What's in a name/nickname?

[gvox]

Ok, something that occurred on another thread has got me thinking..(oh no, the crowd shrieks...lol)

I haven't been called Gabe in quite a while. A little history here: my parents named me Gabriel for it's deep spritual connotation. I suppose they hoped that I would live up to it someday. At school and on the playground tho, when I was younger, I HATED my name. I would be teased to no end about it, being called names like Gab, Gabby, Gabriella, Gay, Gaylord, Gaybe, etc etc, you know kids, if there is a vicious way to mangle someone's name, they'll come up with it.

For the longest time I hated to even see my name in print. I would write G. and my last name on anything I printed. Then as I got into the higher grades in high school, and kids started to mature, especially the girls who thought my name was kinda cute and 'sexy', so I got more used to it and eventually grew to like the way it rolled off the tongue: Gabriel...

At the same time my personal spirituality was deepening and growing (notably, in direct proportion to the further I got away from organized religion), and I grew to love my name and what it meant to my relationship with my Creator. Then of course, being called "Gabe" became demeaning to me, as it was a kid nickname to me and to me diminished the much larger meaning of Gabriel. So I formed quite an aversion to being called "Gabe".

Ok, now, and this is not to flame anyone in particular, I just want to open the topic up for personal thoughts:

- is it acceptable/polite/whatever to call someone by a nickname when the have never introduced themselves to you as such?

- how much do you like/dislike your name? Why? Do you know what it means?

- Do you prefer a nickname or do you prefer your full name?

I know I'm opening myself up here to a good number of funny comments based on the screennames we all go by, but hopefully some thoughtful discourse can come of it?

Gabriel
oops "Gabe" LOL

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"...well the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister!"
BTBS, Rattle and Hum

 

[Sicy]

I see.

Well.. my name is Christine and when people call me Chris, I dont like it.

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Sexy poshin' sugar snarlin' rock and roll ...
sicy@interference.com
My Lair

 

[U2_IRELAND]

My name is Peter but most people call me Pete and I don't mind alough most of my mates also call me Shotgun I don't care what you call me as long as it's nice

 

[cloudimani]

letters usually...
*runs*

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Love is a very powerful thing. There's nothing more radical than two people loving each other. When I talk about love I'm thinking of an unselfish love. Emotions can be bought and sold just like anything else, but I think real love is about giving and not expecting anything in return...I think that love stands out when set against struggle.
-Bono (on love in 'War')

?*~darkcloud~*?

 

[gvox]

Originally posted by Sicy:
I see.

Well.. my name is Christine and when people call me Chris, I dont like it.

Sicy I hope that's not a 'mad' type smilie?? Please?

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Hey Gabriel, I?ve always loved that name. One of my younger cousins is named that not to mention that my best friend and her husband and I all sat around with books trying to come up with boy names for their son before he was born and we all liked Gabriel so much that they decided to name him that. Gabriel Vincent (after Van Gogh). But his mother is VERY adamant that no one call him ?Gabey? or anything cutesy like that. (Actually, I don?t even think she likes him being called Gabe). In any case, I?ve always thought it was a great name.

Regarding screen names, I?ve used sulawesigirl for so long that it feels totally natural to be referred to as ?sula?. Kinda weird, but there it is. My ?real? name is Bethany and I?ve always kind of cringed at it. It?s just not one of those exotic-sounding names. (How many movies or books have you seen/read where the heroine is named Bethany?

) But I definitely prefer my full name to the ?Beth? nickname that is often bestowed on me. Somehow Beth just sounds?I dunno?plainer? lol. As a kid, I used to get a chuckle out of finding my name in the Bible (?and then Jesus went to Bethany where he visited Mary and Martha??) and highlighting it. Made me feel famous or something.

I think the word means ?house of God? or something to that effect?a derivative of Bethel.

All in all though, there are few nicknames that I am adamantly opposed to. I will answer to Beth if people are happier using it. I?ve also gone by Bethy, Beffers, Bet, and even Anne (my friend thot it would be fun to use the last part of the name rather than the first part. lol).

-sula

 

[guaca]

So Gabriel - does that mean you prefer Gabriel or Gabe.

For me I like to call people by their proper names - that's just me. If I call my daughter Elisabeth, I expect her to be called Elizabeth, not Liz, Lizzy, Beth or any other name. Most people remark when I speak to them that they find I'm the only one that calls them that etc. If they specifically asked to be called something different then I would respect those wishes.

As for revealing my true name, I can't do that because if I did, I'd have to run away and hide....

 

[gvox]

Sula thanks for your kind words!

I think, if I'm not mistaken, your family is from Indonesia? I've found that in many other cultures for instance French, Spanish, even in the Phillipines Gabriel is actually a common and respected name. Have you noticed that?

And Bethany is not a bad one at all, whaddya mean??

You certainly have alot more possibility for adult-sounding nicknames than I do!

 

[gvox]

Originally posted by WhackaMole:
So Gabriel - does that mean you prefer Gabriel or Gabe.

HA! LOL...I'll whack-a-mole you, you...heh heh..

Your screen name kills me..every time I see it I think of the amusement park game where you try to bonk as many groudhogs on the head as possible...LOL.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

since birth i've had the nickname katie, which i like a lot. however, my real name is mary catherine (yes, katie with a k, catherine with a c

) and i hate it. i was named after my grandmothers mary dorothy and laura catherine. once people found out my full name (mary i don't mind, but i hate catherine) people called my cat, cathy, etc. and i haaaaaaaate those names. oh, and people will call me kate, as if katie isn't a short enough of a name. and even worse now, people stupidly ask me if my last name is gallagher. haha, real funny

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i like the highlife and the lowlife. it's just the bit in between i find boring.
ME! all day, every day!
"...a poptart in pants..." -- elizabeth

 

[sulawesigirl4]

Just telling it like I see it, Gabriel.

And actually my family is American but lived in Indonesia for 13+ years (my parents were missionaries). But yes, I have found that the name is more common in other cultures. Indeed, some of the parents in the new church at our village named their kids anything from ?Kenan? (their version of Canaan) to January! Hehe. Of course, Bethany isn?t a name that Indonesians can pronounce since they don?t use a ?th? in their language, so I?ve been Bett-ah-ny for much of my life.

 

[ouizy]

almost all my friends call me ouizy, although that is not my name. They also call me ouiz-o, ouiz-a-licious, ouizy, and sometimes shamoo...

 

[AM]

my best friend christianed her little boy Gabr?el Camilo. I love that name. It sounds really nice.

My real name is Antje and because it?s a german name, but I?m icelandic, noone knows how to pronounce it. So I usually get quite a few versions of it every day.

But I never got a real nickname

Always wanted one though

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"The bass player's got it. The bass player's fucking got it." Bono, Boston 6-9-01

 

[BAW]

My parents wanted a boy, so when I was born a girl they decided to name me after my father anyway and Charlene was closest to Charles they could get. My full name is Charlene Christine Carlson, keeping with the Carlson tradition of CCC initials...

I was called CeCe as a baby but my mom hated it and I've been called Char ever since. I HATED my name in grade school because I was either called Charlotte or Carlene or kids would tease me and call me Cher. The worst was when they would find out that I had a sister named Bonnie and then I would get called Clyde, as in Bonnie and Clyde.

I don't hate my name anymore and I don't mind if people call me Char right away because Charlene is kind of hard to remember.

I try not call other people by a nickname unless I know them very well or I am very sure that they don't mind. If someone signs an email with a nick name or shortened version, I have no problem using it.

I have a sister in law who insists on calling a family member by marriage "Kat" when her name is Katherine and we have heard NO ONE call her Kat, ever. I think its really rude to do that but she doesn't see it that way.

 

[bono-vox]

Im called Laura but my mum calls me lara every now and then and sometimes lara mullens (after mr mullen jnr)..now my friends have started calling me lara, lady lara, girlie and everyone else calls me laura....i dont really care about my name except my b/f calls me HONEY *mad face* i hate that word....well hes kinda stopped now hes moved onto babes

 

[404 Not Found]

hi gabriel,
well usually when i first meet someone who has a name that can be nicknamed, i'll either go by whatever they are introduced to me as, or i will ask them if they go by their full name or the nickname. i know it bugs the crap out of some people to not be called by their proper name.

my dad claims they chose my name because it was short and easy to remember. i hope he's kidding but i'm not sure he is!

i've never had a nickname, never needed one but always secretly wished i had one. oh well, such is life.

 

[u2loopy]

Well, my real name is Lucia. My friends and family call me Lucy though. Only in formal instances like work, or school do I go by my full name but it is quite annoying because alot of people constantly mispronounce it.

It's pronounced Lu-chi-a. But everyone calls me Lusha (Like the island of St. Lucia)or Lucy-a.

My employer is one of those people who takes it upon himself to constantly mispronounce your name EVEN THOUGH he knows the proper way to say it. grrrrrrr

As far as a nickname, you guessed it-Loopy it is.

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What are we going to do now It's all been said,
No new ideas in the house and Every book has been read....

[This message has been edited by u2loopy (edited 05-16-2002).]

 

[meegannie]

Good topic! To answer your questions:

I usually call people by their full names, even when everyone else doesn't, especially when I haven't known them very long. I don't know why, really. I guess I just feel weird calling someone by a nickname when I don't know them that well. It's not really a concious decision, so I don't know why I do it. But I NEVER call someone by nickname they've never introduced themselves that way, unless it's a good friend and I'm joking.

My name is Megan, and I used to absolutely hate it. I've always loved my middle name (Serena), though. In the past fews years, I've grown to really like my name, but I can't stand it when people misspell it (Meghan, Meagan, Meaghan....)

I like what my name means (the Welsh version of Margaret, Greek for "pearl"), and I like the way it looks written.

I don't really care how people pronounce my name (Megg-an, May-gan, etc.), and I don't care what people call me, as long as it's not mean, and as long as they don't call me by my last name. That's one thing I've never been able to stand because I don't like my last name at all. Even my first and last name alone kind of bothers me, so I always write my full (including middle) name, or at least put my middle initial in there.



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A song is a beautiful lie

 

[superjoethadmexx]

i like gaberial...every spiritual...i aint never hurd noone make fun of that name either...but my goverment name is joseph...and nicknames dont bother me as long as ur just playin and not trying to be hurtful...i think when someone gives u a nickname, to me their doing on of two things..1)accepting u as a friend or 2)trying to undermind u...as for me...ive had to many to rember...but all have been given to me by friends so i dont care...untill someone tries to nagtively name me, it wont bother me...

 

[U2girl]

Do you mean usernames or real names or both?

My real name is Maja (pronounced Maya - or Mya like the R6B singer), people that know me call me that. There's also an affectionate version Majci (i'm not even gonna try to tell you how that's pronounced) that my Mum and Grandmas use sometimes.
Don't think it has any special meaning, though i once read Maja was a name of an ancinent goddess (sort of Mother Earth figure).
People that don't know me personally (like a salesman in a store for example) mostly use Slovene equivalent to the word "girl" or "miss" when addressing me.
The funniest part is like when i get mail and the sender safely goes with the Slovene equivalent of the word "madam". (feels as if i was 40 or something! LOL)

As for U2girl... just popped into my mind when i signed up and it kind of stuck with me since then. Got shifted to U2g, U2girlie, U2chickadee too!
I dunno - some people also like to use my real name here.

OK, to answer your question:
- i think it's ok to call someone by their nickname if they let you
- i like my name

(see earlier in the post for the meaning, but i wasn't named after the goddess)
- i don't really have a nickname, i guess i'd probably like both the name and the nickname.



[This message has been edited by U2girl (edited 05-16-2002).]

 

[ghetofabu]

Well my name is Jennifer. It was the most common name given to girls in 1978. When I introduce myself to people I say my name is Jennifer. When people want to know how to address me I just say Jennifer or jen. I don't really mind either way. 99% of people call me Jen. It is odd to hear people call me Jennifer when they are addressing me because no one ever does. There are only three people who I allow/allowed to call me Jenny and that is my mothers parents and my late grandfather. I don't know why but I get kind of upset if someone calls me that, and I ask them not to. My dad calls me jenabugs sometimes. He did more so when I was a kid. But still does when he is happy so see me when I come home to visit or when I am not doing well and I call him and he says "What's a matter Jenabugs"? It makes me smile.


Oh and I think Gabriel is a really good name. I have always liked it. I have a close cousin who has that name. We all call him gabe and his mother (my dads older sister) calls him by his full name when she is pissed at him. He also has a really cool middle name. Khan. As in Ganges Khan. We all think that is funny.

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When life hands you a lemon, say "Oh yeah, I like lemons. What else you got?" --Henry Rollins

 

[ghetofabu]

Originally posted by superjoethadmexx:
i like gaberial...every spiritual...i aint never hurd noone make fun of that name either...but my goverment name is joseph...and nicknames dont bother me as long as ur just playin and not trying to be hurtful...i think when someone gives u a nickname, to me their doing on of two things..1)accepting u as a friend or 2)trying to undermind u...as for me...ive had to many to rember...but all have been given to me by friends so i dont care...untill someone tries to nagtively name me, it wont bother me...

hhmmmmm maybe some one gave you the nickname 'Super Joe the Dirty Mexican'???? maybe???

 

[superjoethadmexx]

yo chick foley...i like super joe the dirty mexican...cause its part correct, cause im only part mexican....its a step up from my past names...egor, k-dogg,lofies,and lofers...ur jsut mad cause u aint got a cool nickname....

 

[oliveu2cm]

Funny that you mention this Gabriel because I was going to comment in another thread how I loved the name Gabriel, or Gabe. seems like I'm not the only one, either!

Anyway I was given a nickname at birth and I don't mind if people call me by my real name or nickname, but most people I know use my nic.

As far as "interference nics" go
- in Vegas my friend from home who came with asked me if she should be concerned that everyone was calling me "olive"

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Took you to a place now you can't get back

*U2 Take Me Higher*

 

[Screaming Flower]

Originally posted by U2girl:
My real name is Maja (pronounced Maya - or Mya like the R6B singer

i did not know this. i think i pronounced it differently in my head.

 

[80sU2isBest]

oops, Gabriel, that was me. Didn't mean anything by it. Sorry.

 

[kobayashi]

my name is dave so, umm...yeah.

 

[oliveu2cm]

On a related note, why do some fans insist on calling Bono "Paul Hewson" , either in trying to get his attention or instead of just saying Bono? Everyone knows he doesn't like it..

 

[cass]

I got off lightly I think...childhood years nickname "Smiley" teenage years "Peach Blossom".


It's funny when I go back to my home town and see the people that I grew up with, I tend to call them by their nicknames. But we are all older now and most of them go by their given names. It can be a blast from the past for some ppl to hear their old nicknames. To me Mark IS "bat", Peter is "spot" Ken is "mouse" Michael is "meggsy" etc.
I have 2 old school friends who called their sons Gabriel.Nice name.I prefer my full name to the abbreviated version. but being an Aussie, most people either shorten your name or stick an "o" on the end of it. e.g. Tom-Tommo, Rob-Robbo.
My eldest sister (10 year older than me)is the only person who calls me Pammy. I only see her about every 5 years and when she says that...warm fuzzies

But it has to be her, no one else, I think because she looked after me so much when I was little.
My net handle,
Cass O'Wary....endangered Australian bird

PS: not every one knew that olive. I just read a quote about that from Bono recently.Humble apologies.



[This message has been edited by cass (edited 05-16-2002).]

 

[notiti]

Originally posted by sulawesigirl4:
(How many movies or books have you seen/read where the heroine is named Bethany?

)

Sula - Dogma's heroine was named Bethany.
But to continue with the topic at hand, I personally have no preference as to which name of mine is used. Usually I go by my nick name - Nora. It's easy,everyone knows it, it's cool. I am not *techincally* a Nora though, I'm an Eleanor. Now I think Eleanor is a great name, and I was named after Eleanor of Aquatain who was a phenominal lady so that's cool too. but I think Eleanor is just a bit much for a young lady such as myself. In classes, I go by my formal name alot just because I don't care enough to tell the professors to call me Nora. This usually results in a fair ammount of confusion on the part of kids I meet in class later though, because they all call me Eleanor and if they run into my friends then they get confused. Then they always ask which one to use, and the answer is still frankly my dear I don't give a damn. A noti by any other name would kick as much ass. That's what I think at any rate..



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