A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or thing's real name, (for example, Nick is short for Nicholas). As a concept, it is distinct from a pseudonym, though there may be overlap between the two.

Etymology: In Middle English the word was ekename (from the verb to eke, "enlarge"; compare Swedish öknamn). Later, an ekename developed into a nickname.

Lots of things have nicknames

Table of contents

1 People and their Nicknames 2 Cities and their Nicknames 3 Some Common Items and their Nicknames

People and their Nicknames

Types of personal nickname:

1. A nickname may relate directly to a person's first name. Examples:

• Steve for Stephen or Steven
• Ted, Ned, Ed, Eddie for Edward
• Ricky, Dick for Richard
• Nell for Eleanor
• Peggy, Maggie, Meg, Marg for Margaret
• Chuck for Charles
• Sam for Samuel or Samantha
• Andy and Andie for Andrew and Andrea
• Kate or Katie for Katherine

2. A nickname may relate directly to a person's surname. Examples:

• Mitch for someone with the surname Mitchell

3. It may also relate indirectly to a surname. Examples:

• Chalky for someone with the surname White
• Sandy for someone with the surname Brown
• Dicky for someone with the surname Bird

4. A nickname may relate to the person's job. Examples:

• Chip for a carpenter
• Chief for a boss

5. It may relate (offensively or otherwise) to a person's nationality or place of origin. Examples:

• Taff for a Welsh person
• Mac for a Scottish person
• Wack for a person from Liverpool
• Tex for a person from Texas

6. It may relate to a person's physical characteristics. Examples:

• Tubby for a fat person
• Lofty for a tall person
• Four-eyes for a person with glasses

Conversely, it may be used ironically for someone with the opposite characteristic, e.g. Curly for someone with straight hair - this form is very typical in Australian English, e.g:

• Blue for a person with red hair
• Shorty for a very tall person
• Slim for a fat person

7. It may relate to a person's character. Examples:

• Grumpy
• Swotty
• Romeo

8. It may relate to a specific incident or action. Example: Capability Brown was so called because he used the word "capability" instead of "possibility". Other examples include: Chemical Ali, Comical Ali.

9. It may compare the person with a famous or fictional character. Examples:

• Napoleon or Hitler for someone with a dictatorial manner

10. A famous person's nickname may be unique to them:

• Tippecanoe for William Henry Harrison
• Dubya for George W. Bush, a president who uses and has acquired several other nicknames as well. Dubya is from the Texan pronunciation of 'w', Bush's middle initial.

11. A person's nickname may have no traceable origin. For example, a person named "Harold" may be nicknamed "Fred" for no apparent reason, or a man who was named after a relative may ask his friends to call him "Chip" to avoid confusion.

Cities and their Nicknames

• Charm City - Baltimore, Maryland
• The Big Apple - New York, New York
• The Windy City" , "Second City" , "City of Big Shoulders"; and "Hog-Butcher To The World" - Chicago, Illinois.
• The Big Easy - New Orleans, Louisiana
• Motor City - Detroit, Michigan

Some Common Items and their Nicknames

• bug - Volkswagen Beetle
• cop - Police Officer
• shark- lawyer
• loo- toilet
• Old Glory- the Flag of the United States

much to add here, this is a start