Odd nicknames that seem stranger than the original names

[MyUnderpants]

Some nicknames are just odd. Personally I can't stand Saz as a short form of Sara(h) which is short enough not to need it. But it's logical I guess. Any strange examples?

Especially as originally it was "An ickname"

My grandmother was called Hilda, but my grandfather always called her Jen.

Jenny Wren is a nickname for a wren (tiny bird) and she was petite when young, like a wren, I guess. It really suited her anyway.

I have a cousin-in-law (?) and there was a naming convention in their family based on who was the oldest in the room (e.g. they were all called Margaret because it's a family name; the oldest Margaret in the room is called Margaret; the next oldest is called Marge; and the the youngest is called Meg; and then, like an improv sketch, as people move in and out of rooms their names change). Go figure.

@SerendipityJane an eke-name, originally!

I like diminutives and nicknames in general. They're affectionate and familiar.

I think it's odd that people plan their DC's nickname when choosing their real name, though. I think they should arise naturally.

They do get called Tel.

My old relatives all did similar. Over the years it came to light that the names we called my aunts and uncles weren’t their names at all, and not even their middle names. Think Maureen but is actually Mary or Annie who is actually Sarah. It was even more bizarre that my own parents were unsupportive of me changing my name as a kid as I didn’t like it (and still don’t).

My dad calls me Bug which is totally unrelated to my real name. He’s only called me my real name once that comes to mind and it was at my wedding in his speech “you all know my daughter bug, well you know her as (name)” and then proceeded to call me bug for the whole thing. He used to tell me off and it was still always “bug I’m so disappointed I can’t even look at you!” 😭 My name doesn’t even start with B.

My grandad’s name was Curtis but people called him Lem which was short for Lemon because someone once misread his name as citrus one time and everyone thought it was funny. Literally all his old man pals called him lem or lemmy.

You can't choose your child's nickname but you can choose what diminutive you would like them to be known as. We wanted our sons to be known by informal versions of formal names, but also decided to give them a formal name on their birth certificate as we are old-fashioned like that - Thomas known as Tommy, William known as Bill etc. Actual nicknames come about in all sorts of ways, from surnames or hair colour or something that happened once in Year 10 maths.

Most of the diminutives in English seem to have ended up really different to the original name. It’s interesting, isn’t it.
Things like Charlie for Charlotte, Izzy/ Betty/ Buffy for Elisabeth, Ted/Ned for Edward, Nellie for Helen… You wouldn't guess the connection if you didn't know.

Yes I did!

My brain was mulling over "dervivative" in the post I quoted and nudged me into my own spelling mistake.

To me, a nickname doesn’t connect to a given name, but comes from something they do. My DH has friends called Sparky, Sleepy, Doris, and Peanut. All earned in childhood, they’re tolerated in their 60s.

Shaz for Sharon

DH workmate is called Karzi.
Because hes a shithouse apparently.

On a similar theme, all my mums siblings were given two names but only the second was ever used. So Francis Edward was always called Ed… I never ever heard him called Francis or Frank

I call my eldest Bug ❤️

Everyone talking about how there were less names back in the day makes sense. My Granny lived in a small village. I am certain 95% of her friends were called Mary, Margaret or Elizabeth. Not that any of the Margarets or Elizabeths went by their full name.

Or something that happened in a German lesson. A boy with the surname Window was known as Fenster forever.

Lily for Elizabeth.

My dad knew one unfortunate known as "shitter" because he had "an accident" in junior school. Who had a friend called cheesey..

My darling mil is a Lucy

She had to have an operation last year and I was amazed to find out that her real name is Ann

Was slightly confusing for us all-the nurses where calling her Ann,I was calling her Lucy and dp called her mum

She just laughed at us and answered to all 3!

I knew a Toria (Victoria) in uni that I always thought was odd instead of Vicky

I didn't doubt there was a reason, I was only commenting in response to the OP that it was odd!

Edward VII's daughter Princess Victoria was called Toria. But the Royal Family of that time did need to come up with lots of versions since they seemed to have named every other girl baby in the family Victoria.

In Swallows and Amazons, the baby (Bridget) is known as Vicky because of her resemblance to Queen Victoria. I always found that very odd.

Billy for William, like my DF