Having a nickname is like having a second identity. It’s a part of your full name, yet it’s also something more. While some nickname’s are provocative (like S3rl’s), others represent heartwarming memories. While I haven’t been around many people, I’ve been giving 3 nicknames: one I named myself, the second from friends, and the third from a stranger. From understanding my nickname’s I’m able to comprehend what makes nickname’s special and identifying for a person, and if they are identifying or not. However, since none of my nickname’s are either very heartwarming or provocative, it won’t be a very good case study for this. So if you are someone who has a nickname that has been impactful, either for good or bad, I hope this helps you self-identify it for yourself.
OJ
At 9 years old, starting elementary school, I started marking my paper “Olivia …” but then I noticed it read, “Write your initials.” I have no memory of whether this perplexed me, but soon enough marking my initials OJ became a new identity for me. With the vivid imagination I had, when the class was tasked with writing a creative story, I instinctively made the character OJ- myself! The story was called “The Jungle of ???”, I wish I had kept a copy so that I could compare how my storytelling has grown since then, but oh well. It was basically an Indiana Jones adventure short-story, even though I was terrified of the movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” that we owned, funny enough. I still remember my friend at 7 years old (she was 9 at that time) holding a fishing line at the bottom of the steps, as if luring me toward the movie! At least that’s what I remember, what an amazing time. Pretending to be a doctor or something and being able to live the role together as if we were there, even though we were just in the dining room of my house. I still find that time really fun and glad to have some memory of it, even though it feels like a fairytale of some kind.
A few years later, at about 11 years old, I started watching LDShadowLady and she was my favorite ever at that point. I don’t really understand why even, but I loved watching her videos. In time I made (I think… I hope not) a YT channel called OJDazzleLady to try being like her 🤣 I think that’s the most embarrassing thing I’ve written on this digital garden yet, please forget it.
Then as I got older, having to continually mark papers with the initials OJ, I started high school remotely. I would have thought that it would’ve been forgotten, having nicknamed myself OJ, yet when deciding what name I would call myself for social media, I decided on DesignzByOJ. It’s certainly better than calling myself CryBoo as a kid. Also, I thought of going by TBNRWannaBe since that was my gamer name, but since it came from TBNRFRAGS, I thought not. So DesignzByOJ was it, pretty unoriginal, but more original than just simply DesignsByOJ. I really like lightning bolts, since it symbolizes energy, and a Z looks vaguely like ⚡
Olive
In 6th grade, starting middle school, I had a Harley Davidson-driving Science teacher who loved to give kids nicknames. There was this one kid named Charlie, and the teacher would call his Chuck, saying, “If you don’t like it just let me know.” Then when Chuck- sorry, Charlie, said, “Teacher, uh, can you stop calling me that?” The teacher either didn’t hear or ignored him, or both, because he kept calling him Chuck the whole year. As for me, the teacher decided Olive was a good nickname, and pretty much all 5 of the friends I had that year were in that class, and started calling me Olive from then on. I consider it my main nickname now for anyone who may be my friend, in which they call me Olive pretty quick, interestingly. Now, if I’m called “Olivia” by anyone other than my dad, I feel a bit weirded out haha. Reminds me what a friend said about her name, when we were kids, that she often forgot her name and so she wanted to go by “Nameless TM” (trademark), I didn’t understand it at the time but now I do.
Livy
Around 14 years old or so, I went to an Italian/Jew couple’s house. They were making dinner for us and were glad for any help I could give them. Cutting up chicken, the lady asked if she could call me, Livie (or is it Livy). Why? I don’t know, she just liked it I guess. Me not caring just agreed, and for 2 hours of my life was called Livy, and I’ve never been called that since. I do despise the nickname, even though I love any L names other than Lauren (though I like Laurel (preferably Lorel)), Lollypop, and London (ok those last 2 were because I forgot).
Takeaway
Nickname’s can come from anyone, anywhere. While they may seem to identify a person, and even mean much to a person (for example, I like the nickname Olive) it doesn’t mean a nickname means the person is their nickname, like in my case for Livy. Anyone can be called a name, it doesn’t mean it’s true.