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!!

Completely unrelated but what watched this episode of the office last night, @CatchYouOnTheFlippetyFlop and bawled my eyes out. Boulder are lucky to have him 🥲

So do I. I’d love to be called Bunty. (Three guesses what comic I read as a kid!)

@BetsyBobbins ah yes, Binky Felstead was one of them! 🤣🤣

I know a Totty, a Waff and a Roo.

I went to uni with these types. Firstly, they had 'supper'. Most of them had been to boarding school. But secondly they called it 'sups'. I still think of the moment now when some had got tea ready for the rest, and they shouted, "Sups! Sup's ready!" up the stairs. Wow.

I find it quite childish. I know of a posh woman with the nickname Miff. Why on earth would a woman of sixty want to be known as Miff?

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!!

It's not cringeworthy at all in my opinion. It's a nickname with some personal meaning that suits the person. It doesn't need to be based on their given names.

Mine is based on my being busy and full of energy, Lizzie, not connected to my real name. It was bestowed on me by my grandfather, as a young child, and stuck. He's no longer with us, so it's a nice thing.

My youngest (14) has a similar nickname not connected to her name, and this is used most of the time. I rarely use her real name (v unusual) in full, even when I do it's the short form.

Are people saying it's class connected?

I don't know that it is. I know a Fliss (mentioned earlier in thread) from a working class background.

I went to private catholic school with lots of rich kids and didn't encounter these nicknames. Girls were called by first name and boys by surname generally. Some of the boys surnames were shortened though tbf - e.g. Fitzpatrick to. 'Fitzy'.

Wasn't Bitsy a spider in Paperplay with Susan strands

Maybe because she liked low cut tops and when people saw her they said "Here she is. Titsa on show again".

I've only heard of Bunty in your list. I went school with Neal, James (2) and Paul. They were/are known as Wib, Bun, Jay and Viz.
My experience auntie was legally Nicola but was known as Molly. I don't think it's particular to any class.

Cambridge Uni in mid 80s- Teeps, Corky & Mook.

I know someone posh whose name is Henriett, but everyone calls her Jean. Even her parents can't remember why.

TMF… I love this 😂

I know someone called Dave Granger. His nickname is Grave (Danger).

I went to primary school in a rough council estate and a very middle class private secondary. To me nicknames are much more of a working class thing, the posh classmates had very standard names such as William, Emma, Lucy. The primary school folks (who nearly all live in the same estate now) still have the same nicknames as primary school. A number of them are dead now 😭 but their gravestones will be Robert 'Cheeser' Owens, Richard 'Mops' Smith etc. And I always laugh when I see on here about Jonty being very MC, everyone I knew with a surname of Johnston was a Jonty and they certainly were not posh.

I am surprised no one has mentioned all the (fantastic) nicknames in Gavin and Stacey:

Chinese Alan, Budgie, Fingers, DirtBag, Big Fat Sue, Deano, Smithy, Gav - Gavalarrrr, etc.

Surely exaggerated but not uncommon in every societal class to have nicknames?

Brilliant.

This exactly 😁and I will just add thay I have a Hugo who has been universally acknowledged as Boogie since babyhood and shall probably be called that for life. What's the issue? 🙄

The "upper class" nicknames seem a bit desperate-wanting to sound like 1940s Enid Blyton characters.

My nickname for DH is "Cuntybollocks" I wonder if that would elevate me to the echelons of "upper working class"?

I always thought Peggy when their name was Margaret

Margaret > Maggie > Meggie > Meg > Peg > Peggy.

Not RTFT yet, but definitely agree with the premise of it. I met my DH in our last few months at uni, and he was a definite rugger bugger, public school type. All of his friends had those sort of nicknames. As did he. In fact, I had to ask him what his actual name was a few weeks after we started dating. 😵‍💫🤣

He is also from a family where there seem to be about 3 first names shared between all the men in the family. I find it all quite amusing really, as does he, twenty odd years down the line.

I come from somewhere where most people have a nickname but it's generally just a shortened version of their real name, Macca, Jonno etc, or something to distinguish them from someone else with the same name, like Irish Mike, Black Sarah and White Sarah and occasionally a six foot man being known as 'Little Tom' because the other Tom is slightly taller.