Yesterday I told you a little about nicknames and shared some Spanish nicknames with you. Today I have part of article from Mental Floss for you. (Click the link to read about all ten names.)
If that isn’t enough, I’ve also included a link to men’s and women’s nicknames so you can find something fitting to call your friends or foes.
Why is Hank from Henry?
The name Henry dates back to medieval England. (Curiously, at that time, Hank was a diminutive for John.) So how do we get Hank from Henry? Well, one theory says that Hendrick is the Dutch form of the English name Henry. Henk is the diminutive form of Hendrick, ergo, Hank from Henk. Hanks were hugely popular here in the States for many decades, though by the early ‘90s it no longer appeared in the top 1,000 names for baby boys. But Hank is making a comeback! In 2010, it cracked the top 1,000, settling at 806. By 2013, it was up to 626.
Why is Chuck from Charles?
"Dear Chuck" was an English term of endearment, and Shakespeare, in Macbeth, used the phrase to refer to Lady Macbeth. What’s this have to do with Charles? Not much, but it’s interesting. However, Charles in Middle English was Chukken and that’s probably where the nickname was born.
Why is Peggy from Margaret?
The name Margaret has a variety of different nicknames. Some are obvious, as in Meg, Mog, and Maggie, while others are downright strange, like Daisy. But it’s the Mog/Meg we want to concentrate on here as those nicknames later morphed into the rhymed forms Pog(gy) and Peg(gy). [KC – Daisy isn’t so strange when you consider that Marguerite is the French term for a daisy (and a girl named Margaret).]
Why is Ted from Edward?
The name Ted is yet another result of the Old English tradition of letter swapping. Since there were a limited number of first names in the Middle Ages, letter swapping allowed people to differentiate between people with the same name. It was common to replace the first letter of a name that began with a vowel, as in Edward, with an easier to pronounce consonant, such as T. Of course, Ted was already a popular nickname for Theodore, which makes it one of the only nicknames derived from two different first names. Can you name the others?
Why is Sally from Sarah?
Sally was primarily used as a nickname for Sarah in England and France. Like some English nicknames, Sally was derived by replacing the R in Sarah with an L. Same is true for Molly, a common nickname for Mary. Though Sally from Peanuts never ages, the name itself does and has declined in popularity in recent years. Today, most girls prefer the original Hebrew name Sarah.
Links to English names and nicknames:
· English names and nicknames for women
· English names and nicknames for men
Kara Church
Technical Editor, Advisory
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