Historical Nicknames Are Less Confusing When You Know the Facts
You have 3 guesses as to what “Creasy” is short for.
Some historical names have been making comebacks in recent years with young parents. Despite that, if you study history you can still come across names which are occasionally baffling from time to time and this can be especially true for nicknames. Some of these nicknames come from formal names which have fallen out of popularity over the last century and so coming across the shortened versions of them can sometimes be confusing.
If you are into genealogy or if you just love to learn about the past, knowing some common historical nicknames can really help out. So, the next time you see a strange nickname you’ll have no trouble figuring out the full name behind it.
A Nicknames
Abe – for Abraham or Abiel
Agnes – for Agatha or Nancy
Aggie – for Agnes
Alf – for Alfons, Alfonso, or Alfred
Amy– for Amanda
Ann and Anner – for Hannanh
Anty – for Anastasia
Appy – for Apollonia
B Nicknames
Bab – for Barbara
Babe– for Mary (and was also used sometimes for the baby of the family)
Bass– for Sebastian
Bebe– for Beatrice
Bell or Bella – for Arabella, Belinda, Isabella, Isabell, or Sybil
Ben– for Benjamin, but also Ebenezer
Bertie – for Albert, Egbert, Gilbert, Herbert, or Robert
Beto– for Alberto
Biddy – for Bridget, Elizabeth, Obedience (what a name!)
Butch – for Jr in the family
C Nicknames
Cal– for Caleb
Cecily– for Cecilia
Cherie – for Geraldine
Chet – for Chester
Cissie – for Cecilia, Frances, or Pricilla
Connie – for Conrad, Constance, or Cornelia
Corky – for Courtney
Creasy– for Lucretia
D Nicknames
Daisy – for Margaret
Deedee – for Deidre, spelled Didi it can be a nickname for Diana
Delia – for Bridget, Cordelia, or Fidelia
Della -for Delilah or Drucilla
Derick– for Frederick
Dewey – for Duane
Doc – nickname for the 7th child
E Nicknames
Ed – for Edgar, Edmund, or Edward
Effie – for Euphemia
Ella– for Eleanor, Gabriella, Luella
Ellie – for Danielle, Eleanor, Emily, Gabriella, or Luella
Elsie – for Elizabeth
Erma – for Emily
Ernie – for Ernest or Ernestine
Essie – for Esther
Etta – for Loretta or Jamesetta
F Nicknames
Fan or Fanny – for Francis
Fate – for Lafayette
Fay – for Faith
Felty – for Valentine
Fern– for Margaret
Ferry – for Frank, Franz, or Xaver
Fina – Josephine
Flo, Flora, or Flossie– for Florence
Fred – for Ferdinand, Fredrick, or Gottfried
G Nicknames
Gab or Gabby– for Gabriella
Gabe – for Gabriel
Gene – for Eugene
Gennie – for Genevieve
Genny – for Gwenevere
Gertie – for Gertrude
Gretl – for Margaret
Guiseppe– for Joseph
Gus – for Augustus
Gus-for Gustav
H Nicknames
Hal – for Henry
Ham – for Hamilton
Hank – for Henry
Hanna– for Johanna
Harley– for Harlan
Hattie– for Harriet
Helen– for Eleanor
Heinz– for Heinrich
Hettie– for Henrietta
Hilda– for Hildegarde
I Nicknames
Ibby– for Elizabeth
Ibe– for Hepzibah
Iggy– for Ignatius
Ike– for Ira or Isaac
Issy – for Isabella or Isadora
J Nicknames
Jack – for John
Jackie – for Jacqueline
Jamie – for James
Jan – for Jennifer
Jane – for Janet
Jane – for Virginia
Janet – for Jane
Jennifer – for Winifred
Jen – for Jane
Jennie – for for Jane, Genevieve, Jennifer, or Virginia
Jeremy – for for Jeremiah, Jerold, or Gerald
Jill – for Julia
Joshua – for Jasper
K Nicknames
Kata or Kati – for Katarina