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Some of those nicknames are affectionate nicknames rather than diminutives. I've heard of plenty of women called Bunny who weren't actually named Bernice, but instead have the animal in mind. (I remember meeting a middle-aged American expat living in Brazil who went by Bunny, but her real name was Jane. Bunny was an affectionate nickname given to her by her older sisters.)

This message was edited 3/3/2019, 1:13 PM

My grown son Garrett sometimes is called Wally by his dad or by me. This is because, for who knows what reason, his older brother called him that when they both were very young.

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Cleveland Kent Evans' statement that nicknames are less common than they used to be just confirmed what I already suspected.

There was a girl in my high school who went by Dolly. I think she must've been mortified one year when they put her name down as Roslyn for the school photos cos it never happened again. That's actually the only reason I know what her name was.

There’s a student at my school who goes by Gabe but his real name is Otis. I’m not sure what the deal is with that.

This message was edited 3/1/2019, 7:19 PM

I went to two boys who had nicknames like this, the first was named Gerard and wen't by Bo. The second was named Brandon and went by Bird. I have no idea where Bo came from but Bird had skinny little legs so his brother called him "bird legs" and eventually Bird just stuck.

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In my parents generation I've known a couple of Reds, Buddys and Sonnys.

Several. Although, all that I know, are also well known by their given names, but if you call out their nickname, they would answer and know who you were talking to.

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Krystal “bug”
Gavin “moose”
Jason “tubs”
Jack “plumpett “
Gray “mousey “
Mark “Carl or CB”

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All are given because of inside jokes, or funny things that have happened.

I know quite a few...

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Matthew “Zippy”
James “Dev”
Osman “Carrot”
Alexander “Neo”
Andrew “Ginger”
Stuart “Turnip”
Tommy “Titch”
Charlotte “Fizz”

A friend of ours has a son, who's now grown, whose real name is Joshua. He introduces himself as Josh, but his family and most of his friends have always called him Monkey, because when he was a baby, instead of crawling on his hands and knees, he went on his hands and feet.

One of my friends goes by Raster; his real name is Joshua. I forget why goes by that.

There is actual research by sociologists showing that nicknaming is less common now than it used to be. But it still does happen on occasion. Singer and actresss Miley Cyrus, for instance, goes by a nickname she has had since she was a child (it's not just a stage name adopted after she went into show business.) Her birth certificate name is "Destiny Hope."

Well, most of my friends and family call me Jude or St. Jude. I'm in my late twenties. It's due to the fact that I always seem to cheer for the underdog or the hockey player who is probably going to be traded down. St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes and desperate situations, hence the nickname.

I went to school with a Michael. Everyone called him Boss or Bossy. He was anything but.

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My brother-in-law, Steven, is called Frog. I don't know why.

My brother

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Well sorta.

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His name is Christian but literally almost everyone calls him Chin. When he was about 7 or 8 my cousin couldn't say Christian, it sounded like Chit Chin. So Chin just stuck.
Now all of our family and all my friends call him Chin.

Over 60:
John (? I'm not really sure) "Plucky"
Noel "Ikie"

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Under 35:
James III "Chip"
Stephen or Steven "Tofu"
Virginia "Ginny Marie" - Marie is the nonintuitive part; it's not her MN
? "Bucky"

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Under 10:
James IV "Jett"

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One of my uncles used to give all his nieces and nephews NNs, some more intuitive than others (he started "Ginny Marie"), and he called my cousin's daughter Emma "Trigger", but that never caught on (he died when she was a baby).

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Tofu was from Puerto Rico. The rest of these people are from rural Virginia.

This message was edited 3/1/2019, 12:29 PM

Yes, a few.

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Elizabeth 'Tizzy'
Raheema 'Globes'
Rachel 'Midge'
Henry 'Rocky'
Emily 'George'(not LGBT either!)

Well, I don't know any personally right now. I just wanted to say in previous generations this was a thing because of wanting to name children after other people in The Netherlands. The official names would be given to name after their Godmother/father or grandparents, but the name a child went by would be what the parents liked. So that way you could end up with things like: Petrus Marinus "Gerard" or Maria Johanna "Vera". I've seen weird combinations like that a few times in The NL, but only on Catholic people.

The only one that comes to mind is some kid I went to school with for a year or so. He was often refered to as "Giggles/Mr.Giggles" or as "Jonathan Giggles" (Of course no secret of his actual name)
Today, that kid must be around...maybe 18. Haven't seen him in over a decade so who to say if his nn continued on or not. /:

The Philippines! Filipinos love using completely unrelated nicknames. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9435751.stm)