Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2019 June 26

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June 26

Initials as 1st name?

I stumbled upon the name of USA U16 Women's basketball player KK Bransford. In her bio it turns out sha has a brother named BJ.

Isn't this.... weird? Is it a new habit? Anything stands behind the initials?

(Thjere's A.E. Pessimal in Pretchet's books.... but that's a joke).

אילן שמעוני (talk) 12:25, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

It's a very common practice in the U.S. (less so elsewhere). The initials may stand for two discrete first names(e.g. J.J. Abrams), or for a first name and or a nickname (e.g. B.J. Upton) or nothing beyond the letters themselves, constituting a legal name in and by themselves (e.g. U.L. Washington). The practice is quite ancient, as I've seen some 19th century folk who are usually referred only by two initials. Xuxl (talk) 12:52, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

This style used to be quite prevalent in UK academic writing. Famous UK authors are A.E. Housman and C.S. Lewis... AnonMoos (talk) 13:00, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

And for more serious writers, like J. R. Hartley, of course. Martinevans123 (talk) 13:27, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

W. C. Fields and J. C. Penney come to mind. Johnny Cash's birth name was actually J.R. Cash. In more recent times, there's O. J. Simpson, B. J. Surhoff and C. C. Sabathia. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:02, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

T. S. Eliot, of course. A. L. Kennedy. --Viennese Waltz 13:10, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

H. B. Warner is another one. The Warner part was a stage name, but the initials were genuine. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 13:12, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

J. K. Rowling and P. L. Travers are two more. Adding one more initial allows for J. R. R. Tolkien All three are authors. MarnetteD|Talk 13:56, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

But all these examples have names behind the initials? CS Lewis stands for Clive Staples Lewis. JK Rowling has Joanne Rowling as base, with the K added as pseudonym. Put aside names that are pseudonym. We talk about (as far as I understand) official birth name. Is that common in the US too? I am quite sure that it's not accepted in the UK, or else Pratchett wouldn't make a fuss about it in his book. Commander Vimes is shocked when he finds that A.E. Pessimal is the whole name... "You mean you were INITIALED?!" was his response (or something along this line). אילן שמעוני (talk) 17:07, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Being known by your initials (J. R. R. was John Ronald Reuel Tolkien) is somewhat different to having initials instead of a forename, which I believe is what the OP is driving at. KK Bransford's forename is actually KK as far as I can tell, it doesn't stand for anything. Alansplodge (talk) 17:01, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

That's right. אילן שמעוני (talk) 17:08, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

OK, so at least Johnny Cash counts. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:03, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Fictional character, but, T.S. Garp. – filelakeshoe (t / c) 🐱 19:26, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

In addition to U.L. Washington and KK Bransford, mentioned above, another example of initials-as-legal-given-name from the world of U.S. sports is K. C. Jones. Deor (talk) 19:47, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

While actress CCH Pounder does have names behind those initials, she only uses the initials professionally. SinisterLefty (talk) 19:53, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

I thought of her too, larboard-portside! Two special cases are Georges Prosper Remi and Romain de Tirtoff who went by Hergé and Erté, from the French pronunciation of their initials, sort of, R.G. and R.T. (and I realise this isn't quite what אילן שמעוני asked, else we could include artists such as JB as well. I still think they're cool examples :-)</drift> ---Sluzzelin talk 23:00, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

• For years after 1963 I wondered what police officer J. D. Tippit's full name was, until I learned that was his full name. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:29, 29 June 2019 (UTC)

• I wonder if he was named after JD Rockefeller, who had names behind those initials, but was often referred to by those initials. SinisterLefty (talk) 13:15, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

• Our article says: It is sometimes reported that J. D. stood for "Jefferson Davis", but in fact, the letters did not stand for anything. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:54, 1 July 2019 (UTC)

• Yes, but that doesn't mean he wasn't named after someone. It is often the case that when naming a person after another, that means after what they are actually called, not after their birth name. Hence we have John Wayne Bobbitt, named after John Wayne, not Marion Morrison Bobbitt, named after JW's birth name. SinisterLefty (talk) 03:12, 2 July 2019 (UTC)

• To me, the words "the letters did not stand for anything" seem to gainsay your thesis. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 14:20, 2 July 2019 (UTC)

Obscure word

Recently on the ref. desks, a derogatory word (meaning, among other things, "idiot") was used to describe the present occupant of the White House. Like a [forgotten word], I neglected to write it down. It was something like "motoid". Ring any bells? Clarityfiend (talk) 19:25, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Matoid.[1] ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 19:43, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

Maybe something to do with Italian mattoide meaning an overexcited lunatic? 46.114.33.62 (talk) 16:02, 27 June 2019 (UTC) Marco Pagliero Berlin

Thanks. (Spelled "mattoid".) Clarityfiend (talk) 20:01, 27 June 2019 (UTC)