jtg452 wrote:It's not that unusual in parts of the country. .
I was born and raised in the Deep South in a small town out in the country. More than one man in town- including myself- was legally named Billy, Johnny or Jimmy (or variants ending in 'ie')- not just commonly called by the informal, familiar version of William, John, Jonathon or James.
A 90 year old man answering to Jimmy (not Jim or James) is not unusual. Although, by that time, he's probably referred to as 'Mr. Jimmy' in deference to his advanced years.
Then again, one side of his family may have had the tradition of using 'Francis' while another had the tradition of using 'Franklin'. In that case, a simple 'Frank' would be a way to honor both family traditions at the same time.
It's a discussion I end up having with new folks at work on occasion if they are not used to it. The name on the birth certificate is what I answer to. I'm not John and definitely not Jonathon. Transplants seem to have a bigger issue with the concept than folks that grew up in the South. The 'carpetbaggers' (that's what I call the transplants that seem dedicated to remaking where they are now into wherever they came from) take more reminding- up to and including me being forced to ignore them when they speak to me until they call me by my correct name.
(NOTE: Semi-diversion - commentary on some name usage etc,)
For those not in the know, the author of the original novel M*A*S*H, pen-name Richard Hooker / Hawkeye, wrote a couple of autobiographical follow-on books, one being "M*A*S*H Goes to Maine" where he describes reassembling his friends in Maine as a medical practice. A major character from the original novel in Korea was a black surgeon with the nickname of 'Spearchucker' (for his quarterback throwing.)
With the almost lily-white population of mid-50s Maine, these two friends naturally worried about Spearchucker's acceptance, as a person and as a surgeon. After a few months, Hawkeye had a chance to ask about acceptance again and the humorous reply shows the backsliding we see now. Spearchucker related how he came close to fighting when he was first called 'boy' until he saw that many others were called the same thing because it was just a common use. He then added that what he did fear was being called 'young feller' as that appeared to be reserved for 70+ year olds!
I, in my serious moments, worry how colloquialisms and community come under pressure by the PC Crowd, under the control of the most easily offended! Sorry for this diversion, but I do recommend the original 3 semi-autobiographical novels by Richard Hooker; M*A*S*H, M*A*S*H goes to Maine & M*A*S*H Mania. There is a farcical series using the MASH characters by William Butterworth & Richard Hooker, but that is played for laughs so don't look for them!
(End of diversion)