by Brian G.
When we are born, we are given a name. That name identifies us when speaking with people, it separates us from others, and it is something you are always referred to by. But what happens if you are not the biggest fan of your given name? What if you think it is too long or too short? What if you wanted to completely change it? Create a nickname!
A nickname is a name that some people use instead of their real name. Oftentimes, it is a shortened or altered version of their original name. This could include ‘Jack’ instead of ‘Jackson,’ ‘Bri’ instead of ‘Brianna,’ and ‘Will’ instead of ‘William.’
A lot of Duxbury High School students go by nicknames instead of their original names. “Nate,” instead of Nathan, for senior Nate L, “Luke,” instead of Lucius, for sophomore Luke S, “Delby” instead of Jon, for senior Delby L, “Sawyer” instead of William for Senior Sawyer E, “Jeb” instead of John for Senior Jeb S, “Luza” instead of Anthony for Junior Luza I, and “Burger” instead of Bridget for Junior Burger Carney. But there are many, many more nicknames that are used throughout the school!
But why use a nickname? Well, there are many reasons. The most obvious reason would be because the nickname is a shortened version of one’s full name.
“I use ‘Nate’ as my nickname because it is a shortened version of my normal name. Over time, it just kinda developed from a bunch of people using it,” said Senior Nate L.
However, there are other reasons too. Sometimes, a nickname develops from a sports team and how/what a student performed/did on the team. An example would be going by “Speedy” instead of “Adam.”
Also, a nickname can actually come from a middle name. This is certainly the case for Senior Delby L. “I think the nickname ‘Delby’ came from my parents. My middle name is ‘Delbert’ and my parents started using the shortened version of it, then everyone else started using it too, so it developed into my normal name over time,” said senior Delby L.
Oftentimes, a person will go by their middle name instead of their first name. Let’s say your name is “Joseph Lawrence Smith” but you go by Larry. This would be an example of the middle name change nickname.
A name is a way to identify yourself and to distinguish yourself from others. A nickname is a neat way to change how someone would refer to you in a way that you would prefer. There are a lot of different nicknames and types of nicknames, so running out of creative ways to identify yourself will never become a problem.
The Dragon Flyer 