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ArchivesBill from William
I was curious if anyone knew why or how William is shorten to "Bill" or how we get "Dick" from "Richard."
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Quite a lot of nicknames change the first letter because often families with several people of the same name needed more options for nicknames. So one family could have a William, Willy, Will, Bill and a Billy. Other nicknames that change the initial:
Margaret = Daisy = Maisy
Mary/Margaret = Molly = Polly
Margaret = Meg = Peg
Martha = Mat(tie) = Pat(tie)
Robert = Rob(by) = Bob(by)
It seems that M nicknames get change to a P and R nicknames get changed to a B.
Margaret = Daisy = Maisy
Mary/Margaret = Molly = Polly
Margaret = Meg = Peg
Martha = Mat(tie) = Pat(tie)
Robert = Rob(by) = Bob(by)
It seems that M nicknames get change to a P and R nicknames get changed to a B.
This message was edited 3/5/2007, 10:30 AM
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The shift M > P is common because M and P are both bilabial sounds (made with the lips). Will > Bill is somewhat similar.
There is a theory that the B of Bob(by) was "attracted" by the B already in Robert, in the same way that Nan became a nickname for Ann.
I can't think of any other examples of an R changing to a B in a nickname, or of R > D except for Richard > Dick. But it may be true that Rs tend to change to other sounds because they are hard for foreigners (and children) to pronounce. Rs are known to change to Ls (Mary > Molly) or are dropped altogether (Margaret > Maggie).
There is a theory that the B of Bob(by) was "attracted" by the B already in Robert, in the same way that Nan became a nickname for Ann.
I can't think of any other examples of an R changing to a B in a nickname, or of R > D except for Richard > Dick. But it may be true that Rs tend to change to other sounds because they are hard for foreigners (and children) to pronounce. Rs are known to change to Ls (Mary > Molly) or are dropped altogether (Margaret > Maggie).
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Hanks & Hodges, Oxford Dictionary of First Names says:
BILL
English: altered short form of William, not used before the 19th century. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is not clear, but it conforms to the pattern regularly found when English words beginning with w- are borrowed into Gaelic; the nickname “King Billy” for William of Orange is an early example from Ireland which may have influenced English usage. Pet forms: English: Billy, Billie. Gaelic: Builidh.
DICK
English: short form of Richard (cf. Rick). The alteration of the initial consonant is supposed to result from the difficulty that English speakers in the Middle Ages had in pronouncing the trilled Norman R-.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?&fid=10&fn=Dick&ln=Miller
BILL
English: altered short form of William, not used before the 19th century. The reason for the change in the initial consonant is not clear, but it conforms to the pattern regularly found when English words beginning with w- are borrowed into Gaelic; the nickname “King Billy” for William of Orange is an early example from Ireland which may have influenced English usage. Pet forms: English: Billy, Billie. Gaelic: Builidh.
DICK
English: short form of Richard (cf. Rick). The alteration of the initial consonant is supposed to result from the difficulty that English speakers in the Middle Ages had in pronouncing the trilled Norman R-.
http://www.ancestry.com/learn/facts/Fact.aspx?&fid=10&fn=Dick&ln=Miller
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