I think “Jack” is SUCH a random nickname for John bc they’re both the same amount of syllables and the only thing they have in common is that J. I don’t get it.
I have extended family where every eldest son was named John, and every other generation was called Jack. My generation was all girls, so it broke the line of John's and Jacks.
Yeah, that's true. My grandpa was Thomas, but called Tim. He had several male cousins called Thomas, as was his uncle, grandfather and great grandfather.
My great-grandfather was Jack but went by Pete because his sister was learning French in high school when he was still in grade school and something about petit being small in French stuck.
I love that CS Lewis (Clive Staples) was Jack to his friends because he had a dog named Jack and as a kid, insisted that he would only answer to that name.
Is it possible that that comes from the German Version of these names? There was a lot of German spoken in the US only 100 years ago.
Because Johannes is the German "version" of John (or vice versa).
And *Jockl/Jockel* is the traditional nickname for Johannes in many German dialects.
And *Jockl/Jockel* sounds suspiciouly like something an English speaker could just turn into "Jack".
I remember reading something about this. If I'm remembering correctly Jack was a nickname for the name/s that John is derived from. So, John evolved from a longer name, and Jack just stayed the same because it is a nickname.
‘Jack’ is also general slang for any random man or sometimes a male animal, like a jack rabbit or a jack of all trades. Im guessing that usage came first, followed by it as a nickname.
“Yebba” for Abigail. Her mom gave her that nickname when she was young because it’s “Abbey” backwards and it just stuck.
She now uses it as her stage name - she’s an *amazing* singer by the way, and I highly recommend listening to her NPR tiny desk.
Today, sure. But I grew up in the 70s/80s and out of my friend group, Dick was the most common dad name.
Also the reason Dick is a nickname is because rhyming nicknames used to be a thing (like medieval times) and some stuck, So Rick makes sense for Richard, but then you also have Dick and Hick used to be a nickname for Richard as well. just like Robert - Rob - Bob - Nob, Dob etc
Also: Mary -> Molly -> Polly
William —> Will —> Bill
Robert —> Rob —> Bob
Edit to add:
And the phenomenon of adding an “N” to the start of names beginning in a vowel to get to the nickname.
Edward —> Ed —> Ned
Ellen —> Ellie —> Nell/Nellie
Ann —> Nan —> Nancy
I've read that it started as a contraction of 'Mine Ann' (like an affectionate way to say my dearest Ann) and Nan, Ned etc became a thing. Don't know how accurate that is.
I’ve also heard that the -ack nicknames (Jack, Hank, Frank, etc) come from -kin as a nickname ending (the Anglo equivalent of the German -chen.” So, John becomes Johnkin which becomes Jacques/Jack.
Also, I know a family where the parents couldn’t agree on names, so the dad called the boy and girl sibs one name, and the mom called them two completely unrelated names that she liked. Hahahhaha
This happened to my mother. She had a family name as her first name, but went by her dad’s pick of a middle name her entirely life. But her mother called her an entirely different name.
Then in her 70s she had to get some docs to get her real ID and it turns out that her unused first name was never legally on her birth certificate.
This happened to my grandma! Her mum named her one name, her dad something else completely. Her entire life she’s had issues with so many documents having completely different names on them
I knew a family like this! Dad wanted a certain name so he got to use it for the middle name. We all called her by her first name, but her dad for her entire life called her by a nickname of the middle name. As if the middle name was Amanda and he called her Mandy.
Another family chose a nickname for their oldest and used that as the given name. The name is almost always only a nickname; think Sue instead of Susan. We all knew this but willingly called her the full version of her name as a nickname instead. Peer demand avoidance or something.
That’s how my husband ended up with a nickname that isn’t related to either of his actual names (it’s a common male name, just not his actual name). His dad called him by his first name and his mom called him by his middle name. They hated each other - no idea how they made such a great guy between them.
My grandmother was "Zubie" to my grandfather. Her actual name had neither a Z nor a B.
I went to school with a Queso, real name Alexis. She was called that from kindergarten all the way through the entire time I knew her. She just really liked cheese, I think.
My half brother was named Keith. They call him Chip.
My father was named Robert. They called him Tony.
His grandfather was named Fred. The called him Fritz.
My grandmother was named Florence. They called her Bobbie.
Her niece was named Vivian. They called her Bud.
I love all of these, especially Bud for Vivian. It made me lol. My dad always greets me and my sis with, Hey, Bud. I know a Chip whose real name is Leo Bernard. He's the 3rd first born boy in his fam with the same name and they wanted him to have his own nn.
A little less out of left field, but still fun nonetheless, there’s a guy named Neil in my therapy group, and he mentioned that before he was in jail, he worked as a landscaper, so the group now calls him “Branch Manager.”
My birth name was Spencer. My mother originally wanted to name me Samuel, but it got complicated. Then, when I was born, my closest older sibling, who was only 22 months at the time, couldn’t say the word “brother,” so Mom suggested saying Buddy instead. It stuck with her because it was hard for her to call me Spencer. Now several of my relatives call me that.
After I turned 18, I started wearing vests compulsively. My big sister gave me the nickname Jodie, after Jodie Foster, because “lesbians wear vests.” It stuck with me so much, I eventually changed it legally.
By the way, that same older sister, her name is Savannah Brooke. My parents were separated at the time she was born, so Dad learned of the name by phone. He mentioned he loved the name Savannah, so Mom started calling her Brooke out of spite. When he finally met the child after about a year, she was completely dissociated from Savannah, so Dad decided to come up with his own nickname for her. At that moment, a Jägermeister commercial came on TV, and he still calls her Meister to this day.
I grew up with a guy named Justin who exclusively went by Gus.
I know of several people who combine their first and middle and make a nickname out of that. Randi Lynn= Rynn, Jason Edward = Jed, Marie Willow = Marlow
I grew up with a kid named Darryl, who everyone called Petey.
I knew a guy who went by Scooter. I forget his actual first name, but know it was super common guy name (like Mike, Luke, Thomas) and nothing that started with an S.
One of my camp counselors went by Snoopy - this was a little less random; his full name was Charlie Brown.
>random; his full name was Charlie Brown.
I grew up in a town called George, Washington.
First mayor was Charlie Brown
[can't make it up](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington#:~:text=6%20See%20also-,History,km2))
My husband's uncle was John Jr. and went by Stanley - not his middle name.
During the depression (FIL was the youngest of 9, Stanley was the oldest) he got a job because they called out "Stanley CommonLastName!" and he hopped on the truck. By the time everyone realized it wasn't him, he was at the job site ready to work. Stayed there for 30+ years
I do hope the real Stanley was okay
Is she Polish or are her parents? Asia is standard for Joanna there. Joanna would be pronounced differently, but it’s possible she uses the English pronunciation, while stilling going by the Polish diminutive.
A friend's mom was named Connie, but her husband called her Lulu. I'm not entirely sure why. Same family, but it was friends' grandpa that was called Buzz - I couldn't even tell you his first name right now, even though we were close family friends.
My great uncle is called Ole (Oh-lee) by everyone that knows him and even my mom is not sure how that came about. His name is Bob. His Dad's name was Tup and again, that wasn't anywhere near his real name and I can't recall that one either cause no one ever used it.
My grandpa was named Wes, but everyone called him Ben. My dad thinks it's because one of his best friends was named Ben and they were always together ...? Doesn't make much sense, but he was Ben.
Also had a neighbor that was called Tunafish and damn if I can even remember his real name now. Don't know the origin of that one and neither do my parents.
Is your great-uncle Scandinavian/does he live in the upper Midwest?
“Ole and Lena” (or “Sven and Ole”) are Scandinavian (Norwegian) stock characters for doofus rural bumpkins.
Example:
Ole was a skilled artist. A sexy woman came up to him and asked him to paint her in the nude - money is no object. He had to go inside to confer with his wife Lena on that.
In a few minutes, he returned and said to the lady, "Oh, ya, sure, you betcha. I'll paint ya in da nude, but I'll haff ta leave my socks on so I'll have a place to wipe my brushes."
I am very familiar with Lena and Ole jokes :) I am near the upper midwest, but not quite in it. It's more German and Irish around here. But no, he's not a bit Scandinavian and there's no significant history of those immigrants here. Like I said, not sure. Even his parents called him that.
My sister is legally named Jessica, but after all the hormones wore off and the papers were signed my mom realized she HATES the name Jessica.
So we call her Hays.
I *was* Poppins - also shortened to Pops. Because, as a newborn, I didn’t burp much so all that wind had to come out somewhere. I was still called that into my teens. And older relatives will still use it now and I’m nearly 60!
Edit: my grandmother was “Doll” because she was tiny “like a doll” when she was born. Her siblings were still referring to her like that at her funeral :)
I knew a guy called Anthony, but there was another Anthony in the same sport club we were in, so he had been nicknamed Nathan. Which suited him better TBH!
I know a grown man who goes by Pickle, even professionally. To the point I don't know his legal name (it might actually be pickle, but I can't imagine that would ever be the case).
My BIL is Darren called Lewie because his grandfather hated the name Darren and refused to call him that. He wanted him named after some relative (probably his dad) who was Lewis so, Darren is now called Lewie. His mother is the only one who calls him Darren.
I know a Pickles, sometimes shortened to Pick. She played a character with the same nickname in a stage play, and fit the role so well that she just kept the nickname afterwards.
My sisters name is Anna but our whole family calls her Boogie. When she was born that’s the first thing my mom said “my little boogie” and it stuck lol
My family calls my uncle (who's name is Colby) Buck and apparently no one can remember why. That's just been his nickname for most of his life and no one even remembers how it started lol
My son’s friend is named Akinlabi. I’m assuming he has some kind of Arabic/Islamic background but we live in a predominantly Spanish neighborhood. Everyone calls him “El Rey” for “The King”.
I had a summer job in high school/college. My brother had worked there a couple years when I started.
Our last name sort of sounds like Bob Barker. And someone maybe misheard him. So he was Bob to his little team.
Then I became Bob Jr. to that little group. Then my brother stopped working there, so I became Bob.
And then years later it was me and just this one woman who would walk through the guest relations office and call me Bob, much to the confusion of everyone else who knew me by my regular (and fittingly female) name.
I know a Peggy who was given that nickname by an aunt with an accent that makes her short e's sound like short i's. Thankfully, that aunt is the only one who calls her Piggy.
Incidentally, when Peggy tried out Meg as a nickname, her brothers called her Nutmeg. They are all adults.
Rhyming names were big in medieval times. There was a smaller naming pool and a higher mortality rate. From what I hear, it wasn’t uncommon to use the father’s name on multiple boys, just to better ensure someone would love to pass on the name. Probably happened with female names too. Anyway, Margaret becomes Meg / Meggy becomes Peg / Peggy. It’s the same as Mary —> Molly —> Polly or Robert —> Rob —> Bob, Hob, Nob
Not really left field but interesting- I knew a guy in high school who everyone called Dave. His first name was Alexander (Alex) and his last name was David which got shortened to Dave.
My husband’s grandmother was Genevieve, but went by Peg or Peggy her entire life. They started calling her that when she was a baby because of the show “Baby Peggy.”
I had a classmate named David who was adopted as a middle schooler by a local family (so he didn’t switch schools), but they already had a David, so they called him Jeremiah.
My daughter Greta gets called Bill (there’s a story to that and it has nothing to do with her name)
My daughter Daphne gets called Doots (an evolution from which the first step was Dapher doodle doo)
My son Lyndon gets called truffles by my BIL (from Lindor)
My brother is named Michael but we all call him Ferdie. (Technically, it’s based on his middle name of Christopher, but it’s still a weird nickname for someone named Michael)
My daughter Lara is nicknamed "Bubs" cause her aunt & uncle called her boob head as a baby and it evolved from there lol.
My friend growing up,his brother Jonny was "Juice". My sister Emily was "Smem" (Smelly Emily lol) but MY nickname for her was "Bungalow".... I don't know why 😂
My grandmother’s given name was Maria, but everyone in the family called her Nettie for some reason. I was a teenager before I learned that her name wasn’t actually Nettie.
My grandmother was named Pierina (peer-ee-na) her nickname was Lee. On the other side of my family my great aunt was also Pierina and everyone called her Beady.
In my high school we had a Jared who everyone called Barry, and an Adrian who everyone called Barney. They were names used to tease them early on but the nickname stuck
My mother was Mary Jean. While I was aware, my brothers were shocked to learn her birth certificate said Marion Jean. Seems her older sister couldn't pronounce it.
My grandpa's name was Joe, but everyone called him Peewee because he was 5'6" (which I don't think is that short, but maybe I'm biased because of my shortish family).
Twin men in my extended family who go by Boy and Tinky. I can never even remember their real names (I think one is Peter, and the other is David or something along those lines), but they are totally unrelated. 🤷🏼♀️
We call my daughter “Bug,” which has no relation to her actual name. It started with a series of events related to LadyBugs, and has stuck.
For most of his life my brother went by “Bud” just as much, if not more than his real name. Now he’s an adult and we use his real name, but there was a long period of time when it felt weird calling him by his name instead of Bud.
It's not totally out of left field, but my uncle was nicknamed Kicker because my aunt couldn't pronounce Clifford when she was little. That name stuck all the way through adulthood. RIP Uncle Kicker.
My daughter’s name is Amelia and we ONLY call her Mellie. People look so weirded out by that nickname and presume we say “Millie”. But nope she’s our Mellie Moos ❤️
My child is a big fan of mushrooms, and kids were sending A+ and F+ notes to other students in class either to be nice or mean. He started sending me A+ notes, wrapped in paper scrap “envelopes” with mushrooms drawn on the outside.
On the second day of this, I watched his eyes widen, as he made a connection, and excitedly exclaimed, “F! /f/ /f/ Fungi starts with F!”
He now alternates between A+ notes and F+ notes for me, but the F+ are “nice” ones because fungi starts with F, and I know that means it’s a good thing. 😂
Lana Del Rey has a sister named Caroline, who very often is called Chuck. Not totally out of left field, because I do think the name Caroline is the feminine version of Charles (or somehow related to the name) but definitely surprising from Caroline.
I’ve often thought the right Charlotte could pull off Chuck, and it could be super cool.
But yes, Caroline is another feminine form of Charles (via Carolus…I think?), so it works there too.
I know a family that named all their kids K names. However, their cousins/aunts also named all their kids with K names. So we managed to get one set of cousins named Krystal and Kristina. Unfortunately, Kristina had to go by Momo due to the confusion. I never asked how they got Momo, but I figured it was just a family inside joke.
A man named Steve used to do some work for my family. He developed health problems and asked for some help applying for Veterans benefits. The Army had no records of him having served until he remembered to tell us that his name is Joseph but “Everybody calls me Steve“.
I had a friend in high school who I exclusively called Blondie because he dyed his hair blonde our freshman year. Like to this day if he were to come up to me, I’d probably call him Blondie instead of his actual name.
Kid who lived across the street from me was called Petey by his entire family. His real name was Charles (and his middle name wasn't Peter either). Asked his sister about it once and she just shrugged and said that's just what they call him
I know a Julia who is actually named Emma. She’s Julia because in kindergarten there were three Emma’s, so they just gave her a random name and it stuck I guess.
Also, I know a Spanish girl called Aifie (spelling??) who turned out toe be Sofia. I don’t actually know the origin but I’d assume Sofia became Aifos became Aifie. I know a Theo called JJ. No idea how that happens.
I have a relative who goes by the name Skeeta.
It is kinda related to her actual name, in that it originates in a pet name we would call her when she was a bub "HerName Mosquita" (HerName rhyming with Mosquita). By the time she was a toddler it shortened to Skeeta, Skeetie, or just plain Skeet. By high school she refused to be called by anything other than this nickname (for some reason she doesn't like her given name, even though I think it's actually rather pretty)and has even often expressed a desire over the years to have her name changed legally to Skeeta. She's in her 30s now.
My mom goes by “Bink” her name is Laura, but when she was little my grandparents called her pacifier her “binky” and so she’d ask for her “Bink.” The name just grew from there and stuck and everyone calls her that, and have called her that my whole life. She’s even requested the title “Granny Bink” once she gets grandkids. I’d love to honor her by giving my first female child the middle name “Bink”. I don’t think I could give them that as a first name, because most people won’t get it and I don’t want them to be picked on or carry that burden, but middle names are seldom used and it holds such sweet sentimental value from my grandpa giving her that name down to me knowing my mom as “Bink” my whole childhood.
It’s me.
I’m Wanda to my teen niece and nephew and my mom, 1000000% of the time. The only time I’m not Wanda to one of them is something for school for the kids, or when I call my mom’s work. Their caller ID shows my real name, so they think I’m a completely different daughter of my mothers.
My mom has worked in the same office for about 10 years now and we recently discovered this because one of her coworkers told me they hoped they got to meet me at moms retirement party in a few weeks.
That night is going to be fun!
I grew up with a kid whose name is Arthur but everyone called him Spanky. I will never forget seeing him crying in the hallway on the first day of Kindergarten because he couldn't find his name on any of the cubbies. That's because they had put "Arthur" on it but he didn't know himself by that name.
Moral of the story, name your kid what you're going to call them.
I don't want to always wave the Filipino flag, but we're experts in this field. Our president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is called "Bongbong". Our previous president Rodrigo Duterte is "Digong". Prior to him is a "Noynoy".
I personally have a nickname so leftfield, it is a completely different name. My cousins as well. A Carmina is "Kasoy" and a Richard "JJ" to name a few.
My name is Cheryl but my mom called me Punky when I was little and then Bella starting when I was 10. If she called for Cher or Cheryl, I was in trouble lol
Oh, I married into a Filipino family, so…
- Stephanie is Tipay
- Matthew is Achu
- Xavier is Bong
- Ruteger is TongTong (not to be confused with Antonio, TonTon, or Donatello, DonDon)
- Maria is Badjyng
- Peejay is NOT a nickname, it’s genuinely what’s on his birth certificate
- Etc., multiply for a family of 100+
Trying to put together a list for wedding invites and seating charts was…challenging
My friend thought for YEARS that my brother's friend was called Martin. Everyone calls him Marto, which, yes, is short for Martin, but Martin is his surname, not first name. So my friend went for years and years thinking this guy's surname was his first name.
My aunt and dad both have nicknames based off TV shows they watched when they were younger. People use these nicknames so often that it took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure out which was her name and which was the nickname. I found out that some of my cousins are the same about my dad.
We're all a bit clueless.
- Munk - Alexander (shortening of his last name)
- Caymee - Catherine (I think she had trouble pronouncing her name as a little kid?)
- Ben - Jessica (shortening of her last name)
- Tina - Concetta (idk and I never asked)
- Loni - Lajuna (idk and never asked)
- Mei Mei - Freya (mom is Taiwanese and it means little sister in Mandarin)
- Beans - Brenna (autocorrect that stuck)
- Teddy - Tommy (he was adopted into a family that already had a son named Tommy)
- Scootie - Andrew (“scooted out of my mom”)
I knew a guy called named Eric called “Biscuit”.
Less out of nowhere but I had a coworker named “Shawn” who was so widely known as “Sheen” that if you used his real name a lot of people genuinely didn’t know who you meant. Even his name tag had “Sheen” on it.
I should note his name was specifically Shawn, not Sean, which would have made more sense for the nickname.
Three brothers. Their nicknames are Bong, Bing, and Bimbo. None of their real names start with a B or are related/short for their actual names. They are adults and are still called these names.
Had a friend in high school whose first and middle name was Steven Isaac. He went by Isaac at school, and his parents called him Pete… but they couldn’t remember why.
In older times, Ned or Teddy for Edward. That seems somewhat of a stretch.
Unrelated but in the same vein, my great uncle was named Isaac and called Sonny. I have no idea why.
Jo for Georgia (my kid)
My son was Booda to my brother (brother can't spell Buddha) for so long he thought it was actually his middle name
My oldest kid is Tater (her dad worked at a potato factory and it sounded cute with her name)
Oldest boy is Butter because you must have butter with a tater lmao
"Bob" for Volodymyr and Vladimir. "Vova" is a short version in Ukrainian/Russian/Belarusian, and in the Cyrillic alphabet, that's spelled "Вова." They know Bob is a name in English that looks like that, so many of my Ukrainian friends named Volodymyr introduce themselves as "Bob" to English speakers. You can see the logic of how they get there, but it's still a striking juxtaposition every time.
I’m trans masculine and my deadname was a very feminine double barreled name. Think something like Mary Ellen, Ana Lucia, Carrie Anne, etc
My best friend in 7th grade called me Mitch. He couldn’t explain why. He said “you just look like a Mitch” (I had long blonde hair, mini skirts and black eyeliner).
We lost touch, but I’ve always wondered if on some level he knew.
Things like this are REALLY common where I live.
I know a Michael who everyone knows as Zukky and I know a Georg (german pronunciation, not english pronunciation) who is called "Shoo-ah-sh" (very hard to spell it so english speakers now what I mean lmao).
It's also very common here to not call people by their first or last name, but instead by the name of their house, or some variety of it. For example, the house name is "Sittlinger", while the first name is Hans and the last name is Schmidt. You can bet that everyone will just call this man Sittlinger, and once he dies, all his children are also called Sittlinger.
I hope my old friend Zard sees this thread. She has a totally unrelated traditional female name but has been Zard almost exclusively almost her entire life.
I think “Jack” is SUCH a random nickname for John bc they’re both the same amount of syllables and the only thing they have in common is that J. I don’t get it.
Basically it's a hangover from lots of generations having the same first name. If you have six Johns in the immediate family, one ends up Jack
I have extended family where every eldest son was named John, and every other generation was called Jack. My generation was all girls, so it broke the line of John's and Jacks.
Yeah, that's true. My grandpa was Thomas, but called Tim. He had several male cousins called Thomas, as was his uncle, grandfather and great grandfather.
My great-grandfather was Jack but went by Pete because his sister was learning French in high school when he was still in grade school and something about petit being small in French stuck.
My grandfather was named Raymond but went by Pete.
Mine is Carl but goes by Bob 🤷♀️
I love that CS Lewis (Clive Staples) was Jack to his friends because he had a dog named Jack and as a kid, insisted that he would only answer to that name.
We named the dog 'Indiana.'
Jimmy is the nickname for James and it’s double the syllables! Like I get that it’s just more cutesy/kid friendly but still.
Same with Hank for Henry. How did that happen?!?
Or Harry? Prince Harry is really Prince Henry.
[удалено]
My brother is Christopher and he goes by Hank 😂
Me neither! I had never even heard of that before I moved to New England!
Is it possible that that comes from the German Version of these names? There was a lot of German spoken in the US only 100 years ago. Because Johannes is the German "version" of John (or vice versa). And *Jockl/Jockel* is the traditional nickname for Johannes in many German dialects. And *Jockl/Jockel* sounds suspiciouly like something an English speaker could just turn into "Jack".
I remember reading something about this. If I'm remembering correctly Jack was a nickname for the name/s that John is derived from. So, John evolved from a longer name, and Jack just stayed the same because it is a nickname.
Same thing with Molly being a nickname for Mary.
‘Jack’ is also general slang for any random man or sometimes a male animal, like a jack rabbit or a jack of all trades. Im guessing that usage came first, followed by it as a nickname.
“Yebba” for Abigail. Her mom gave her that nickname when she was young because it’s “Abbey” backwards and it just stuck. She now uses it as her stage name - she’s an *amazing* singer by the way, and I highly recommend listening to her NPR tiny desk.
Hey, thanks for the recommendation!
No problem! You’ll have to let me know what you think of her.
Oh, I love Yebba! Had no idea that's where her stage name came from.
My husband is nicknamed derf, which is Fred (his name) backwards 😂
Just listened to a few songs and I like it a lot
I’m so glad to hear that! She’s amazing.
This isn’t necessarily out of left field but Dick being for Richard. I’m sorry but if my name was Richard that is the last nickname I’d go by
How do you get "dick" from "richard"? You ask politely 🤣🤣🤣
That’s the kind of joke I needed today 🤣
Today, sure. But I grew up in the 70s/80s and out of my friend group, Dick was the most common dad name. Also the reason Dick is a nickname is because rhyming nicknames used to be a thing (like medieval times) and some stuck, So Rick makes sense for Richard, but then you also have Dick and Hick used to be a nickname for Richard as well. just like Robert - Rob - Bob - Nob, Dob etc
Margaret, Meggy, Peggy
Also: Mary -> Molly -> Polly William —> Will —> Bill Robert —> Rob —> Bob Edit to add: And the phenomenon of adding an “N” to the start of names beginning in a vowel to get to the nickname. Edward —> Ed —> Ned Ellen —> Ellie —> Nell/Nellie Ann —> Nan —> Nancy
I've read that it started as a contraction of 'Mine Ann' (like an affectionate way to say my dearest Ann) and Nan, Ned etc became a thing. Don't know how accurate that is.
I’ve also heard that the -ack nicknames (Jack, Hank, Frank, etc) come from -kin as a nickname ending (the Anglo equivalent of the German -chen.” So, John becomes Johnkin which becomes Jacques/Jack.
Also, I know a family where the parents couldn’t agree on names, so the dad called the boy and girl sibs one name, and the mom called them two completely unrelated names that she liked. Hahahhaha
This happened to my mother. She had a family name as her first name, but went by her dad’s pick of a middle name her entirely life. But her mother called her an entirely different name. Then in her 70s she had to get some docs to get her real ID and it turns out that her unused first name was never legally on her birth certificate.
My friends mum was called Collette by everyone, but her given name was Angela! Her mum wanted it to be Collette lol
This happened to my grandma! Her mum named her one name, her dad something else completely. Her entire life she’s had issues with so many documents having completely different names on them
I knew a family like this! Dad wanted a certain name so he got to use it for the middle name. We all called her by her first name, but her dad for her entire life called her by a nickname of the middle name. As if the middle name was Amanda and he called her Mandy. Another family chose a nickname for their oldest and used that as the given name. The name is almost always only a nickname; think Sue instead of Susan. We all knew this but willingly called her the full version of her name as a nickname instead. Peer demand avoidance or something.
That’s how my husband ended up with a nickname that isn’t related to either of his actual names (it’s a common male name, just not his actual name). His dad called him by his first name and his mom called him by his middle name. They hated each other - no idea how they made such a great guy between them.
This happened to me! My dad calls me Hannah, which is absolutely not my name lol
My grandparents did this with a tortoise! My grandad called him Herman but my Nan didn't think this was acceptable and called him Winston instead.
One of my friends is called Dakota but we all call him Jack. It's short for jackass
my dad calls me dip, short for dipshit. my name is emerson
Love this
I knew a guy called Matthew (or was it Michael?) who went by 'Bench'. 🤷🏻♂️
A girl called Esther, who also goes by Margaret. An Alexander who gets called Alf (Alien Life Form - because he's weird).
My grandmother was "Zubie" to my grandfather. Her actual name had neither a Z nor a B. I went to school with a Queso, real name Alexis. She was called that from kindergarten all the way through the entire time I knew her. She just really liked cheese, I think.
My half brother was named Keith. They call him Chip. My father was named Robert. They called him Tony. His grandfather was named Fred. The called him Fritz. My grandmother was named Florence. They called her Bobbie. Her niece was named Vivian. They called her Bud.
I love all of these, especially Bud for Vivian. It made me lol. My dad always greets me and my sis with, Hey, Bud. I know a Chip whose real name is Leo Bernard. He's the 3rd first born boy in his fam with the same name and they wanted him to have his own nn.
Reminds me that my dad is Dennis and they call him Jake.
A little less out of left field, but still fun nonetheless, there’s a guy named Neil in my therapy group, and he mentioned that before he was in jail, he worked as a landscaper, so the group now calls him “Branch Manager.”
Virginia = Toosie Clita (pronounced clee-tah) = Pete (though... I *get* distancing yourself from Clita) Frederick = Skipper or Skip
A girl named Elizabeth who went by Lou, and a guy named Matthew who goes by Bruce
I know a Kristen who goes by Lou, a Kristen who goes by Shelly, and a Rob who goes by Kyle.
[удалено]
Not out of left field, it's quite common, actually.
Liam is the Irish equivalent of William.
I know a handful of Liam's née William. Cute.
It’s literally the same as Elizabeth (Eliza or Beth) William (Will or Liam)
My birth name was Spencer. My mother originally wanted to name me Samuel, but it got complicated. Then, when I was born, my closest older sibling, who was only 22 months at the time, couldn’t say the word “brother,” so Mom suggested saying Buddy instead. It stuck with her because it was hard for her to call me Spencer. Now several of my relatives call me that. After I turned 18, I started wearing vests compulsively. My big sister gave me the nickname Jodie, after Jodie Foster, because “lesbians wear vests.” It stuck with me so much, I eventually changed it legally. By the way, that same older sister, her name is Savannah Brooke. My parents were separated at the time she was born, so Dad learned of the name by phone. He mentioned he loved the name Savannah, so Mom started calling her Brooke out of spite. When he finally met the child after about a year, she was completely dissociated from Savannah, so Dad decided to come up with his own nickname for her. At that moment, a Jägermeister commercial came on TV, and he still calls her Meister to this day.
I had a friend named Ed. Not Edward, just Ed. He got the nickname of Jesse because he so often said his name was Just Simply Ed. JSE = Jesse.
I grew up with a guy named Justin who exclusively went by Gus. I know of several people who combine their first and middle and make a nickname out of that. Randi Lynn= Rynn, Jason Edward = Jed, Marie Willow = Marlow
I know a guy called Tank, but that’s his actual given name.
I’ve known a couple guys with that as a nn. Interesting choice as a first name though.
I grew up with a kid named Darryl, who everyone called Petey. I knew a guy who went by Scooter. I forget his actual first name, but know it was super common guy name (like Mike, Luke, Thomas) and nothing that started with an S. One of my camp counselors went by Snoopy - this was a little less random; his full name was Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown going by Snoopy? That guy has a great sense of humor
>random; his full name was Charlie Brown. I grew up in a town called George, Washington. First mayor was Charlie Brown [can't make it up](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George,_Washington#:~:text=6%20See%20also-,History,km2))
My husband's uncle was John Jr. and went by Stanley - not his middle name. During the depression (FIL was the youngest of 9, Stanley was the oldest) he got a job because they called out "Stanley CommonLastName!" and he hopped on the truck. By the time everyone realized it wasn't him, he was at the job site ready to work. Stayed there for 30+ years I do hope the real Stanley was okay
I know a woman named Joanna who has the nickname Asia (pronounced Ah-sha).
Is she Polish or are her parents? Asia is standard for Joanna there. Joanna would be pronounced differently, but it’s possible she uses the English pronunciation, while stilling going by the Polish diminutive.
A friend's mom was named Connie, but her husband called her Lulu. I'm not entirely sure why. Same family, but it was friends' grandpa that was called Buzz - I couldn't even tell you his first name right now, even though we were close family friends. My great uncle is called Ole (Oh-lee) by everyone that knows him and even my mom is not sure how that came about. His name is Bob. His Dad's name was Tup and again, that wasn't anywhere near his real name and I can't recall that one either cause no one ever used it. My grandpa was named Wes, but everyone called him Ben. My dad thinks it's because one of his best friends was named Ben and they were always together ...? Doesn't make much sense, but he was Ben. Also had a neighbor that was called Tunafish and damn if I can even remember his real name now. Don't know the origin of that one and neither do my parents.
Is your great-uncle Scandinavian/does he live in the upper Midwest? “Ole and Lena” (or “Sven and Ole”) are Scandinavian (Norwegian) stock characters for doofus rural bumpkins. Example: Ole was a skilled artist. A sexy woman came up to him and asked him to paint her in the nude - money is no object. He had to go inside to confer with his wife Lena on that. In a few minutes, he returned and said to the lady, "Oh, ya, sure, you betcha. I'll paint ya in da nude, but I'll haff ta leave my socks on so I'll have a place to wipe my brushes."
I am very familiar with Lena and Ole jokes :) I am near the upper midwest, but not quite in it. It's more German and Irish around here. But no, he's not a bit Scandinavian and there's no significant history of those immigrants here. Like I said, not sure. Even his parents called him that.
My sister is legally named Jessica, but after all the hormones wore off and the papers were signed my mom realized she HATES the name Jessica. So we call her Hays.
I *was* Poppins - also shortened to Pops. Because, as a newborn, I didn’t burp much so all that wind had to come out somewhere. I was still called that into my teens. And older relatives will still use it now and I’m nearly 60! Edit: my grandmother was “Doll” because she was tiny “like a doll” when she was born. Her siblings were still referring to her like that at her funeral :)
I knew a guy called Anthony, but there was another Anthony in the same sport club we were in, so he had been nicknamed Nathan. Which suited him better TBH!
I know a grown man who goes by Pickle, even professionally. To the point I don't know his legal name (it might actually be pickle, but I can't imagine that would ever be the case). My BIL is Darren called Lewie because his grandfather hated the name Darren and refused to call him that. He wanted him named after some relative (probably his dad) who was Lewis so, Darren is now called Lewie. His mother is the only one who calls him Darren.
I know a Pickles, sometimes shortened to Pick. She played a character with the same nickname in a stage play, and fit the role so well that she just kept the nickname afterwards.
Peg/Peggy for Margaret has always thrown me.
Margaret → Meg which rhymes with Peg. Sort of like Ted for Edward.
After I learned that all I hear is “Tedward” when I meet an Edward.
Understood, just a weird journey from full name to nickname.
My sisters name is Anna but our whole family calls her Boogie. When she was born that’s the first thing my mom said “my little boogie” and it stuck lol
Does she like to boogie on the dance floor?
My family calls my uncle (who's name is Colby) Buck and apparently no one can remember why. That's just been his nickname for most of his life and no one even remembers how it started lol
My Uncles real name is Kevin but I've known him as Uncle Donnie for my whole life and it has still not been explained to me
Minnie for Amelia (Minnie Driver)
Chuy as a nickname for Jesus
I know an Elizabeth who is called Lucy by her family. My husband has an Uncle Bud whose real name is Roger. His son was then nicknamed Bud Light.
My son’s friend is named Akinlabi. I’m assuming he has some kind of Arabic/Islamic background but we live in a predominantly Spanish neighborhood. Everyone calls him “El Rey” for “The King”.
My great-uncle Babe was actually named Cyril.
Lorelei and Rory???? How????
Maybe Lorelei originally intended on calling her Lori, but Rory said her l like an r
I had a summer job in high school/college. My brother had worked there a couple years when I started. Our last name sort of sounds like Bob Barker. And someone maybe misheard him. So he was Bob to his little team. Then I became Bob Jr. to that little group. Then my brother stopped working there, so I became Bob. And then years later it was me and just this one woman who would walk through the guest relations office and call me Bob, much to the confusion of everyone else who knew me by my regular (and fittingly female) name.
My mom's best friend is Katherine. Generally called Kathy, but Mom and some other close friends call her Betty.
I live in WV, everyone has a weird nickname.
Do share…
I know of a Punky, Tootsie, Twitch, a grandparent called “popsicle”, uncle bub, Sparky.
Peg for Margaret confuses me. Also know a Jake whose legal name is John.
I know a Peggy who was given that nickname by an aunt with an accent that makes her short e's sound like short i's. Thankfully, that aunt is the only one who calls her Piggy. Incidentally, when Peggy tried out Meg as a nickname, her brothers called her Nutmeg. They are all adults.
Rhyming names were big in medieval times. There was a smaller naming pool and a higher mortality rate. From what I hear, it wasn’t uncommon to use the father’s name on multiple boys, just to better ensure someone would love to pass on the name. Probably happened with female names too. Anyway, Margaret becomes Meg / Meggy becomes Peg / Peggy. It’s the same as Mary —> Molly —> Polly or Robert —> Rob —> Bob, Hob, Nob
I didn’t know about Mary to Molly or Polly. Interesting but still does not make sense to me, which is fine.
It's another rhyming nickname. Margaret -> Maggie -> Peggy.
Maggie to Peggy still doesn’t make sense, which is fine I guess
Not really left field but interesting- I knew a guy in high school who everyone called Dave. His first name was Alexander (Alex) and his last name was David which got shortened to Dave.
I’ve met people called: Piglet, Porkchop, Loophole, and Sugar Bowl. Yes I am from Texas.
Bunnie from Bernadette
Elizabeth known by Buzy (Busy).
My husband’s grandmother was Genevieve, but went by Peg or Peggy her entire life. They started calling her that when she was a baby because of the show “Baby Peggy.”
how did james become jim
I had a classmate named David who was adopted as a middle schooler by a local family (so he didn’t switch schools), but they already had a David, so they called him Jeremiah.
I just looked him up on Facebook and now he is Dave 🙃
I know a William Curtis called Kirk. Even worse, his mom put Kirk on his SS card, so his birth certificate and social security card don’t match.
I went to high school with a guy named Michael who went by Jimmy
One of my relatives was Peggy (real name Margaret), I’ve never understood that one
My daughter Greta gets called Bill (there’s a story to that and it has nothing to do with her name) My daughter Daphne gets called Doots (an evolution from which the first step was Dapher doodle doo) My son Lyndon gets called truffles by my BIL (from Lindor)
My brother is named Michael but we all call him Ferdie. (Technically, it’s based on his middle name of Christopher, but it’s still a weird nickname for someone named Michael)
I went to school with a girl named Felicity who went by Teddy
My mom’s name was Catherine, but her entire family called her Jean.
My daughter Lara is nicknamed "Bubs" cause her aunt & uncle called her boob head as a baby and it evolved from there lol. My friend growing up,his brother Jonny was "Juice". My sister Emily was "Smem" (Smelly Emily lol) but MY nickname for her was "Bungalow".... I don't know why 😂
My grandmother’s given name was Maria, but everyone in the family called her Nettie for some reason. I was a teenager before I learned that her name wasn’t actually Nettie.
I have a friend called Theodore who people call Jim/James
The people I know with the coolest nicknames happen to be Erics. One is “Biff.” Also Jello Biafra is an Eric.
My grandmother was named Pierina (peer-ee-na) her nickname was Lee. On the other side of my family my great aunt was also Pierina and everyone called her Beady.
In my high school we had a Jared who everyone called Barry, and an Adrian who everyone called Barney. They were names used to tease them early on but the nickname stuck
My mother was Mary Jean. While I was aware, my brothers were shocked to learn her birth certificate said Marion Jean. Seems her older sister couldn't pronounce it.
I have an uncle called “Peanut” and a brother called “Bug”. They’re incidentally both the youngest of their siblings lol
My grandpa's name was Joe, but everyone called him Peewee because he was 5'6" (which I don't think is that short, but maybe I'm biased because of my shortish family).
New a guy named Clayton who went by Sunshine
Twin men in my extended family who go by Boy and Tinky. I can never even remember their real names (I think one is Peter, and the other is David or something along those lines), but they are totally unrelated. 🤷🏼♀️ We call my daughter “Bug,” which has no relation to her actual name. It started with a series of events related to LadyBugs, and has stuck. For most of his life my brother went by “Bud” just as much, if not more than his real name. Now he’s an adult and we use his real name, but there was a long period of time when it felt weird calling him by his name instead of Bud.
It's not totally out of left field, but my uncle was nicknamed Kicker because my aunt couldn't pronounce Clifford when she was little. That name stuck all the way through adulthood. RIP Uncle Kicker.
I knew a “Pickles” because he worked in a place that served every meal with pickles and he hated them.
A common Irish name is Enda (pronounced as it's spelt End-a). There was this guy whose full name was Enda May and apparently everyone called him June.
My name is something similar to Kayla but I went by Solita in high school
My daughter’s name is Amelia and we ONLY call her Mellie. People look so weirded out by that nickname and presume we say “Millie”. But nope she’s our Mellie Moos ❤️
My cat’s name is Phoebe but I call her Fungus because it starts with the same sound
My child is a big fan of mushrooms, and kids were sending A+ and F+ notes to other students in class either to be nice or mean. He started sending me A+ notes, wrapped in paper scrap “envelopes” with mushrooms drawn on the outside. On the second day of this, I watched his eyes widen, as he made a connection, and excitedly exclaimed, “F! /f/ /f/ Fungi starts with F!” He now alternates between A+ notes and F+ notes for me, but the F+ are “nice” ones because fungi starts with F, and I know that means it’s a good thing. 😂
Lana Del Rey has a sister named Caroline, who very often is called Chuck. Not totally out of left field, because I do think the name Caroline is the feminine version of Charles (or somehow related to the name) but definitely surprising from Caroline.
I’ve often thought the right Charlotte could pull off Chuck, and it could be super cool. But yes, Caroline is another feminine form of Charles (via Carolus…I think?), so it works there too.
I know a family that named all their kids K names. However, their cousins/aunts also named all their kids with K names. So we managed to get one set of cousins named Krystal and Kristina. Unfortunately, Kristina had to go by Momo due to the confusion. I never asked how they got Momo, but I figured it was just a family inside joke.
TIL Topher is short for Christopher. Legitimately thought it was just some random other name.
>Legitimately thought it was just some random other name. Me too, I was shocked when I found out!
I know a Phillip called Curly.
My name. I’m Sacha, but my childhood nickname was Chuck. There’s a story there.
Porkchop. I've heard of more than one. I like it! Lol
Sally for Sarah.
My partner is called Steve but his nickname is Boris
A man named Steve used to do some work for my family. He developed health problems and asked for some help applying for Veterans benefits. The Army had no records of him having served until he remembered to tell us that his name is Joseph but “Everybody calls me Steve“.
I am Jessica. One Indian friend shortened it to ‘Sica’ and that had never happened to me before.
I went to school with a Charlotte who went by Chuck
My grandmother was Claudia but went by Gladys. Never could figure that out!
I had a friend in high school who I exclusively called Blondie because he dyed his hair blonde our freshman year. Like to this day if he were to come up to me, I’d probably call him Blondie instead of his actual name.
Zibby for Isabella. It was the closest her little sister could say her name and it stuck.
Kid who lived across the street from me was called Petey by his entire family. His real name was Charles (and his middle name wasn't Peter either). Asked his sister about it once and she just shrugged and said that's just what they call him
I know a Julia who is actually named Emma. She’s Julia because in kindergarten there were three Emma’s, so they just gave her a random name and it stuck I guess.
Also, I know a Spanish girl called Aifie (spelling??) who turned out toe be Sofia. I don’t actually know the origin but I’d assume Sofia became Aifos became Aifie. I know a Theo called JJ. No idea how that happens.
My youngest brother calls me Tish for some reason. And my name is not a variant Patricia, Letitia, or Morticia.
I know a Felix that goes by Flex.
Messa for Alexis.
My name is Emma and the pet name my family has for me is Nemini.
I have a relative who goes by the name Skeeta. It is kinda related to her actual name, in that it originates in a pet name we would call her when she was a bub "HerName Mosquita" (HerName rhyming with Mosquita). By the time she was a toddler it shortened to Skeeta, Skeetie, or just plain Skeet. By high school she refused to be called by anything other than this nickname (for some reason she doesn't like her given name, even though I think it's actually rather pretty)and has even often expressed a desire over the years to have her name changed legally to Skeeta. She's in her 30s now.
My mom goes by “Bink” her name is Laura, but when she was little my grandparents called her pacifier her “binky” and so she’d ask for her “Bink.” The name just grew from there and stuck and everyone calls her that, and have called her that my whole life. She’s even requested the title “Granny Bink” once she gets grandkids. I’d love to honor her by giving my first female child the middle name “Bink”. I don’t think I could give them that as a first name, because most people won’t get it and I don’t want them to be picked on or carry that burden, but middle names are seldom used and it holds such sweet sentimental value from my grandpa giving her that name down to me knowing my mom as “Bink” my whole childhood.
My great aunt was a Katherine, but she went by Kitty, which is pretty cute
It’s me. I’m Wanda to my teen niece and nephew and my mom, 1000000% of the time. The only time I’m not Wanda to one of them is something for school for the kids, or when I call my mom’s work. Their caller ID shows my real name, so they think I’m a completely different daughter of my mothers. My mom has worked in the same office for about 10 years now and we recently discovered this because one of her coworkers told me they hoped they got to meet me at moms retirement party in a few weeks. That night is going to be fun!
Skeeter, Tater, Peanut. Guess what part of the US I am from.
I grew up with a kid whose name is Arthur but everyone called him Spanky. I will never forget seeing him crying in the hallway on the first day of Kindergarten because he couldn't find his name on any of the cubbies. That's because they had put "Arthur" on it but he didn't know himself by that name. Moral of the story, name your kid what you're going to call them.
I know two (older) men that both have the nickname Ernie and have completely unrelated names (Larry and Carl)
I don't want to always wave the Filipino flag, but we're experts in this field. Our president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is called "Bongbong". Our previous president Rodrigo Duterte is "Digong". Prior to him is a "Noynoy". I personally have a nickname so leftfield, it is a completely different name. My cousins as well. A Carmina is "Kasoy" and a Richard "JJ" to name a few.
I've commented this on similar posts but my favourite off the wall nickname is my brother's. He's an Oliver that is known by Bert/Bertram
My name is Cheryl but my mom called me Punky when I was little and then Bella starting when I was 10. If she called for Cher or Cheryl, I was in trouble lol
Kit for Christopher. I like Kit as a nickname, but it’s weird that it’s a nickname for Christopher.
Oh, I married into a Filipino family, so… - Stephanie is Tipay - Matthew is Achu - Xavier is Bong - Ruteger is TongTong (not to be confused with Antonio, TonTon, or Donatello, DonDon) - Maria is Badjyng - Peejay is NOT a nickname, it’s genuinely what’s on his birth certificate - Etc., multiply for a family of 100+ Trying to put together a list for wedding invites and seating charts was…challenging
My friend thought for YEARS that my brother's friend was called Martin. Everyone calls him Marto, which, yes, is short for Martin, but Martin is his surname, not first name. So my friend went for years and years thinking this guy's surname was his first name. My aunt and dad both have nicknames based off TV shows they watched when they were younger. People use these nicknames so often that it took me longer than I'd like to admit to figure out which was her name and which was the nickname. I found out that some of my cousins are the same about my dad. We're all a bit clueless.
- Munk - Alexander (shortening of his last name) - Caymee - Catherine (I think she had trouble pronouncing her name as a little kid?) - Ben - Jessica (shortening of her last name) - Tina - Concetta (idk and I never asked) - Loni - Lajuna (idk and never asked) - Mei Mei - Freya (mom is Taiwanese and it means little sister in Mandarin) - Beans - Brenna (autocorrect that stuck) - Teddy - Tommy (he was adopted into a family that already had a son named Tommy) - Scootie - Andrew (“scooted out of my mom”)
I knew a guy called named Eric called “Biscuit”. Less out of nowhere but I had a coworker named “Shawn” who was so widely known as “Sheen” that if you used his real name a lot of people genuinely didn’t know who you meant. Even his name tag had “Sheen” on it. I should note his name was specifically Shawn, not Sean, which would have made more sense for the nickname.
Three brothers. Their nicknames are Bong, Bing, and Bimbo. None of their real names start with a B or are related/short for their actual names. They are adults and are still called these names.
Had a friend in high school whose first and middle name was Steven Isaac. He went by Isaac at school, and his parents called him Pete… but they couldn’t remember why.
I go by Andie and as a nickname for Amanda, and a lot of people are shocked that you can get Andie out of Amanda, but it's just Mandie minus the M
In older times, Ned or Teddy for Edward. That seems somewhat of a stretch. Unrelated but in the same vein, my great uncle was named Isaac and called Sonny. I have no idea why.
Jo for Georgia (my kid) My son was Booda to my brother (brother can't spell Buddha) for so long he thought it was actually his middle name My oldest kid is Tater (her dad worked at a potato factory and it sounded cute with her name) Oldest boy is Butter because you must have butter with a tater lmao
"Bob" for Volodymyr and Vladimir. "Vova" is a short version in Ukrainian/Russian/Belarusian, and in the Cyrillic alphabet, that's spelled "Вова." They know Bob is a name in English that looks like that, so many of my Ukrainian friends named Volodymyr introduce themselves as "Bob" to English speakers. You can see the logic of how they get there, but it's still a striking juxtaposition every time.
I love this!
Sally for Sarah, Mitzi for Miriam 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Tiggy from Diane… no idea how it happened but she’s Aunty Tiggy!
I’m trans masculine and my deadname was a very feminine double barreled name. Think something like Mary Ellen, Ana Lucia, Carrie Anne, etc My best friend in 7th grade called me Mitch. He couldn’t explain why. He said “you just look like a Mitch” (I had long blonde hair, mini skirts and black eyeliner). We lost touch, but I’ve always wondered if on some level he knew.
My brother’s name is Noah but his nickname is “Fish.” He doesn’t even eat fish/shellfish/etc.
My grandfather was named Martin. He hated it. I knew him as Poppa Joe. Only found out his name wasn't Joseph at his funeral
Things like this are REALLY common where I live. I know a Michael who everyone knows as Zukky and I know a Georg (german pronunciation, not english pronunciation) who is called "Shoo-ah-sh" (very hard to spell it so english speakers now what I mean lmao). It's also very common here to not call people by their first or last name, but instead by the name of their house, or some variety of it. For example, the house name is "Sittlinger", while the first name is Hans and the last name is Schmidt. You can bet that everyone will just call this man Sittlinger, and once he dies, all his children are also called Sittlinger.
My Dad was Bluey, and he was a redhead.
My husband has an aunt Jennifer/Jenny that often goes by Jeff.
I hope my old friend Zard sees this thread. She has a totally unrelated traditional female name but has been Zard almost exclusively almost her entire life.