Nicknames, Identity, and Social Power

Abstract

Nicknaming, a practice by which a person’s name is shortened, warped, or replaced entirely, can be just as complicated. Much like a given name, nicknames can serve several different social purposes dependent upon the culture, purpose behind the nickname, the person named, and the person doing the naming. As a practice, nicknames perform a startlingly diverse range of functions, and are worth examining in all these capacities. Beyond the practicality of simplifying a name, nicknames can serve to show affection to the named, to demean them, to anonymize them, or to shape their behaviors. Just as a person’s given name is part of their identity, the nicknames that they accrue can bend that identity situationally, making them a subtle tool for constructing power.