes. And one person can of course have various names from (or for) different parts of their lives. Not for nefarious reasons, just changing habits

Of course, nicknames for nefarious reasons are also common. And not just Raffles

Best one I've ever heard was Tory Meal Deal because the poor lad got sushi and a sparkling water for his lunch one time instead of a sandwich and some crisps. 10 years later and he still goes by TMD, half the people who use it don't even know why.

🤣🤣

Aren't nicknames, by thier very nature, usually unrelated to the actual name?

Otherwise you're looking at a diminutive.

We were in a posh town recently and a woman walked past talking about picking Cheska, Kitty and Binks up from summer camp. Never felt so working class in my life.

My DH is "big Steve", his mate Steve is "little Steve", there's another Steve called "noodles" as he brought some noodles on their first night out at uni. He also knows a guy called "Stoke" because he's from Stoke, no idea what his actual name is.

Yes, nicknames are very upper class. When I was at Uni I knew people called Jay-Z, Dr Dre, Biggie, Chuck D and Ghost Face Killah. And that was just the hockey team.

My Mum was pretty poor growing up and she still speaks about ‘Birdie’ and ‘Scotty’.

Jonty is fairly standard for Jonathan for sure.

And don't worry, I don't think a 15 month old nickname counts! 😂

I’ve never heard that one. Two acquaintances, one a teen, and a relative called Jonathan. One is Jonny, one Jon, and the youngest gets his full name.