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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Do you ever wonder where some name shortenings came from?

35 replies

Nnickname · 07/03/2024 15:46

Probably is obvious or well known and I’ll expose myself as an idiot, but take Bill for William. Why? It’s not Billiam. Same as Nellie for Ellen and the much loved on here Kit for Christopher.

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PawsisShady · 07/03/2024 17:57

My Nan was Margaret, known as Ann
Hospital said she wasn't responding, I pointed out they were using the wrong name BlushGrin

ShowOfHands · 07/03/2024 17:50

My Aunt Peg was a Margaret as it went from Margaret to Maggie, to Meggy, to Peggy.

It's just how it happens. My son is Raphael and he's called all sorts, including Roodles because he was Raph and then Raffles, then RifRaf, then Riffles, then Raphadoodles and so on

ShowOfHands · 07/03/2024 17:48

MrsSamR · 07/03/2024 17:44

I've always been confused by Jack as a nickname for John - it's just a different name and the same length?!

"name Jack is a derivative of John, which originated in medieval England. The name went from John to Johnkin to Jankin to Jackin to, you guessed it, Jack"

MrsSamR · 07/03/2024 17:44

I've always been confused by Jack as a nickname for John - it's just a different name and the same length?!

PickledScrump · 07/03/2024 17:19

@piglet81 that is what google says yes. But it’s still a weird leap.

piglet81 · 07/03/2024 17:16

PickledScrump · 07/03/2024 17:14

Daisy being short for margaret is always the weirdest

Think that’s from the association with the French ‘marguerite’ which is a type of daisy

PickledScrump · 07/03/2024 17:14

Daisy being short for margaret is always the weirdest

QwestSprout · 07/03/2024 15:52

It was very common in the Middle Ages to create rhyming names. William shortens to Will but then it got rhymed to Bill, similarly Rick and Dick for Richard.
Peggy is a rhyme for Meggy which is just a diminutive of Margaret.

piglet81 · 07/03/2024 15:51

In the olden days there were fewer names in use so more nicknames were needed to help distinguish people, so you got lots of rhyming nicknames like Will -> Bill and Richard -> Rick -> Dick.

Nellie and Ned sometimes came about as corruptions of ‘mine Ellie’ and ‘mine Ed’

Saschka · 07/03/2024 15:49

And Peggy for Margaret!

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