Nicknames For Boys: Government Names vs Street Names On The Cape Flats

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A first name might appear on a report card or a job application. A nickname, on the other hand, is the name that follows a person through life. It is the name shouted across a street, carved in a classroom desk (“XXX was here”) or spray-painted on a backwall (“XXX vannie Lavis”). It is used so often that even he frowns upon his official name.

Walk down a Cape Flats street and ask someone for “Peter” or “Craig” by their full name, and you’ll likely get a “wie?”. Ask for the nickname instead, and every uncle, granny and corner shop loiterer will point you in the right direction.

Boys pick up these names for all sorts of reasons: a favourite cartoon character, a physical trait, a sporting hero they tried to copy, or a family name shortened until it barely resembles the original. Once given, a nickname for a boy often outlives the reason behind it. The joke that started it fades from memory, yet the name itself refuses to leave, decade after decade.

We recently asked our Facebook followers for a list of nicknames for boys, and the responses had us laughing out loud. Check them out below: