Nicknames?

April 19th, 2025| Topic: RaMbLeS | 0

There was an interesting piece by Mark Oppenheimer in The Wall Street Journal the other day: “Where Have All the Nicknames Gone?”

Nicknames used to abound, reflecting belongingness in a family, echoing a bond between the caller and the named, expressing the warmth of informality. For the longest time, I was “AK,” which then turned to “Abe” when I got to the shores of this nation (that had a famous “Abe” in its history).

Generally such appellations are affirming, rarely derogatory. So Oppenheimer is worried:

I am concerned about the disappearance of nicknames. As my five children have grown up—they span from age 6 to 18—I have noticed with regret that not one of them has been given a nickname. And they aren’t some sort of weird outliers: None of their friends have nicknames, either. Varsity jackets that, 30 years ago, would have been emblazoned with bespoke names indicating affection and belonging—Spike, Junior, Scooter, Cheech, Rocky, whatever—now have proper, unshortened Christian names: William, James, Kristen.”

And initials, like “AK”? Extinct!

Just think about politicians: ‘LBJ’ was the last real presidential nickname, after ‘Ike’ and ‘JFK.’”

Our essayist actually did a study on this phenomenon using Google’s Ngram tool to track the use of nicknames in books over the years.

Nicknames like Bobby, Tommy and Jimmy peaked around the end of World War II, then fell off a cliff. The 1960s and ’70s were terrible for old-fashioned nicknames. There was something of a rebound in the new century, but now the usages are declining again.”

Oppenheimer’s diagnosis for this dilution of nicknames? Political polarization, radicalness on campuses, and a universal thinness of skin that render nicknames potentially offensive and rarely neutral, especially since they are usually bestowed without permission and could be construed as bullying.

The only exception I can think of is AOC. I have no theory on how she pulled it off, being AOC to friends and foes alike. It’s a remarkable, and unusual, bit of political branding. And things could change, of course. For all we know, we are less than four years away from a presidential election featuring AOC squaring off against JD (not my preferred candidates, but I dig their names).”

But there is one name we should remember, cherish, favor, and adore. The name of God—his active presence and the summation of all his attributes.

May He answer you—Yahweh—in the day of distress.
May the name of the God of Jacob secure you on high.
May He send you help from the holy place
and from Zion may He sustain you. …
May He give you according to your heart[‘s desire]
and your every plan may He fulfill.
Psalm 20:1–2, 4

He is the blessor par excellence, who saved his people by being incarnate as the Lord Jesus Christ, who died for our sins, and rose again the third day, a day we celebrate today—Easter.

And so …

We will shout for joy at your deliverance,
and in the name of our God we will raise banners.
Psalm 20:5

And this great God continues to deliver us from all evil.

Now I know that Yahweh delivers His anointed;
He will answer him from His holy heavens
with the mighty deliverance of His right hand.
Some in chariots and some in horses,
but we—in the name of Yahweh, our God, we depend.
They—they bow down and they fall,
but we—we rise and we stand firm.
Psalm 20:6–8

Yes, we will. A blessed Easter to you and all yours!

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal