Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Nicknames

I've had several nicknames during my life, just like most people do. A nickname can be a shortened name, an adjective to describe someone, or simply a name derived from a moment in time.

When I was born, my fraternal grandfather nicknamed me Peanut, because I was little. He later gave all of his grandchildren a nickname, and it seemed like most of them fit my cousins quite well. My maternal grandfather nicknamed me Bo when, as a small child, I mispronounced "Papaw" and instead called him Peep. (Get it? Bo and Peep?)

When I was a little older, my aunt called me Jamerson Jones. I've no idea where that originally came from, but it was a play on my name Jami, and so it was.

When I was in high school, a few friends called me Jamles (pronounced Jay'mulls); once again, it was another play on my name.

A bookmark that a friend made for me.
Then a few years ago, there was a lady who worked in our local library who never could pronounce my name. My name is pronounced just like someone named Jamie or Jaime, but that lady could never make the connection. Instead, she pronounced my name like Jammy (like jam). After some of my friends knew that story, they changed the nickname to Jammers, and so now it's stuck.

Isn't it bizarre how nicknames come about? If you have a unique story about a nickname you've acquired (whether willingly or not!), please share!

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