[harpospeaking]

What did your closest family or friends call you when you were growing up? Or what do they still call you as a pet name?

My name is formally Audrey, but my Japanese mom called me "On-do" and "Oh-doh-ri-chan." Oddly enough, she didn't start using these nicknames until I was 18.

I started calling my older brother "Little Ricky" from I Love Lucy. Oddly enough, I started calling him that when he was 22.

My parents have become "Obachan" and "Ojichan," grandmother and grandfather in Japanese, since they treat my cats like grandchildren, i.e. they spoil them.

My future sisters-in-law are Nancy (Chachi) and Lizet (Stinky). Stinky is going to marry my brother in August. Yes, her family calls her Stinky.

I have close older women friends whom I affectionately refer to as "Hightower," "White Chocolate," "Chipmunk," and of course, "Pork Chop." Each nickname has its own story behind it. What's yours?
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"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail

http://onegirlonehouse.wordpress.com

[bainst]

My mom, aunt, and grandparents on my mother's side all call me by this nickname since I was a baby. Due to equal parts embarrasement and I really don't know how to spell it since it's like a French-Haitian kind of word, it will not be put on the forum. I don't need it to come back to harm me in my future political endeavors. However, it does give a warm, gushy feeling when my grandfather or grandmother uses it, but I think that's more because I adore them so much.
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Live as if to die tomorrow. Learn as if to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi

[Rainey]

I have been Rainey (which is short for Lorraine) ever since I can remember hearing my name. For a very, very long time it was pretty unique. These days, I can't sign onto a new forum without the name already being taken.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[madameshawshank]

my father's nickname for me was Bag a Bones...then Bagga...

Pumpkin was how I addressed my beloved for many a year..

Missie Moo for my granddaughter..(also Choplet)

and we had a beauty for our daughter...although it took a while to say...

we added words that she found appealing...

sophie jane ballerina stockwhipman small cooker swing one

my brother calls his son Fustafus

my dad, Ignatius (which he's hated forever it seems) was nicknamed Bon...that's what everyone calls him...

a friend often calls her sons frog..or froggie...

so her granddaughter is, of couse, the sacred tadpole...

this is a delightful thread...thanks..it got me dipping into memory..
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

[gingerpale]

Real name: Rosemary

Never had a nickname, always wanted to be called Angel-tits, but nobody would.
Favorite names, Bernadette and Bridgette.

[Rainey]

[madameshawshank]

ah Rainey..the 'why?' of anything ...

The Shawshank Redemption

it spoke deeply to me..

the never giving upishness of it
the creativity in the dark times
the calm ongoingness in the face of much seeming uncalm
the power of an idea
the connectedness
the choices made
the humour regardless
the hope

all in all
made a lasting impression on my spirit

'n the madame?

well there must always be a French element...
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

[Rainey]

Well, yes. I guessed that but, still, your explanation was great reward for the question.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[gisele]

Rainey, my cousin is also called Lorraine, but her nickname now is Truck, which came from everyone calling her Lorry and then reciting the Tongue twister "Red Lorry, Yellow Lorry"

My mum never wanted us to have nicknames, so at home we were always called by our proper names, it was friends and extended family members (steps-) which gave us our nicknames.

I have too many nicknames at one time I could count 20 I eventually just started answering to anything that sounded remotely like my name. Giselle became Guz, guzzle, chisel, gazelle, frolicking through the woodlands, and unfortunately some words which i won't mention but are taken from the first 3 letters of my name . My step dad calls me Griselda, and my little sister calls me Grizzle bear, and my boss calls me G

My brother Christophe became Toffeepop (from a teacher, and it stuck), tick-off (my sister's pronounciation when she was little - which now has several offshoots...all rude, but they all rhyme), bernard (Can't remember where that came from and CARL (his initials).

And my little sister Neala is Nay-nays, nay and ratfink.

Interestingly enough, everyone I introduce my boyfriend too seems to think his real name, Sy, is a nickname...and then procedes to call him by what must be his "proper" name Simon.

[Rainey]

gisele- Lorraine --> Truck is funny. But you know what it makes me think of? My brother-in-law is a painter. His favorite subject is old abandoned trucks and when he finds a good one, he paints its "portrait". He'd enjoy a person being called "Truck".

http://www.kbeers.com/autopt2.html

As for the genesis of nicknames, my son is named Clayton Abbott Beers. I like it. They're family names but together I think they sound kinda distinguished. But that wouldn't do.

When I was pregnant with him I was over 40 and had an amnio to be prepared for any surprises. My husband and I chose not to be told the sex. But our girls were excited and anxious to know so they began calling my belly "Izzy" for "Is 'e a boy, or is 'e a girl?". And he's Izzy until today.
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God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is, he's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play funny. -- Garrison Keillor

[madameshawshank]

when pregnant with Sophie, our name for her was Branch.

my maternal grandmother, Maria, was Dolly from birth...her father (I think) thought she looked like a doll....

she died at 92 ...'n they all still called her Dolly...
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"I've never accepted the external appearance of things as the whole truth. The world is much more elaborate than the nerves of our eye can tell us." - James Gleeson

[tea leaves]

My father called my sister and I "the dolly sisters....isadore and isabelle" even though our names were much more parochial maryanne and kathleen. He called and still calls my brother "old stocking" (he's now 36)
That same and only brother is "baby peter" to his eternal mortification and as recently as last month. The nickname given by well meaning aunts as an infant to seperate him from the 6 or so other Peters including our father in the family.
My sister couldn't say maryanne as a child, so I became "mamma" and remain that to this day to all relatives both sides ( 30+cousins etc). The only person who does not call me mamma is my mother, she remains true to my baptized name
However my sister was a willing victim of the same, 2 year old mispronunciation of her given name with our first nephew who changed
kathy to "sassy", in many ways a truer name for her! Out of the mouths of babes!
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"Nobody can teach you how to make the perfect cup of tea. It just happens over time. Wearing cashmere helps of course."

[Griffin]

Well at least most of these are not so bad... gisele's unfortunate possibility aside, tho' I'd have to call you Gisele 'cos it's such a lovely name to say.

My given name is Girish (the name of Shiva as Lord of the Mountains) and very early on I got a whole lot of dreadful nicknames that came from people being largely unable/unwilling to say my name properly. Goulash, Skiddish, Gizmo (one of the better ones) and my cousin who was born and grew up in Japan gave me 'Rishi!

I have to say that I prefer to call people by their full names tho'. It shows respect and affection. I have met some people for whom it's just somehow wrong to shorten their names. A Pamela is an example. She's just not a Pam.
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Confusion comes fitted as standard.

[David]

My grandmother was with you Griffin---proper names in full and no derivations. If someone in her (limited) hearing range should happen to call my father "Don" you could be sure that grandma would pipe up--"His name is Donald--had I wished him to be called Don I would have had him baptised Don". So needless to say I've always been David-never Dave on that side of the family.
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

[sweetbabyjames]

I loved being called Sweetpea by my dad.