Editing Nickname (section)

== People ==
[[Image:Carter-inauguration-large.jpg|thumb|right|287px|"I, Jimmy Carter...": [[Jimmy Carter|James Earl Carter]] is sworn in as President of the United States using his nickname "Jimmy" in January 1977.]]

Nicknames are usually applied to a person and they are not always chosen by the recipient themselves. Some nicknames are derogatory [[name calling|name calls]].

=== Abbreviation or modification ===
A nickname can be a [[abbreviation|shortened]] or a modified variation on a person's real name.
* [[Contraction (grammar)|Contraction]]s of longer names: Margaret to [[Greta (given name)|Greta]].
* [[Initials]]: using the first letters of a person's first, middle and/or last name, e.g. "DJ" for Daniel James.
* Dropping letters: with many nicknames, one or more letters, often R, are dropped: [[Fanny (given name)|Fanny]] from Frances, [[Walt]] from Walter.
* Phonetic spelling: sometimes a nickname is created through the phonetic spelling of a name: Len from Leonard.
* Letter swapping: during the [[Middle Ages]], the letter R would often be swapped for either L or D: [[Hal (given name)|Hal]] from Harry (which in turn comes from Henry); [[Molly (name)|Molly]] from Mary; [[Sadie (disambiguation)|Sadie]]<!--please leave the link to dab to show examples--> from Sarah; Hob, Dob, Rob, Bob, and Nob from [[Robert]]; Rick, Dick, and Hick from [[Richard]]; Bill from [[William (name)|Will]] (which in turn comes from William); and Peg and Meg from Margaret. In the 19th-century frontier United States, Mary and Molly were often given the nickname [[Polly]].

=== Name portions ===
* Front of a name. Sometimes a nickname can come from the beginning of a given name: [[Al (given name)|Al]] from Alan/Allan/Albert/Alfonse/Alfred/Alden/Alexander, [[Art]] from Arthur, [[Chris]] from Christopher/Christina; Dot from Dorothy, [[Ed (given name)|Ed]] from Edward, Edmond, Edgar or Edwin, Iz or Izzy from Isaac, Isaiah, Isidore, Isabel, or Isabella; [[Joe (disambiguation)|Joe]] or Jo from Joseph, Josephine, or Joanna.
* End of name: Drew from Andrew; Xander from Alexander; Enzo or Renzo from Lorenzo; Beth from Elizabeth; Bel, Bell, Bella or Belle from Isabelle/Isabella.
* Middle of name: Liz from Elizabeth; Tori from Victoria; Del or Della from Adelaide.
* Addition of diminutives: before the 17th century, most nicknames in English had the diminutive ending ''-in'' or ''-kin'', where the ending was attached to the first syllable: thus Walter → Wat → Watkin, Robert → Rob → Hob → Hobkin, Thomas → Tom → Tomkin. While most of these have died away, a few remain, such as Robert → Rob → [[Robin (name)|Robin]], [[Henry (given name)|Henry]] → Henkin → Hank, John → Jankin → [[Jack (disambiguation)|Jack]], and Nicolas → [[Colin (given name)|Colin]].
* Many nicknames drop the final one or two letters and add either ie/ee/y as a diminutive ending: Penny from Penelope, Edie from Edith, Davy from David, Charlie from Charles, Mikey from Michael, Jimmy from James, and Marty from Martin.
* [[Acronym and initialism|Initialization]], which forms a nickname from a person's initials: [[A. E. Housman]] from Alfred Edward Housman, or Dubya for [[George W. Bush]], a Texan pronunciation of the name of the letter 'W', President Bush's middle initial. Brazilian striker [[Ronaldo (Brazilian footballer)|Ronaldo]] was given the nickname R9 (initial and shirt number).<ref name="Official profile">{{cite news|title=Ronaldo Nazario – "O Fenômeno"|url=https://ronaldo.com/football-news/ronaldo-nazario-o-fenomeno/|access-date=2 July 2021|website=Ronaldo.com|quote=Nickname: R9|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921162243/https://ronaldo.com/football-news/ronaldo-nazario-o-fenomeno/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* Nicknames are sometimes based on a person's last name ("Tommo" for Bill Thompson, "Campo" for [[David Campese]]) or a combination of first and last name such as "A-Rod" for [[Alex Rodriguez]]).
* Loose ties to a person's name with an attached suffix: Gazza for English footballer [[Paul Gascoigne]] (though used more widely in Australia for [[Gary (given name)|Gary]]) and similar "zza" forms ([[Michael Heseltine|Hezza]], [[John Prescott|Prezza]], etc.) for other prominent personalities whose activities are frequently reported in the British press (see also [[Oxford "-er"]] for a similar but wider phenomenon).
* Use of the [[second name]].
* Use of the [[Suffix (name)#Generational titles|generational suffix]], like "Junior", or nicknames associated with a particular generational suffix, like [[Trey (given name)|Trey]] or [[Tripp (nickname)|Tripp]] for ''III''.
* Combination of the first and middle name, or variations of a person's first and middle name. For example, a person may have the name Mary Elizabeth but has the nickname "Maz" or "Miz" by combining Mary and Liz.
* Doubling of part of a first name. For example, forming "NatNat" from Nathan/Natasha or "JamJam" from James.

=== Relationship ===
A nickname may refer to the relationship with the person. This is a [[term of endearment]].
* In [[Japanese culture]], [[Japanese honorifics]] are designed so that a term of endearment conveys the exact status of the relationship between two people. Recipients are allowed to restrict use to a certain person.