Editing Nickname (section)

=== 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]].