Short names.

[turboped]

Can anyone tell me what 'Harry' and 'Jack' are short names for?

[SaxyJag]

Harry - short for Harold or Henry

Jack - short for John

[devilwoman]

harrison could also be shortened to harry, although jack is supposedly short for john they both have the same amount of letters so its a bit silly isnt it?

[jno]

they may not be short for anything, of course: these days boys may be christened Harry (like the prince) or Jack. Historically, though, they were short forms. American Hank was also a short form of Henry originally, I believe.

[sherrardk]

My husband swears blind that Jack is short for John - but surely a name that is shorter than the original would have less letters in it? (Much argued over in our house as one of our children is a Jack.)

[turboped]

The reason I asked was because a friend did not believe me when I told them that my son is Christened Henry but we call him Harry 'for short' and my uncle Jack was Christened John.

Thanks for the support.

[Quizmonster]

'Jack' has been the familiar form of 'John' for at least 800 years. Many people believe it came from the French name Jacques, but the Oxford English Dictionary - the 'bible' in matters of this sort - doubts this. They are much happier with the case - made over a century ago by the scholar EWB Nicholson at Oxford - that the word actually originated in that form as a diminutive for 'John'. In other words, it's just as much a name in its own right nowadays as 'John' or any other name is.
Your husband, Sherrardk, is 'right' in a sense, though it is more of a 'companionable alteration/familiarisation' - for want of a better phrase - than a shortening, obviously.

[felinechums]

It is not so much that the names "Harry" and "Jack" are SHORT for the names "Henry" and "John", but that they are the familiar versions of these names. Henry and John are perceived as the formal version, whereas Harry and Jack would be the less formal address, used by family and friends.

[turboped]

Your dead right felinechumps, without thinking about it too deeply we wanted our Harry to have something a bit more formal if he needed it, teenagers always seem to hate their given name and hate their second given name even more, at least he has a choice. Plus we coulldn't decide if we preferred Henry or Harry so he had both.

[unruliejulie]

John F. Kennedy was always called Jack by his family.Prince Harry is really Prince Henry.

[jno]

heavens above unruliejulie you're right - and I always thought Harry was his given name. I live and learn.

[rugeleyboy]

that cant be right jules??

[unruliejulie]

It certainly is! Check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Harry_of_W ales

[rugeleyboy]

well bug*er me!!

is william really william?

[unruliejulie]

yes, RB, William is still William,don't worry. I remember the announcement when Harry was born. He would be named Prince Henry but he would be known as Harry. Glad really cause i don't care much for Henry, it doesn't suit him either.

[jno]

typical royal weirdness - to say we're going to name him this but we're going to call him that.

[felinechums]

The strangest of all is that people whose formal name is Margaret are of ten called Pearl or Pearlie.

My Mum's friend was called Elizabeth and all her life she was known as Queenie.