Upper/Upper-Middle Class Nicknames

[Slickly]

I grew up upper-working/lower-middle class, state educated, but we moved in Y5 and I went to a good grammar. I've spent the last 20 years in Australia. My DH is upper-working class, a lot of his uni friends went to prestigious public schools. We have just moved back and have seen a lot of DHs old friends. What is with the nicknames that have nothing to do with actual names, talking of names like Minky, Binky, Bunty, Berrie, Minty, Nixxy etc.
I met a grown woman who introduced herself as something similar to these, others were used on children/teens.
AIBU to think these are so cringeworthy? Why do they do this? Do you call yourself by a random unrelated nickname?
I know some small children who might go by a sweet nickname, but not teens or adults, I find it so odd!!

also I think people get attached to their nicknames. I have a foreign name that everyone butchers anyway and the only people who use my full first name and pronounce it the way its supposed to be are my mother and husband...and ONLY when it's one of them "oooh shit, i've messed up" situations 🤣

My sister's ex's father was an officer in the RAF, and we were told that his nickname was 'no nickname' surname.

Nor can I

I remember Chick who was male and Wig and Pop female

My sister has been called Dolly by us from almost the moment she was born (she’s early 20s). It’s nothing to do with her given name and I don’t actually know where it came from but I have never called her by her given name and it would feel very odd to do so.

We aren’t posh though and she used her given name at school/now work. However when I hear someone say her given name I don’t recognise that they are talking to her.

My husband found it very odd when he found out Dolly wasn’t her real name after knowing her for over a year because we met her new boyfriend who called her by her given name.

It is weird but i think there’s rarely an explanation, these things just stick and that person becomes their nick name to you.

Posh nicknames tend to be the Bunty type, think Jack Whitehall's friends in Bad Education too.

But lots of people have nicknames. Usually stem from something they did once and it stuck. There was a lad at school whose nickname was the brand of a certain food he once said he liked. At work someone once mentioned a hobby and that became their nickname. Think Inbetweeners and Will being called "Briefcase" because he brought a Briefcase to school.

Greg Davis does a great bit on them in one of his live shows

Not sure why this has tickled me so much, but I love TMD!

I also agree with others that nicknames aren't class related at all. Plenty of working class (I'm not getting into the ridiculousness of upper working class etc) people are known by nicknames. I my circle I've got MC and WC friends and most of them are known by nicknames and I'd really have to think what their actual names were! I got chatting to another woman at a resent BBQ and she said she was the new girlfriend of Simon, I had no idea who she was talking about until he joined us as we've known him as Tibbs for about 20 years!

We have a RaRa as well! When my 3yr old was learning to talk he couldn't pronounce his older sisters name (not Rosie but is a R name) and RaRa has stuck

Maybe we have been poshified as well 😂

Ra ra Rasputin 😀

Absolutely this ! Who on earth refers to themselves by class these days, I wouldn’t even know what “class” I belonged in 🤷‍♀️🤣

I know a Bonk and a Piggy.

I know a Bumble, Badger and Slippers! And lots of initials. Facebook posts aren't Happy Birthday 'Julia Fitzroy' but HBJF. Which I can't stand.

Best Nick name I ever heard of… A short man called Tony, known as ‘Shetland Tony’.

I don’t across people who are so navel gazing about their and their husband’s class.

You sound lovely. 😍

I have nothing really to add to the thread because I think these nicknames are brilliant and I love it when I meet posh people with them but I cannot BEAR the name Jonty. It gives me a queasy feeling (not helped by the horrendous attempted murder in the Tate Modern a few years ago). Horrible.

Could be worse-at Uni we had a Ripper, his girlfriend was known as Sonia (after Sutcliffe) for a while until she reverted to Bulldozer. I was Michael Ryan (neither of which are close to my actual name)

That's so funny.

Where I live in the USA - new england - has a lot of the Biffy/Bunty nicknames in the older WASP set.

I think that's cute. I sometimes call my daughters Dolly or Dolly-bird, but it's just a term of endearment like Sweetie or Darling.

Also, you're story reminds me of someone I know called Charlie. Knew him for over 10 years and never gave his name much thought, assumed his given name was Charles.

It's Alastair 🤷

I also knew someone called Sparky who's real name was John. Neither were particularly posh or anything.

Working class and doesn't want to be, or middle class and thinks it gives her some kind of edge?

I've noticed todays little girls have more 'girly' nick names than my generation (mid 30s) - Girls at school were called Charlie, Izzy, and Alex etc. (Charlotte, Isabelle, Alexandra) nowadays toddlers seem to all be (Lottie, Bella, Lexie).

I prefer my generations nick names.

I was at uni with a posh girl Binks, real name Victoria. Sickening.

Not in direct answer to your question but my 6 year old son is called Grayson. He’s known by absolutely everyone as Grace and it’ll be Grace for the near future at least. Some people do a double take when they first hear it. I’m unsure what class we’d put ourselves in, we’re not very posh though :)

It has always been like this. I went to school with girls called Bunny (have totally forgotten her real name), Minty (Araminta), Charlie (Charlotte) and Timmy (Timandra).

Also what is this “upper working class” malarkey?

I think that’s even worse than the Tory I knew.