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Hypocoristic

 

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Hypocoristic



 
 
A hypocoristic, hypocorism, or hypochorisma (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
  , "to use child-talk") is a lesser form of the given name
Given name

A given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name ....
 used in more intimate situations, as a nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
, term of endearment
Term of endearment

A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person or animal for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their children and lovers addressing each other....
, a pet name
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
.

coristics are often generated as:

As evident from the above-mentioned examples, hypocoristics frequently demonstrate (indirectly) a phonological linguistic universal
Linguistic universal

A linguistic universal is a statement that is true for all natural languages. For example, All languages have nouns and verbs, or All spoken languages have consonants and vowels. Research in this area of linguistics is closely tied to linguistic typology, and intends to reveal information about how the human brain processes language....
 (or tendency) for high-pitched sounds to be used for smaller creatures and objects (here as more "cute" or less imposing names).






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A hypocoristic, hypocorism, or hypochorisma (from Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
  , "to use child-talk") is a lesser form of the given name
Given name

A given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name ....
 used in more intimate situations, as a nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
, term of endearment
Term of endearment

A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person or animal for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their children and lovers addressing each other....
, a pet name
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
.

Derivation

Hypocoristics are often generated as:
  • a reduction (in English) of a longer word to a single syllable, then adding -y or -ie to the end, such as movie ('moving picture'), telly ('television') or Aussie ('Australian').
  • a contracted form of a given name
    Given name

    A given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name ....
    , such as Tony from Anthony, Rosy for Rosemarie or Vicky from Victoria.
  • a baby-talk form approximating the name's pronunciation, such as Bess for Elizabeth.
  • a given name with a diminutive suffix
    Diminutive

    In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form, is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment....
    ; in some languages diminutive forms of names are used primarily when referring to children and the meaning can oscillate between tenderness and condescension when used for an adult.
    • -(c)ito/-(c)ita or -(c)ín/-(c)ina in Spanish
      Spanish language

      Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
      , such as Juanita from Juana. Extra consonants may be interposed as in Carmelina and Carmencita from Carmen, or merged, as in Carmina.
    • -chen, -lein, -(l)i (usually used with names) in German
      German language

      German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
      , such as Hündchen or Hündlein (from 'Hund', meaning dog) or Kalli (from 'Karl', a name); a back vowel
      Back vowel

      A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a back vowel is that the tongue is positioned as far back as possible in the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant....
       in the root is normally subjected to umlaut
      Germanic umlaut

      In linguistics, umlaut is a process whereby a vowel is pronounced more like a vowel or semivowel in a following syllable.The term umlaut was originally coined and is principally used in connection with the study of the Germanic languages....
      , i.e. shift from u, o, a to ü, ö, ä respectively (e.g. Hund ? Hündchen, Arm ? Ärmchen, Holz ? Hölzchen).
    • a similar form, -etto/-etta, in Interlingua
      Interlingua

      Interlingua is an international auxiliary language , developed between 1937 and 1951 by the International Auxiliary Language Association . It is the second or third most widely used IAL and the most widely used International auxiliary language#Classification IAL: in other words, its vocabulary, grammar and other characteristics are largely...
      .
    • a parallel construction in Portuguese
      Portuguese language

      Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
      , with -(z)inho/-(z)inha, as in Aninha from Ana and Joãozinho from João.
    • same in Italian and Italian regional languages, with -ino/-ina and -etto/etta as in Paolino/Paoletto and Paolina/Paoletta from Paolo and Paola. There are also -ello/-ella, as in Donatello/Donatella from Donato and Donata, -uccio/-uccia, as in Guiduccio from Guido. The forms -uzzo/-uzza, as in Santuzza from Santa, are typical of Sicilian
      Sicilian language

      Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects comprise the Italiano Meridionale-estremo language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is called Cilentano ....
       dialect.
    • -cj- and -nj- affixes (for males and females respectively) in Esperanto
      Esperanto

      is the most widely spoken constructed language international auxiliary language in the world. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L....
      ; these replace the last consonant (or consonant cluster) of the root, thus patro ? pacjo (father), patrino ? panjo (mother).
    • -chan, -tan, or -pi in Japanese
      Japanese language

      IPA: [n?iho?go] is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is related to the Ryukyuan languages....
      , such as Kana-chan from Kana and Aki-chan from Akihiro. Gemination (doubling) of the consonant or lengthening of the vowel before the -chan to provide two mora
      Mora (linguistics)

      Mora is a unit of sound used in phonology that determines syllable weight in some languages. Like many technical linguistics terms, the exact definition of mora varies....
      s is common, such as Settchan from Setsuko and Hii-chan from Hiroki.
    • reduplication
      Reduplication

      Reduplication, in linguistics, is a morphology process by which the root or Stem of a word, or part of it, is repeated.Reduplication is used in inflections to convey a grammatical function, such as plurality, intensification, etc., and in lexical Derivation to create new words....
       in various languages, such as John-John or Didi.
    • the addition of a word-final very high tone, or changed tone, in Standard Cantonese
      Standard Cantonese

      Standard Cantonese, or Guangzhou dialect, is the prestige dialect of Cantonese language. It is used in Hong Kong and Macau as the spoken language of government and instruction in the schools....
       and related dialects, sometimes in combination with the addition of the mid-toned prefix a before the name.
    • -ulus/-ula in Latin
      Latin

      Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
      , most famously in the case of the Roman emperor Caligula
      Caligula

      Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus , more commonly known by his nickname Caligula , was the third Roman Emperor, reigning from 16 March 37 until his assassination on 24 January 41....
      , whose moniker means "little boot". He received the name from soldiers in reference to the small army sandals (caligae
      Caligae

      Caligae are heavy-soled military shoes or Sandal which were worn by Roman legion soldiers and auxiliaries throughout the history of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire....
      , singular caliga) he wore when he was young. Likewise the name Ursula is derived from ursa (bear) and means "little bear".


As evident from the above-mentioned examples, hypocoristics frequently demonstrate (indirectly) a phonological linguistic universal
Linguistic universal

A linguistic universal is a statement that is true for all natural languages. For example, All languages have nouns and verbs, or All spoken languages have consonants and vowels. Research in this area of linguistics is closely tied to linguistic typology, and intends to reveal information about how the human brain processes language....
 (or tendency) for high-pitched sounds to be used for smaller creatures and objects (here as more "cute" or less imposing names). Higher-pitched sounds are associated with smaller creatures due to the fact that smaller creatures can only make such high frequency sounds given their smaller larynx sizes.

The word "hypocoristic" is used as a noun or adjective in English; some other languages prefer to use the original Greek word "hypocoristicon" as a noun. The noun "hypocoristicon" seems to be rarely used in English.

Hypocoristics in various languages


English

English
English language

English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England and has lingua franca status in many parts of the world as a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries and that of the United States from the mid 20th century onwa...
 also forms nicknames in a variety of manners.

Shortening, generally to the first syllable:
  • Abraham ? Abe
  • Arthur ? Art
  • Calvin ? Cal
  • Clayton ? Clay
  • Daniel ? Dan
  • Dominic ? Dom
  • Douglas ? Doug
  • Franklin ? Frank
  • Gregory ? Greg
  • Gustav ? Gus
  • Jeffrey ? Jeff
  • Jacob ? Jake
  • Janice ? Jan
  • Jason ? Jay
  • Joseph ? Joe
  • Joshua ? Josh
  • Megan ? Meg
  • Mitchell ? Mitch
  • Peter ? Pete
  • Philip ? Phil
  • Rachel ? Ray or Rach
  • Raymond ? Ray
  • Simon ? Si
  • Trenton ? Trent
  • Victor ? Vic
  • Zachary ? Zach


Addition of the diminutive suffix, -ie or -y. It is often added to the end of an already shortened name. This suffix connotes smallness or endearment. Although most often applied to the names of children, it is not uncommon for an adult to be referred to by the diminutive, especially by family, friends and close acquaintances:
  • Anne ? Annie
  • Arthur, Arturo ? Art ? Artie
  • George ? Georgie
  • James ? Jamie, Jim ? Jimmy
  • Jonathan ? Jon ? Jonny
  • Kirstin ? Kirstie
  • Robert ? Rob/Bob ? Robbie/Bobby
  • Timothy ? Tim ? Timmy
  • William ? Will/Bill ? Willie/Billy
  • Alfred ? Alfredo


A short form that differs significantly from the name:
  • Dorothy ? Dot, Dottie
  • Henry ? Hank, Harry
  • Sarah ? Sally


And combinations and variants of the above:
  • Abigail ? Abby
  • Albert, Alan, Alastair, Alfred ? Al
  • Alfred ? Alf, Alfie, Fred, Fredo.
  • Alexander ? Alex, Lex, Xander, Sandy
  • Alexandra ? Alex, Ali, Lexie, Sandy
  • Aloysius ? Lou, Lewie
  • Andrew ? Andy, Drew
  • Anthony ? Ant, Tony
  • Antoinette ? Toni, Netta
  • Arnold ? Arnie
  • Augustus ? Gussie
  • Barbara ? Barb, Barbie, Babs, Bobbie
  • Barnaby ? Barney
  • Bartholomew ? Bart ? Barty
  • Benjamin ? Ben, Benji, Benny
  • Beverley ? Bev
  • Carolyn ? Carol, Lyn
  • Cassandra ? Cassie, Cass, Sandra, Sandy
  • Charles ? Charlie, Chuck, Chas, Chazza
  • Christine ? Chris, Christy, Chrissy, Tina
  • Christopher ? Chris, Kit
  • Daniel ? Dan ? Danny
  • David ? Dave ? Davey
  • Edward/Edmund ? Ed, Eddy, Eddie, Ned, Neddie, Ted, Teddy
  • Elaine ? Lainie
  • Eleanor ? Ellie, Nell, Nellie, Ella, Elle, Nora
  • Elizabeth ? Bess, Bessie, Bette, Bet, Betty, Beth, Betsy, Eliza, Elise, Elsa, Elsie, Elle, Ella, Lisa, Lisbeth, Lissie, Lily, Libby, Lizbeth, Lizzie, Liz, Liza, Lilibet
  • Emily ? Em, Emmy, Emma, Milly
  • Ethel ? Eth
  • Frances/Francesca ? Fran, Franny, Fanny
  • Francis/Francesco ? Fran, Frank, Frankie
  • Frederick ? Fred, Freddy, Rick, Fritz
  • Gerald ? Gerry/Jerry
  • Gertrude ? Gert, Gertie
  • Geoffrey ? Geoff/Jeff
  • Harold ? Harry, Hal
  • Helen ? Nell/Nellie, Eleni
  • Herbert ? Herb, Herbie, Bert
  • Hilary ? Hil, Hilly
  • Howard ? Howie
  • Isabella ? Izzy, Isa, Bella, Bell
  • James ? Jim, Jimmy, Jamie, Jimbo, Jambo
  • Jennifer ? Jen, Jenny
  • Jeremiah ? Jeremy, Jerry
  • Jeremy ? Jem, Jerry
  • Jerome ? Jerry
  • Jessica ? Jess, Jessie
  • Joel ? Joe, Joey
  • John ? Johnny, Jack, Jackie
  • Jordan ? Judd, Jordy
  • Joseph ? Joe, Joey
  • Josephine ? Jo, Joey, Josie
  • Judith ? Judy
  • Katherine ? Kathy, Kat, Katie, Kate, Kit, Kitty
  • Katrina ? Kat, Trina
  • Kenneth ? Ken, Kenny
  • Kimberly ? Kim ? Kimmy
  • Lawrence ? Larry
  • Leonard/Leonardo ? Len, Lenny, Leon, Leo, Lee
  • Louis ? Lou ? Louie
  • Lucille ? Lucy
  • Madeline/Madison ? Maddie
  • Margaret ? Peggy, Daisy, Maggie, Marge
  • Martin ? Marty
  • Matthew ? Matt ? Matty
  • Michael ? Mike/Mick ? Mikey/Mickey
  • Montague/Montgomery/Montmorency - Monty
  • Nathan ? Nat, Nate
  • Nicholas ? Nick ? Nicky
  • Nigel ? Nig, Niggy, Niglet, Nige
  • Norbert ? Nobby
  • Oliver ? Ollie
  • Paul (or Pauline, Paula) ? Paulie/Polly
  • Patricia ? Patty, Patsy, Trisha
  • Percival ? Percy
  • Peregrine ? Perry
  • Priscilla ? Cilla
  • Rebecca ? Becky, Becca, Becks, Bex, Bec
  • Regina ? Reggie, Gina
  • Reginald ? Reg, Reggie
  • Renee ? Rae
  • Richard ? Rich, Richie, Rick, Ricky, Dick, Dicky
  • Robert ? Rob, Bob, Robbie, Bobby
  • Roberta ? Bobbie
  • Roderick ? Rod, Roddy
  • Rodney ? Rodders
  • Ronald ? Ron ? Ronnie
  • Russell ? Russ, Rusty
  • Samuel (Or Samantha) ? Sam ? Sammy
  • Stephen ? Steve ? Stevie
  • Susan ? Sue, Susie, Suzy
  • Teresa/Theresa ? Tracy/Tracey
  • Theodore ? Ted, Teddy, Theo, Ned, Neddy
  • Thomas ? Tom ? Tommy
  • Tobias ? Toby
  • Veronica ? Vera, Ronni/Ronnie
  • Victoria ? Vicky, Tori
  • Vincent ? Vinnie, Vince
  • Virginia ? Ginny, Ginger, Vergie
  • Walter ? Wal, Walt, Wally
  • William ? Will/Bill ? Willie/Billy


Esperanto

Esperanto
Esperanto

is the most widely spoken constructed language international auxiliary language in the world. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto, the pseudonym under which L....
 forms nicknames by suffixing
Esperanto vocabulary

The word base of Esperanto was originally defined by Lingvo internacia, published by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887. It contained some 900 root words....
 
-njo (for females) and -cjo (for males) to the first letter(s) of the basic name.

  • Elizabeto ? Elinjo
  • Mario ? Manjo
  • Sofio ? Sonjo
  • fratino ? franjo
  • onklino ? onjo
  • patrino ? panjo


  • Aleksandro ? Alecjo
  • Johano ? Jocjo
  • Petro ? Pecjo
  • frato ? fracjo
  • onklo ? ocjo
  • patro ? pacjo


French

Informal French often produces hypocoristics either by cutting a word in half after the letter O, or by chopping off the end of the word and adding an O:
McDo from McDonalds; gynéco from gynécologue; dico from dictionnaire; dodo (childish word for sleep, from dormir, to sleep); écolo from écologiste; Catho from Catholique; psycho from psychologie.

The ending -oche (with or without an intervening consonant or phoneme to make it easier to pronounce) is also sometimes used:
cinoche (cinéma), MacDoche (McDonalds), fastoche (easy-peezy, from facile, easy). Words or names may also be shortened or abbreviated without an O: fixs from fixations, 'ski bindings'; Jean-Phi from Jean-Philippe; amphi from amphithéatre (large classroom or lecture hall); ciné (another informal word for cinéma). These words are familiar/informal versions of the underlying words.

The connotation of familiarity (my friend
Jean-Phi, as opposed to my new work colleague Jean-Philippe; cinoche, the place I often go for entertainment, as opposed to cinéma, the neutral word for a movie theater) is what makes them hypocoristics.

Polish

In Polish
Polish language

Polish , an official language of Poland, has the largest number of speakers of any West Slavic languages. Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner through most of Poland, and it has a regular orthography....
 there are multiple affixes used to create the diminutive. Some of them are -ka, -sia, -cia, -unia, -enka, -ska, -lka for feminine nouns and -ek, -us, -ciek, -czek, -un, -enki, -lki for masculine (among others). Here is a list of common names with some of them:
  • Agnieszka = Aga, Asia
  • Aleksandra = Ola, Olenka
  • Aleksander = Olek, Alek, Olus
  • Anna = Ania, Anka, Anusia
  • Antoni = Antek
  • Arkadiusz = Arek, Arus
  • Barbara = Basia, Baska
  • Bartlomiej = Bartek, Bartus
  • Bartosz = Bartek, Bartus
  • Dariusz = Darek, Dareczek
  • Edward = Edek, Edzio
  • Ewa = Ewka, Ewusia
  • Grzegorz = Grzesiek, Grzes
  • Henryka = Henia
  • Henryk = Henio, Heniek
  • Iwona = Iwonka, Iwcia, Iwa, Iwka
  • Jakub = Kuba, Kubus
  • Jaroslaw = Jarek, Jarus
  • Jan = Jas, Janek
  • Janusz = Janek
  • Joanna = Joasia, Asia
  • Julia = Julcia
  • Katarzyna = Kasia, Kaska, Kasienka, Kasiunia
  • Krzysztof = Krzysiek, Krzys
  • Maciej = Maciek, Macius
  • Malgorzata = Malgosia, Malgoska, Goska, Gosia, Gosienka
  • Maria = Marysia, Maryska, Marysienka
  • Miroslaw = Mirek, Mireczek, Mirko, Mirus
  • Piotr = Piotrek, Piotrus
  • Roman = Romek'', ''Romeczek'', ''Romus''
  • ''Ryszard'' = ''Rysiek''
  • ''Slawomir'' = ''Slawek''
  • ''Tadeusz'' = ''Tadek'', ''Tadzio''
  • ''Tomasz'' = ''Tomek'', ''Tomus, Tomcio, Tomaszek, Tomeczek''
  • ''Wladyslaw'' = ''Wladek''
  • ''Wlodzimierz'' = ''Wlodek''
  • ''Witold'' = ''Witek''
  • ''Wojciech'' = ''Wojtek'', ''Wojtus''
  • ''Zofia'' = ''Zosia, Zoska''
  • ''Zbigniew'' = ''Zbyszek''


Romanian


  • ''Adrian'' = ''Adi''
  • ''Alexandru'' = ''Ale'', ''Alecu'', ''Sandu''
  • ''Constantin'' = ''Costica'', ''Titi''
  • ''Cristian'' = ''Cristi''
  • ''Daniel'' = ''Dan'', ''Danut''
  • ''Elena'' = ''Lenuta''
  • ''Eugen'' = ''Jenica''; ''Eugenia'' = ''Jeni''
  • ''Fernanda'' = ''Anda''
  • ''Gabriel'' = ''Gabi''
  • ''Georgeta'' = ''Geta''
  • ''Georgina'' = ''Gina''
  • ''Gheorghe'' = ''Georgica'', ''Gica'', ''Gigi'', ''Guta''
  • ''Horatiu'' = ''Hori''
  • ''Ileana'' = ''Nuti''
  • ''Ion'', ''Ioan'' = ''Ionel'', ''Ionut'', ''Nelu''
  • ''Maria'' = ''Marioara'', ''Mimi'', ''Mioara''
  • ''Monica'' = ''Moni''
  • ''Nicolae'' = ''Nicu'', ''Nicusor''
  • ''Octavian'' = ''Tavi''
  • ''Ovidiu'' = ''Ovi''
  • ''Petre'' = ''Petrica''
  • ''Stefan'' = ''Fane'', ''Fanel'', ''Stefanel''
  • ''Tiberiu'' = ''Tibi''
  • ''Teodor'' = ''Teo''
  • ''Valentin'' = ''Vali''
  • ''Vasile'' = ''Lica'', ''Vasilica''
  • ''Vlad'' = ''Vladut''


Russian

Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
 has a wide variety of diminutive forms for names, to the point that for non-Russian speakers it can be difficult to connect a nickname to the original. Diminutive forms for nouns are usually distinguished with an -ik, -ok (-yok) (masculine gender), -chk-/-shk- and -on’k-/-en’k- suffixes. Names can be somewhat more arbitrary, but still follow a loose pattern. A list of common names and their diminutive forms:
  • ''Aleksey'' = ''Alyosha, Alyoshen'ka, Alyoshka, Lyoshik, Lyosha, Lyoha''
  • ''Aleksandr(a)'' = ''Sasha, Shura, Sashen'ka, Shurik, Sashka, San'ka, Sashechka, Shurka, Shurochka''
  • ''Anastasiya'' = ''Nastya, Asya, Nasten'ka, Nastyushka, Nastyona, Nast'ka''
  • ''Andrey'' = ''Andryusha, Andryuha''
  • ''Anna'' = ''Anya, Anyuta
    Anyuta

    Anyuta is a one-act comic opera to a libretto by Mikhail Popov. This is one of the first operas written in the Russian language .The collection of Popov's poems, translations and plays called Dosugi was published at the request of Empress Catherine II....
    , Anyutka, Anechka, Annushka, Nyuta, Nyura, Nyurka, Nyusha''
  • ''Artyom'' = ''Tyoma''
  • ''Boris
    Boris

    Boris is a Slavic name, probably with Bulgarian roots. It is common in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine and other countries....
    '' = ''Borya, Boren'ka, Boryusha, Bor'ka''
  • ''Dmitriy'' = ''Dima, Mitya, Miten'ka, Dimochka, Mityusha, Dimon, Mit'ka''
  • ''Georgiy'' = ''Gosha'', ''Goga'', ''Yuri''
  • ''Grigoriy'' = ''Grisha''
  • ''Ivan
    Ivan

    Ivan is a masculine given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name John_. It may refer to:...
    '' = ''Vanya, Ivanushka, Vanechka, Van'ka''
  • ''Konstantin'' = ''Kostya, Kostenka, Kostik, Kost'ka''
  • ''Leonid
    Leonid

    Leonid may refer to:*Leonids, a yearly prolific meteor shower associated with the comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle.People with the name Leonid:...
    '' = ''Lyonya, Lyolik, Lyon?chka, Lyon'ka''
  • ''Mariya'' = ''Masha, Manya, Mashen'ka, Mashechka, Mashusha, Marusya, Mashka''
  • ''Mikhail'' = ''Misha, Mishen'ka, Mishanya, Mishka''
  • ''Nataliya'' = ''Natasha
    Natasha

    Natasha is a Russian female given name, originally a pet name variant of Natalia. It is the same as the Latin variant "Natalie", meaning "birthday" in reference to the birth of Christ, and was traditionally given to girls born around Christmas....
    , Nata, Natashen'ka, Natusen'ka, Natusik, Natashka''
  • ''Nikolay'' = ''Kolya, Kolen'ka, Nikolasha, Kol'ka, Kolyan''
  • ''Oleg
    Oleg

    Oleg is a Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian given name. It may be transliterated as "Oleh" from Ukrainian and "Aleh" or "Aleg" from Belarusian....
    '' = ''Olezhka, Olezha, Olezhek''
  • ''Olga
    OLGA

    OLGA is an acronym for On-line Guitar Archive, the oldest internet library of guitar and bass tablature, or "tabs". Born from a collection of guitarist internet-forum archives, it has been a useful resource for musicians of all genres for over a decade....
    '' = ''Olya, Olen'ka, Olechka''
  • ''Pavel'' = ''Pasha, Pashen'ka, Pavlik''
  • ''Pyotr'' = ''Petya, Peten'ka, Petrusha, Petyunya''
  • ''Robert
    Robert

    The name Robert is derived from Germanic roots hrod and beraht or berht meaning "fame" and "bright". Dictionary.com stated it also means 'bright with glory' After becoming widely used in Continental Europe it entered England, where an Old English cognate form also already existed before the Norman Conquest....
    '' = ''Robka''
  • ''Roman
    Roman (name)

    Roman is a male first name. It has distant origins dating back to the Roman Empire and the Latin language.It comes from the latin "romanus", which means capita Rome or of Rome....
    '' = ''Roma, Romka''
  • ''Sergei'' = ''Seryozha, Seryoga, Seryozhen'ka, Seryozhka, Seriy''
  • ''Stepan'' = ''Styopa, Styopan'ka, Stepan'chik, Styopushka, Styopka''
  • ''Stanislav''= ''Stasya, Stasyan, Stasik, Stasyuka, Stasenka''
  • ''Bratislav'', ''Vyacheslav'' and ''Svyatoslav'' = ''Slava, Slavochka''
  • ''Svetlana
    Svetlana

    Svetlana is a common Russian name, deriving from the Russian word for "light", "clean" or "holy". The name was coined by Alexander Vostokov and popularized by Vasily Zhukovsky in his eponymous ballade, first published in 1813....
    '' = ''Sveta, Svetochka, Svetik, Svetyushka, Svetka''
  • ''Vadim
    Vadim

    Vadim may mean:* Vadim the Bold, a legendary East Slavic hero who inspired eponymous works by Yakov Knyazhnin, Vasily Zhukovsky, Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov, and others....
    '' = ''Vadik, Vadimka, Dima, Vadya, Vadisha, Vadyusha''
  • ''Viktoriya'' = ''Vika
    Vika

    Vika may refer to:* Vika short for the name Victoria in Russian language-speaking country.* Vika , a part of Oslo city, the capital of Norway....
    ''
  • ''Vladimir
    Vladimir

    Vladimir is a types of inhabited localities in Russia in Russia, located on the Klyazma River, to the east of Moscow along the M7 motorway . It is the administrative center of Vladimir Oblast....
    '' = ''Volodya, Vova, Vovochka, Voloden'ka, Vovka, Volodka, Vovan''
  • ''Yekaterina'' = ''Katya, Katerina
    Katerina

    Katerina is a feminine given name. It is a Greek variant of Aikaterini, a Macedonian form of Katherine , and a Russian and Bulgarian short form of Ekaterina or Yekaterina....
    , Katechka, Katen'ka, Katyukha, Katyusha
    Katyusha (song)

    Katyusha, Katusha or Katjusha is a Russian Soviet Union wartime song about a girl longing for her beloved, who is away on military service....
    , Kat'ka''
  • ''Yevgeny'' = ''Zhenya, Zhenechka, Zheka, Zhen'ka, Zhenich''
  • ''Yuriy
    Yuriy

    Yuriy is a given name that may refer to:...
    '' = ''Yura
    Yura

    Yura may refer to:Place*Yura, Wakayama, a town in Japan*Yura District, a district in Peru*Yura Station, a railway station in JapanPeople*Yura Hinata, a seiyu...
    , Yurka''


Some names can also be modified with a -ka ending to add a further level of familiarity, but are not normally used for adults who are not family members.

Spanish


Spanish
Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
 forms diminutives by adding one of several diminutive suffixes. -ito/a, -cito/a, -ecito/a, -ico/a, -cico/a -illo/a, -cillo/a, -uelo/a, -zuelo/a, -ete/a, -ín, -iño/a:

  • ''Juana'' = ''Juanita'' = ''Ju''
  • ''Jorge'' = ''Jorgito'' = ''Jor''
  • ''Antonio'' = ''Antoñín, Antoñito, Antoñete, Antoñillo''


It is common for a person to be known by 2 first names: José Luis, María Teresa, Juan Carlos etc. Combining the 2 names into one is another common way to form a hypocoristicon:
  • ''María Teresa'' = ''Maritere, Mayte, Marite''
  • ''María Luisa'' = ''Marisa''
  • ''María del Carmen'' = ''Mayca, Mamme, Mamen''
  • ''María Isabel'' = ''Maribel, Marisa''
  • ''Luz María'' = ''Luzma''
  • ''María Fernanda'' = ''Marifer''
  • ''María Salvadora'' = ''Marisa''
  • ''Juan Esteban'' = ''Juanes
    Juanes

    Juan Esteban Aristiz?bal V?squez best known as Juanes is a Colombian rock music musician. During the 1980s and 1990s, Juanes was a member of Heavy metal music band Ekhymosis but disbanded the group in 1998 to pursue a solo career....
    ''
  • ''Juan Manuel'' = ''Juanma''
  • ''Juan Miguel'' = ''Juanmi''


Many Spanish nicknames, however, are or can seem very unlike the original name. Notice, however, that the -ch- /t?/ sound is very common in many of these diminutives:
  • ''Alberto'' = ''Berto, Beto''
  • ''Alfonso'' = ''Fon, Fonso, Fonsi, Poncho''
  • ''Anastasio'' = ''Tasio, Tacho''
  • ''Aniceto'' = ''Cheto''
  • ''Antonio'' = ''Toño''
  • ''Beatriz'' = ''Bea, Beti''
  • ''Concepción'' = ''Concha, Conchita, Conchi''
  • ''Consuelo'' = ''Chelo''
  • ''Diego'' = ''Yago''
  • ''Dolores'' = ''Lola''
  • ''Eduardo'' = ''Edu, Lalo''
  • ''Enrique'' = ''Quique, Rico''
  • ''Ernesto'' = ''Neto''
  • ''Feliciano'' = ''Chano''
  • ''Federico'' = ''Quico, Kiko''
  • ''Fernanda'' = ''Fer, Nanda''
  • ''Fernando'' = ''Fer, Nando, Fercho''
  • ''Francisco'' = ''Fran, Paco, Curro, Pancho, Pacho, Quico''
  • ''Graciela'' = ''Chela, Gra''
  • ''Guadalupe'' = ''Lupe, Lupita''
  • ''Guillermo'' = ''Guille, Guillo, Memo''
  • ''Ignacia'' = ''Nacha''
  • ''Ignacio'' = ''Nacho''
  • ''Isabel'' = ''Isa, Chavela, Chabela, Chabel, Chava''
  • ''Jesús'' = ''Chuy, Chus, Chucho, Suso''
  • ''Jorge'' = ''Coque''
  • ''José'' = ''Pepe, Chepe''
  • ''José María'' = ''Chema, Josema''
  • ''Juan'' = ''Juancho, Juani''
  • ''Laura'' = ''Lala, Lau, Yaya''
  • ''Lidia'' = ''Yiya''
  • ''Luis'' = ''Lucho, Güicho''
  • ''Luisa'' = ''Lucha''
  • ''Manuel'' = ''Manu, Manolo, Lolo''
  • ''María Fernanda'' = ''Máfer''
  • ''María José'' = ''Coté, Marijose''
  • ''Maximina'' = ''Chimina''
  • ''Miguel'' = ''Migue''
  • ''Ramón'' = ''Moncho, Monchi, Ramoncito''
  • ''Refugio, María del Refugio'' = ''Cuca''
  • ''Roberto'' = ''Rober, Berto, Beto''
  • ''Rosario'' = ''Chayo, Charo''
  • ''Santiago'' = ''Santi, Chago''
  • ''Sergio'' = ''Checo''
  • ''Silvia'' = ''Chiva''
  • ''Vicente'' = ''Vicen, Chente''


Also, several names (especially female) may have their endings cut off and the vowel -"i" added at the end in the formation of pet names:

  • ''Beatriz'' = ''Beti''
  • ''Javier'' = ''Javi'' (m.)
  • ''Leticia'' = ''Leti''
  • ''Pilar, María del Pilar'' = ''Pili''
  • ''Susana'' = ''Susi''


Swedish


Male hypocoristics are often based on the first syllable of the name (shortening it if it's long), plus the ending -"e":

  • ''Anders'' = ''Adde'', ''Ante''
  • ''Andreas'' = ''Adde'', ''Ante''
  • ''Bengt'' = ''Bengan'', ''Benke''
  • ''Bo'' = ''Bosse''
  • ''Daniel'' = ''Danne''
  • ''Filip'' = ''Fille''
  • ''Frans'' = ''Frasse''
  • ''Fredrik'' = ''Fredde''
  • ''Gustav'' = ''Gurra''
  • ''Henrik'' = ''Henke''
  • ''Henning'' = ''Henke''
  • ''Jan'' = ''Janne''
  • ''Joakim'' = ''Jocke''
  • ''John'' = ''Jonte''
  • ''Jonatan'' = ''Jonte''
  • ''Karl'' = ''Kalle''
  • ''Krister'' = ''Krille''
  • ''Kristian'' = ''Krille''
  • ''Kristoffer'' = ''Krille'', ''Stoffe''
  • ''Lars'' = ''Lasse''
  • ''Leif'' = ''Leffe''
  • ''Magnus'' = ''Mange''
  • ''Mikael'' = ''Micke''
  • ''Oskar'' = ''Orre''
  • ''Per'' = ''Pelle'', ''Perra''
  • ''Pontus'' = ''Putte''
  • ''Roland'' = ''Rolle''
  • ''Sebastian'' = ''Sebbe'', ''Basse''
  • ''Sigvard'' = ''Sigge''
  • ''Stefan'' = ''Steffe''
  • ''Sven'' = ''Svempa'', ''Svenne''
  • ''Tobias'' = ''Tobbe''
  • ''Tomas'' = ''Tompa''
  • ''Torbjörn'' = ''Tobbe''
  • ''Torsten'' = ''Totta''
  • ''Ulf'' = ''Uffe''
  • ''Viktor'' = ''Vicke''
  • ''Vilhelm'' = ''Ville''


These forms may be quite old: the oldest possible attestation may be the name ''Sibbi'' on the Rök Runestone
Rök Runestone

The R?k Runestone is one of the most famous runestones, featuring the longest known runic alphabet inscription in stone. It is placed by the church in R?k, ?sterg?tland, Sweden, and considered the first piece of written Swedish literature and thus it marks the beginning of the history of Swedish literature....
 dating to approx. 800 AD.

See also

  • Diminutive
    Diminutive

    In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form, is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment....
  • Nickname
    Nickname

    A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
  • Term of endearment
    Term of endearment

    A term of endearment is a word or phrase used to address and/or describe a person or animal for which the speaker feels love or affection. Terms of endearment are used for a variety of reasons, such as parents addressing their children and lovers addressing each other....