52 Ancestors Week 21: Nickname

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 21

The theme for Week 21 is "Nickname." Names can be incredibly fluid, and nicknames can trip us up in our research. What's a nickname that you've found in your family tree?

I was known by one of these nicknames in the header and no it wasn't "Ken
Adams".

     Nicknames are fun and are usually given to others to seal a friendship or to denote fondness for the person in question. This varies of course. While someone might be called "Sport" because they're good at sports. Someone else might be called "Stinky" for obvious reasons. Oh, I'd have hated to have been the kid who was called "Stinky". He'd have to clean himself off and completely reinvent himself in college before it was too late! If not he'd forever be known as "Stinky from the old neighborhood". Kids can be so cruel.

    In my family tree I have several people who went by various nicknames over the course of their lives. For example, my grandmother Olympia was always called "Ollie". The odd thing is that in her high school yearbook she was also called "Limp".  We never called her "Limp". EVER! It just seems wrong somehow. Maybe that was an appropriate nickname for someone in the 1930s. I have no idea! I always knew her as "Ollie" and it wasn't until I got into the fifth grade that I found out her name was short for "Olympia"! No one ever called her "Olympia", either for that matter! She was always called "Ollie" by friends and family alike.

Olympia "Ollie" Carrabs

    The thing about Ollie's nickname is that it was never pronounced like the nickname you'd give a man named "Oliver".  Her nickname was pronounced like "Oh-lee" instead of "Awl-lee". I remember cringing at my grandmother's memorial service because the priest kept using the male pronunciation "Awl-lee" when he was talking about my grandmother. 

    No one ever stopped to correct him. I suppose it was an easy mistake to make. When you see the name "Ollie" in text, you tend to immediately go for the male version of the name because that was the most common way to say it. No one is at fault here! He just didn't know!

    Still, I wonder how her nickname came about. Who was the first to call her that name? Why did people call her "Ollie"? I think the answer might be a little obvious.

    Let's face it. The name "Olympia" can be a little cumbersome and fancy. I think it only works if your last name was "Dukakis".She probably wanted a way to shorten her name much like how I prefer to be called "Chris" over "Christopher". I'm not sure if her parents ever called her "Ollie". But, I know for a fact that her sisters certainly did and that nickname stuck with her for the rest of her life.

    I guess you could argue that "Limp" is also a shortened version of "Olympia". But, that's....that's just not a good nickname. I'm sorry. Sorry, 1930s Haverhill. You dropped the ball on that one. Big time. At least both nicknames are in the yearbook!

    I think I can understand why she preferred "Ollie" over "Limp" because like I said no one ever called her that--ever. I could rant for days about why that nickname is just not that great but we'd be here all day. I get the reference. Don't get me wrong. I'm just not fond of it and I know she probably wasn't as well.

    It's just as well because veryone eventually ended up calling her Ollie as it was a catchier nickname than "Limp". In fact, I bet like only five people in her high school by that name and everyone else called her "Ollie". Who can say? I wish I could go back in time and find out!

    I think I spent too much time harping on "Limp", It might be time to move on....

    Her family was likely the first to call her "Ollie" and over time the name stuck. Word of her nickname spread around her social group and soon everyone ended up calling her "Ollie". And why not? It's a great nickname for a great and amiable lady who always made you feel right at home whenever you visit her house. 

    My brother and I only ever knew her by that name and we just rolled with it because everyone around us called her by that name. For some reason it just suited her and I'm glad she picked that name over "Limp". I think we all are!

      Good nicknames are hard to come by and you want to make sure your friends and family pick one that suits you. You never want to pick your own nickname because that never turns out well for anyone. See "The Big Bang Theory" for details. See ya next time!