What’s In A … Nickname?

Nicknames are often a shortened version of a given name or, frequently with men, a surname. My close friends and family call me “Nik”. Everyone else calls me “Niki”. My mom calls me “Nicole” when I’m in trouble – still. Sometimes, she throws in my middle name for good measure. Thankfully, I haven’t heard that one for awhile. 

On occasion, a more exciting nickname appears. A name that provides a peek into a personality trait, gives a clue to a physical trait, or describes a funny incident from the past. These are the most fun because they’re usually given to us by someone else – a moniker of endearment. 

Noodle – our daughter – was given her nickname when she was just beginning to eat solid food. Noodles were – and still are – her favorite food group. 

We don’t always know where nicknames come from. 

When my mom was little, her very dutiful older brother called her “Li’l Oink”. I don’t know where he got it from. She wasn’t particularly pink, nor did she have a funny nose. I suspect he was just being a stinker of an older brother. By the time I came along, he’d moved on to calling her “Oink”. Her nickname for him … “Mule Ears”. They loved each other, I promise.  

My uncle gave us all nicknames. Mine was “Poop Frog”. I have no idea why, but he called me that well into adulthood. Maybe I should ask my mom, although I may not want to know. I did have an affection toward frogs as a kid. Honestly, I made friends with pretty much any critter.  

Nicknames come and go

I’ve had many nicknames. “Punkin” (pumpkin) was my dad’s preferred name for me. 

My grandma called me “Nicolie”. She had a tendency to add “ie” to the names of her grandkids and our friends. 

My CB handle is “Walker Puppy”, given to me by my grandpa who was aptly named “Walker Dog” because he raised Walker Coonhounds.

High school friends called me “Kenickie” after the Grease character and, undoubtedly, because it was a more fun way of saying Niki. 

Nicknames given to me in college by my marching band friends will never be printed on paper … it’s the number one rule of marching band. Okay, “Red” was one because my strawberry blond hair caught fire in the sunlight during practices.   

These are the names I don’t hear anymore, and that’s okay. Nicknames fall out of fashion as we age and our tribes shift. New people enter our families. Our friends change. New nicknames appear. 

The nickname that stuck is Nik and it’s my favorite. It describes the blue jean, cowboy boot wearing little girl with strawberry blond hair who loved to catch frogs and talk on Grandpa’s CB radio. 

What was your nickname? Do you know where it came from?

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks – 2025 challenge from Amy Johnson Crow. The week 3 challenge was “nicknames”.