What's In A Name?

One of the first things people ask me when I introduce myself is if I go by any nicknames. This is a long and complicated answer that I usually just reply, “You can call me whatever you can remember me by, as long as it isn’t anything bad.” I remember when I had to put that clarifier on. Someone turned around and called me a name which I cannot repeat on my family friendly blog. It started with a B and ended with an H. Yes, even the good can be classified as bad. That is if you consider me a good person. Most of you internet readers don’t know me beyond the letters formed into words on this page. Muhahahhaha I shall use this to my advantage.

Anyway, over the years of telling people to call me whatever, I have found a wide variety of nicknames that are not the usual nicknames found with Margaret. Yes, you have gotten the inside scoop on my real life non internet name! Consider yourselves blessed. My first name is Margaret.

If we Wikipedia Margaret, we come up with a whole list of nicknames. Meg, Meggie, Madge, Maggie, Mag, Meghan, Megan, Peggy, Peg, Marg

The first nickname was given to me by none other than myself. I renamed myself Margi (pronounced Margee with a hard “g” sound). This lasted all the way pretty much until I reached middle school. My dad also called me Pooks during my younger years. Sounds like spooks without the s. I am not sure where the name came from but that was my nickname from dad. Marg is also a name that is used quite frequently around the house. I think it is just a nickname made out of laziness. Which is fine. I like Marg a lot.

In middle school, my brother nicknamed me the longest nickname I have ever had. Ready? Go.

“Margie Pargie Pudding and Pie kissed the boys and made them cry. When the girls came out to play, Margie Pargie Ran away.”

This was after the nursery rhyme:

Georgie Porgie Pudding and Pie, kissed the girls and made them cry. When the boys came out to play, Georgie Porgie ran away.

It was quite annoying when he wanted to ask me a simple two or three word question.

““Margie Pargie Pudding and Pie kissed the…” he would start

“What?” I asked

“…boys and made them cry. When…”

“WHAT?!?!?”

“…the girls came out to play,”

“WILL YOU JUST ASK ME ALREADY!?!?”

“ Margie Pargie Ran away?”

“Ok, what?”

“Can you pass the milk?”

“…..”

This nickname still carries on today, with my seven year old brother pulling the same thing. Only thankfully he does not go on to say the whole poem. He just greets me with the first line. Still, in the morning, it is not exactly the thing I want to hear.

In high school, I received the nickname that I carried on and titled this blog. I was honorably nicknamed Magpie by one of the band members. Sometimes it was shortened to Mag or Mags but it was mostly Magpie. This was one of the more unusual ones I received.

College brought a new nickname to the table. A friend of mine fondly started calling me Margѐ. (Pronounced Marga soft “g” long “a”) This stuck pretty much my whole college experience. It is hard for people to pronounce so I tend not to tell people this one. The say Marge like Large Marge from Pee Wee Herman’s Big Adventure. Ten points for you if you’ve seen the movie. Five points for you if you only heard of the movie. Twenty points for you if you’ve heard the movie, seen the movie and know the scene in which I type of.

After I graduated and started my career as a professional nurse, I had to start initializing everything. Well fortunately, I have the best initials in the world: M.E.G. So I would just initial everything Meg. All my coworkers began calling me Meg. I explained that it wasn’t my real name but my initials but the name stuck. At the hospital, there was also a nurse from the ER who would call me Maggie May after the Rod Stewart song. But no one else really called me Maggie. Anyway, you all have to guess my middle name.

Now that I have moved on, the nicknames continue to come. I am now officially a Maggie and I love it. Maggie is more of an Irish nickname so maybe that is why I am drawn to it so much. However, almost everyone calls me that here. Maggie. I like the ring it has to it. A couple of people use derivatives of Maggie like Mags, or Mag. But Maggie is always the more common.

I will always have nicknames given to me. I believe that Margaret is the most versatile name for nicknames. I wouldn’t change my name for the world. I love all my nicknames. To me, nicknames are a sign of comfort and ease. If people are comfortable around me enough to make a nickname for me, then I am happy. My mission is complete. Nicknames are also a personalizer. People “adopt” me as their own when I am given a nickname. Weird, I know.

TTFN! (Ta Ta For Now!)

Magpie (or anything else you would like to call me)