Thursday, July 26, 2012
Richard: Nickname-Rich Name of the Week (July 26)
Like Robert which I covered a fortnight ago, Richard is another name that has historically been common, had its modern peak among the Silents and Boomers, and is now in somewhat of a fashion limbo. A lot of that decline in recent decades is probably a desire to stay away from a nickname that now has a less-than-desirable connotation that is still seen on older Richards: Dick. As with Robert the younger Richards are more likely to use a matching-consonant nickname (evolving from the Rick-type to the Rich-type as well). Any other nickname ideas you can think of? Do you think that eventually Richard will see a comeback or do you think the undesirable nickname will continue to keep him down?
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I married a Rich and know several others as well as a few Ricks and the odd Rickey or Richie. It's a good, traditional name which wears well, is easy to spell and doesn't get dated, unlike some of the 'trynde' (try saying it!) names of the moment. It's a royal name in England and France and used in Canada too although it's a politically charged name in the States thanks to the antics of one 'Tricky Dickie'. However, in the States I've also seen clothing from the workwear company Dickies, which suggests that it's not quite as forsworn as it might be - here in the UK you'd not wear something with that name on it unless it was a sarcastic play-on-words T-shirt.
ReplyDeleteI have a cousin named Richard in his late 30s. Despite everything people say, nobody has ever suggested Dick or Dicky as a nickname for him. Or Ricky or Richie, for that matter. His nickname is Jay - full name Richard James - started out as RJ - too long to say - now he's Jay! But mostly we just call him Richard. (Our family doctor is also a Richard, he's in his 40s).
ReplyDeleteI think Richard is a really good name - solid, reliable, but less stodgy than Robert.
Do kids today even KNOW Dick is short for Richard????