Well I never knew this!

[Jeanolly]

I've just had a lightbulb moment (at least I think I have!).

I never knew until about 2 minutes ago that Jimmy is a diminutive for Jeremy. I thought it was short for James. Or maybe it's for both?

Is that not Wilf?

😮

You can have more than one diminutive for names.

e.g. Christopher can be Chris, Topher or Kit
and William can be Bill(y), Will or Liam

I mean, they can call themselves Jimmy if they want. They can call themselves Michael Jackson if they want! It doesn't make Jimmy a diminutive of Jeremy.

Isn’t it Ieuan?

Oh no 😭 you’ve now broke my heart too

I had an older friend who spent her career teaching in primary schools in Glasgow. She once told me Protestant boys called William were Billy for short and Catholic boys called William were Liam for short.

I did know a boy at school known as Jimmer, real name Jeremy, but he’s the exception that proves the rule - Jimmy has always been the common diminutive for James.

As for saying Will is short for Wilfred - whoever came up with that is talking g nonsense! Wilf, of course.

Liam is the Irish for William.

Ieuan
Ioan
Ifan
Ianto
Siôn

I've forgotten the last one because I'm a bit tired tonight!

Ooo maybe

I’ve known a few Jeremys over the years. They have gone by Jer (pronounced Jair) or Jem.

Jimmy is not a common shortening of Jeremy.

Wilfreds I’ve know have been Will

but can be Wilf too

Also just to be clear... language evolves and there is no such thing as the Name Police. Some diminutives are common, others less so. There isn't a law!

Then I think that’s an example of parents choosing a diminutive to use and deciding on a vaguely related full name to give their child (wrongly). You see it all the time on the baby names board - ‘we love the nickname (it’s not a nickname, it’s a diminutive, grrr) Polly. What full name should we give her?’ Ad nauseum.

Is Evan another one or just the Anglicised spelling of Ifan?

I didn't know about William/Liam either!

I saw, or rather heard, Jimmy being used as a diminutive of Jeremy on a YouTube video - it was an American one so perhaps it's used over there.

Yes that's the one that I forgot - thank you!

Yes but OP is saying one diminutive covers 2 proper names.

The Jeremys I've known didn't use diminutives.

That's interesting because my Jimmy/Jeremy is also American!

Tell that to my uncle Liam from Kilkenny, born in the 1930s, whose full name was William.

Not in the UK. Some countries do have regulations about what you can call a baby.

The Jeremys I have know have gone by Jem, Jez and Jerry respectively.

Jezzer

That's not the same thing. Not being allowed to call your kid Super Duper Spiderman isn't the same as diminutives being applied to more than one 'proper name'. Totally different issue.