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?

The late, great Dodie Weir - rugby legend.

I've never hearf of Jez or Jezza in my life, I'm amazed at loads of folk knowing them. It must be regional.

Gerry/Ger is very well known here but for Gerard- it's the Irish influence. I have a cousin Gerry, a neighbour Gerry & my best friend's partner. I also work with 2 and went to school with another 2.

The late, great Dodie Weir - rugby legend.

I've never hearf of Jez or Jezza in my life, I'm amazed at loads of folk knowing them. It must be regional.

Gerry/Ger is very well known here but for Gerard- it's the Irish influence. I have a cousin Gerry, a neighbour Gerry & my best friend's partner. I also work with 2 and went to school with another 2.

It's funny that Jack is related to John in English, but Jaques, Giacomo, Jacob etc. are forms of James in their respective languages.

I always think of William & Liam as two different names.

If a William wants to be known as Liam-why not?

Pretty sure that Jimmy is NOT a shortening of Jeremy - usually it’s Jerry (or Jez!).

Jimmy is short for James. Based only on 50+ years of living and not one of the many Jeremy’s I’ve known going by Jimmy, and every Jim I’ve known being a James.

My late DMS mum was Ellen and called nellie.my late mum gave me a name you can't shorten, I have for my dks. Her name wasn't shortened either, not possible. The Jeremys I know are called Jeremy, James is James, not Jimmy.
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I thought Jerry was short for Jeremy.

Well if William goes by Liam, it is for sure a diminutive (as a diminutive is a shorter name made from the sounds in a longer name). You can’t call it a nickname, because it is clearly routed in the word William.

It might be an Irish name of its own right, but sources here have said it’s derived from Uilliam which seems to be directly linked with the name William, so it feels a stretch to say it’s not a diminutive.

What else would you say Liam is when being used by someone called William?

Thank you for ruining my day.

Liam actually comes from Uilliam which is the Irish form of William. Uilliam is rarely used (though I do know one) so Liam has become the more usual Irish form, but it is a diminutive, strictly speaking. Of Uilliam, not William. The end of Uilliam (ill-lee-am) sounds like Liam, the end of William doesn’t (well, not in my accent at least).
Luam is often used as a name in it’s own right too these days, but it started out as a diminutive.

What! But my nursery rhyme book had a picture of him, in a checked waistcoat, with a little shopping basket over his arm. Not a pork chop in sight, so I don’t think you need to worry.

Shakespeare invented the name Jessica for a character in the Merchant of Venice. Does anyone know how it got so popular in the the US in the 1980s? It always seems so random.

Shug/Shuggy is a diminutive for Hugh here in Scotland. I had a friend years ago called Hugh who was very posh, and we all called him Shuggy - it really suited him!

In Ireland you’d say it’s the Irish form of the name. Liam is a diminutive of Uilliam, which is the Irish form of William.

As has been said upthread lots of Irish people (especially in the past) had an English form on the birth cert but used the Irish language version of the name day to day.

Is Shug pronounced to rhyme with hug?

“His father calls him William
his mother calls him Will
his sisters call him Willy
but the boys all call him Bill …”

Yeah, I was a bit when a relative (called John) named his sons John and Jack.

Yes. My neighbour calls her sons Charles and Hugh but their friends call them Chick and Shug.

I have only ever heard Jimmy for James and Jerry for Jeremy.
Also any Liam I have know was just Liam and any William has been Will or Bill

I only very recently realised that my aunt Zibby's full first name was Elizabeth.

Libby is often used for Elizabeth, but I never heard of Zibby before!

Jimmy has always been a diminutive to James, not Jeremy. (I'm 77 btw!)

I think I've ruined a lot of people's day

You have.
My image of little piggy skipping down the road to go shopping, absolutely obliterated...thanks for nothing😁

Not sure about that (at least as a rule). The great Celtic captain was called Billy.

If there is truth to what she says I'd understand why though (king Billy, battle of the boyne).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_McNeill