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!!

Uh, no, it’s when your family are very highly skilled tradespeople, the sort of trades that require years of apprenticeship training (and are often in high value engineering sectors).

Is upper working class a regional thing? Because I knew immediately what the OP meant.

Our girls use nicknames by choice (adults) not a private school things either. They do relate sort of to names. I suppose we are upper middle class if that matters?

Just sounds pretentious.

I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to 😂😂😂

I don't even know where to start so I'm just going to 😂😂😂

I currently live on a council estate and I can think of one person on my street who has a nickname that’s nothing to do with his name.

🤣

These feel tame now but I know a Bunny. I think it stems from growing up around security and indulgence, and from spending time interconnected in the same elite circles. For example, the ZeeZee (Rosie) mentioned upthread sounds like a baby name. It takes a certain kind of environment for someone to keep their baby name throughout adulthood, one where lots of the adults that they meet probably already met them as a child.

Steady on

Aw, bless. Did you not realise the funny working class people might be proud of what they do and how hard it is to learn their job? Did you think planes just appear on the tarmac all ready to fly? Or the power stations just keep going by themselves?

It’s quite sweet, really.

You forgot Bitsy

This!

Ha I find nicknames stick with aristocracy and working class. If you're in the middle you get a big house, high mortgage and a nice pair of gucci sliders ;)

I've got a nearly 60 yo auntie nn bunny- not posh at all and I only very recently discovered it was given in childhood because she was very chubby!!

You're assuming a lot 🤣🤣🤣 It's interesting you don't include the obvious builders in there. Do you think houses just grow out of the ground?

There's no such thing as upper working class. Just people who don't won't to be working or middle. Very 'proud' people.

I know a Bunny, Bunty, Tiggy, Twiggy, Ems, Fi, Johnty, PJ, MJ, JJ, Fen, Hal, Crusty, Zig, Nettie, Rolo and all my DH's friends who are known by their surnames never Christian names except when double barrel, then it is by initials such as RKS or if two siblings one is known as SJ senior and the other as SJ minor or lesser. Weird but nobody bats an eyelid. Any name over 6 letters seems to be altered/shortened almost from prep school and sticks.

I personally hate double barrel first names such as Chardonnay-Rose, Stella-Mae, Emmie-Lou, Billy-Jo etc.

My friend, a reception teacher, dreads these names as claims the double barrel ones are naughtier in class..she has no idea why.

We had a Piggy at my school

Professional 40 something women known as “Tiggy” or “posy” utter cringe.

I knew a (male) Bunny at college, who drank so much he died.

Sometimes you never really knew people's real names.

Is there really an upper and lower working class?
I thought they were just lower class.

You sound such fun 💖💖💖

I work with the military and the nicknames are brilliant. Some really funny ones in the lower ranks,and the usual posh ones for the officers.

My dad had a small skinny friend called Fatso by everyone. Even ended up on his funeral notice, e.g. “The death has occurred of Patrick(Fatso) O’Hara”. Most definitely not upper class.

Titsa Kimbo?

aren't middle/upper class people more likely (historically) to have nicknames because they spend more time together when they are younger - ie boarding school and then in later years, uni - and people are more likely to give each other nicknames when they are younger. And they spend more time together socially at those ages, so they stick.

bit different these days now that uni is a bit more more widely spread but i think that's part of it