My husband is a third, and if we have a baby boy, we will name him as a fourth, IV. My question is: What are some nicknames that we can call him having to do with the number four? For instance, a third might be called Trey, and a fifth might be called Quin. I have never heard of what a fourth might be called.
If you know of any good names for a fourth off the top of your head or if you don't mind querying your readers, I would so appreciate any help you can give.
Oh, I'm so glad that someone has given me the opportunity to show off about a little-known naming rule! This rule was a huge source of conflict between me and my high school boyfriend (he was a III). Here is the rule: Only popes and royalty keep their placeholders permanently.
Let's say Ronald Jones Sr. has a son named Ronald Jones Jr. and a grandson named Ronald Jones III. And then let's say Ronald Jones Sr. shuffles off this mortal coil. As of his death, Ronald Jones Jr. becomes Ronald Jones Sr., and Ronald Jones III becomes Ronald Jones Jr. This means that in most families, there is no need (or only a brief need) for a IV, and this is one reason there are so few good established nicknames.
However, perhaps you have noticed that this naming rule is unfamiliar? It's because people (MALE people) get all possessive about their dangley little suffixes, and also because they like the idea of their Illustrious Name stretching onward for generations, and how does anyone know how MANY generations unless we keep adding numbers? If you tried to apply the naming rule correctly at this point, you'd just confuse everyone. "But I always thought you were Ronald Jones JUNIOR!," people would say, shocked and alarmed. "But wait! Shouldn't your son be V?" The mail mix-ups would be astonishing.
This means we need nicknames for a IV, and there really aren't many, are there? Unlike III, which gives us cute foreign variations such as Tres/Trey and the cute short form of triple "Trip," the foreign versions of the number four tend to be more like "Quatre," and the short form of quadruple would be "Quad." Not much to harvest there. And even though "IV" could be pronounced "Eye-vee," I don't think we want to go that route either.
I wonder about Ivan. It's a stretch, but so is "Trip," really. Desperate times call for desperate measures, is what I'm saying. Ivan is a nice name, and it's a neat visual play on IV.
Got any Dutch or German in your background? The Dutch/German word for four is "vier," pronounced like "veer to the left." Vier is...well, it's unusual, name-wise! But it's a good sound and I think it works. You would of course be constantly explaining it, but people are likely to (1) understand and (2) like it.
Or I wonder if you could just call him Fourth. It has a good sound, if you say it out loud. It makes me think of the boy's name Ford, which I like (Douglas Adams fan).
I think if it were me, I would go for a different sort of nickname, based on the name instead of on the ranking. Your husband's rank gets all the cute nicknames, unfortunately for your future son. If I wanted a four-related name, though, my top choice is Fourth.
Does anyone else have nicknames of the sort we're looking for, related to the number four?
45 comments:
Would it be so bad to call him Trip? If he's the third living then that seems reasonable. I think Trip sort of stands on its own nowadays, I doubt most people would even think, "Oh, he must be a third."
I agree that the best nickname is probably better derived from the name itself, rather than relying on the IV thing.
Oh, this is a tough one. What about the Greek four, Tetra? Maybe Tetro would sound more masculine? Or just Four?
The German one is actually more like "Fear" than "Veer," which might not be an auspicious name.
Ive?
I know a four who goes by "Dusty," but that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the number.
I always thought that "Chip" was for the fourth? I don't have anything to back that up, just something I heard somewhere I think.
"Bud" or "Buddy" also seems to commonly be used for a Jr or a third or a fourth even if it has nothing to do with their name.
What about calling him Mars - as in the fourth planet. In Swedish, four is fyra. Or Q for Quad, or V for IV, or I read a cute suggestion of Cube.
I see that someone (Dallas) has already mentioned my idea, so I'll just have to second it! I think calling him Q (short for Quad) would be really cute!
My dad is the third and did not make either of my brothers a fourth. BUT my uncle did! My cousin is Sherman IV, and since his mom is from Mexico, the family called him Quatro growing up.
Sadly, one of my brothers wants to have his son be V. I pray that my sister-in-law vetoes that decision.
The German word "vier" is pronounced exactly like the word fear. Don't use that!
I personally like Vier and I don't see an association with fear. Really any name can rhyme with anything if your vocabulary is big enough.
I would use it even if there was no Dutch or German in my background. I do happen to have German in my background, but my family has been in America so long, my German background has been so watered down and is not something I identify myself with usually.
I also really like the idea of Tetro. Tetra does sound feminine, but I even like Tetra for a girl.
And I like Quatro too. There is no Spanish speaking culture in my background, but I would still consider it.
Re "fear"- I guess, but countries generally convert pronunciation to their own alphabet, don't they? I mean, not always, but in the U.S. we say "Volkswagon" and not "Folksvahgun." We say "bratwurst," not "bratvurst."
Oh, man, you guys are coming up with good ones! Tetro! Q!
I know a 4th who also went by Dusty around family. In everyday life he went by his first name. I have no idea where Dusty comes from, but either we know the Dusty or maybe it is a legit nickname for a 4th.
Does it *have* to be a variation on four? Could it be another variation on the name? There are/were five generations of 'John Christopher' in my mom's family, and they go/went by:
John
Bud
Jay
Chris
Jake
I vote for "Q". Although... he may get called "Cue Ball" by other kids.
i actually knew a kid in college who went by "ivey." i thought it was his last name for like a year until someone clued me in that it was actually for IV, because he was the fourth.
i LOVED the name, honestly. i'd never heard it before and thought it was really fun and unique. i vote ivey!
What a dilemma! I have to say, I don't really like any of the nicknames, though. I couldn't imagine calling my son Q or Tetro! But to each his own, I guess. I like the idea of shortening the actual name. I wish we knew what the name was so we could help! If I had to choose, though, I would probably go with either Ivey, Ivan, or Court (change Quart to "cort"?). Good luck!
Odin. It means Wednesday. The fourth day. It's a good name and I should know! It's like Aiden and Owen mixed together.
I went to high school with someone who was a 4th and called "Four". It actually made a nice name and wasn't odd at all.
I like Oden/Odin, too! My two fave choices now are Oden or Court.
I could have written this question myself - I am very interested in this topic because my boyfriend is a III, and has always said that if he has a son, he wants him to be a IV. He wants to call him Ivey, a nickname that I'm less than crazy about.
But my question is, for all of you who know fourths, were they teased in school for their suffixes? Did they like being a fourth?
I had NO idea about that rankings thing! Wow!
I like the idea of nicknaming off of the name. For example I know a family of 4 williams.
Sr: William
Jr: Bill
3:Middle name: John
4: Liam
A fifth could be Will. Of course if you're not working with an easy name that would be difficult. John could also be Jack, I think.
Hm.
This whole thing is weird for me.
Why isn't the kid just called his name or a nickname off the name (such as the Bill, Will, Liam example above?).
I don't think I'm such a fan of making up a nickname that has nothing to do with his name. Being the fourth person born with that name in his family... well, I only see pretentious people actually saying to others, "Hi, I'm John William the Fourth". Not many people these days will really get why you're calling your kid "Four". They'll think he's your fourth child or something.
I didn't even know people were called "Trip" and "Trey" because of being a III, I just thought those were names.
I vote for just calling him a nickname off of the name you're giving him.
Just one opinion, but I just don't get calling a kid "Quatro" and such ... unless it's only for "in-the-home" purposes and not what you're going to address him as in the outside world. In that scenario, "Quatro" away!
My nephew is a fourth. Unfortunately he has the "baby" version of his name "Little Jimmy" As he's 23 now, it doesn't fit. He doesn't like it much now and less & less as he ages.
He also says he'll NEVER keep the tradition going as it's been a hassle all his life. Think Social Security paperwork, job references, etc. YIKES! So my vote is not to name him a IV (:-D Not offered as an option, I realize, but there ya go. I choose "IVey" if they must.
My friend Cassandra has a nphew who's a IV. They call him IV- rhymes with give. Scroll down to the last graph in this entry. http://thealderins.blogspot.com/2008/02/happy-birthday-lucy.html
http://thealderins.blogspot.com/2008/02/
happy-birthday-lucy.html
Oops. Hope you can somehow use that. The last one got cut off.
Egad IV nicknames are hard. I've also seen the different diminutives (William Bill Will Billy etc), and I knew a "Tripper" growing up (he LOVED that, let me tell you- no teasing AT ALL when your name makes you sound tremendously clumsy) but if this is a non-negotiable that the nickname must be related to the IV I like Court a lot.
Thanks for checking my blog! Yes, we have an IV in the family. Amazingly, we have met a couple other "IV's" over the past few years. They both pronounced it as rhyming with GIVE as well, so I guess it is more common than we thought!
When he was a little baby, we called him "The Ivlet." When we explain, that his name is derived from pronouncing the roman numeral for four, you often see the AHA! moment on their face. Good luck when you get your IV!
I know some people that named their little boy a fourth and (not kidding here) they call him Iv. Sounds just like it looks Iv (like If, but with a "va" sound instead). I always thought it sounded silly, but as the little boy has grown up it's stuck and of course it's made it less confusing to know who they're talking about.
Perfect timing! I found your blog on the day when you were discussing a much-debated issue for my family. My side of the family follows your rule - when you die, you're off the list and everyone moves up a notch. Otherwise, my brother would have been the fifth. My husband's family obviously thinks they're akin to kings and popes.
My husband is an IV. Oddly, even though he was the fourth, he was the first of the lot to go by his full first name - the first one went by his middle name, the second and third when by nicknames for the first name.
And since someone asked, my husband has always wished his parents hadn't made him the fourth. He got teased about it in high school. Even his aunts and uncles made jokes about how pretensiously "regal" it sounds. And now that he's in the same profession as his dad, it's been annoying for him to always have to use sn awkward suffix that's not always available as an option on forms.
Our son was actually born (as predicted by his great-grandfather) on the birthday of the original namebearer (his great-great-grandfather). Nonetheless, we did not cave into the pressure.
Our solution was to keep the same first name but change the middle name to something a bit more updated (original middle name was Ernest). So he's still carrying the family first name, but has a unique middle name (which we call him by) and doesn't have a suffix.
What about Iver?
I actually know someone who gave that name to his son as his given name. But I think it could be a nickname that relates to the IV thing.
One IV that I know in real life is Dru, short for "quadruple." I suppose in this respect, Rupe could also work, which many will likely take as a diminutive of Rupert. But I'm guess you'll have to explain any sort of IV-related nickname!
I think Cort/Court ("quart") is also a cute one.
Oden, Court, or Dru. Definitely.
Thanks so much for posting my question, Swistle, and thank you to everyone for your input! I love, love, love Odin/Oden, and Dru, and Court, and Fourth is really cute, too! All three of the preceding men with this name are still living, so he truly would/will be a IV. The first name is just one syllable and so there is no shortening it, and all three of the other men go by that name, anyway. I don't want to call my son the same name as my hubby and my father-in-law, hence why we need a nickname. I don't like the middle name enough to call him by that name, and I just happen to like the number nicknames. You all have given me a lot to work with and I really appreciate it! I'll keep you posted, Swistle... :)
I knew an Ivy in college...I thought he had a really unique name until I figured out he was actually John Something IV.
I didn't know there was a rule where you could switch your suffix! Neat. After working in credit counseling, though, switching from "III" to "Jr." might be really tough. People are already getting their credit histories confused with their fathers and sons all the time, so I'd bet it's easier to stick with the suffix you were born with.
Since the first name is short one-syllable, how about adding the number related nicknames to the first name ala "John Q" or "John Four" to separate him from the rellies?
I have a friend who followed Davis Love III and used Drew from quaDRUple.
I knew a guy in HS named "Four" because he was the fourth. I thought he was really cool and it seemed to make sense to everyone.
I know a lot of fourth's that go by the nickname Beau, which I think is cute! I have known one Cuatro and several who just go by one of their actual names (usually not the same as their dad).
As a second with the Nickname of Chip and having a son that is a third and a nickname of Trey. My vote is for Ivey.
To carry on the name is a tradition of celebrating a good man. I believe my father was a good man, I believe myself to be a good man and if my son believes the same about me and himself I will expect him to continue the tradition. It is a way to honor your father and continue a tradition of a "good name". By good name I mean a name that has a good reputation.
As for paper work I have yet to have any major problems. Some minor things when getting a mortgage but nothing that took more than 15 minutes to clean up. I have seen more problems with people having identical names with strangers and people with popular last names.
People don't have to get it. All in all the worst it could be is a good ice breaker when you don't know what to say.
Fourth in different languages:
German - Vierte
French - Quarts
Four in different languages:
Dutch/German - Vier
Norwegian/Swedish - Fire
Misspelled - Forth
German - Ven
This is why I vote for Ivey - IV
Hope this helps.
I have been debating this question as well. My husband is a third, and i've never been fond of the "ranking" and i don't like my husband's full name, but it seems to be important to him. I had heard III's going by "Trey" and IV's going by "Trevor." That sparked my imagination for nicknaming the IV "Trebor." It actually works because the first name is Robert, and Trebor would be his first name spelled backwards.
But I'm really liking Cort!!!
I have a friend who is the Fourth and goes by Ford. I'm guessing his mother just tweaked Four for the Ford, but it's always seemed normal and makes sense without being too "nicknamey"
Thought I'd add this. I am a 3rd and just found out my wife and I are having a boy. I concur there are not many options for nicknames. Therefore, I embarked on an extensive search. I am Irish and wanted if possible to have a nickname that was a direct play off of my first name or IV. Here's what I found and I offer it up to others to use. The name is QUADE,it's of Irish origin, we'll pronounce it (KADE)not(KWADE). the name is a based on Quad and In Latin the name translates to "fourth" and is also defined as "the fourth child"! I like it, maybe you will as well.
Great suggestions, all! I'm in the same dilemma with my husband being a III. We have friends that have their IV go by "Quarter" and that seems to work for him. Really liking Cort/Court, Iver, and Quade/Kade. I also like the Odin suggestion, but our last name is Owen and that might be a little too matchy for usage.
I'll add my thanks for this post! I had heard the rule about the change in suffix as well but my hubby doesn't feel its necessary. He is in the same line of work as his father who was very well known in the community as the "jr" as was his grandfather as the "sr". I'd also like to throw in a cultural difference I've observed. It seems to me there are many more Treys/Traes, Chips, Juniors, etc in the southern states than in the northern (just an observation from living in both areas). And I agree that it has more to do with respect for previous generations than trying to appear "royal". I know my husband and I have great respect for his grandfather and father and that's why we'll continue his name. I'm still on the fence for a nickname though -- my name is Courtney (called Court by a lot of people) so that might be strange for a young boy. I'm leaning towards Ivey tho.
Thanks again for sharing!
im a third and ive always said that if i had a kid (male or female) id name him or her James the IV.. for short i think it would be cool to go off the french pronounciation of 4 (quatre) when its said by a native speaker it sounds kinda like cat-ra. So if its a boy call him Cat and a girl can be James. If they want to get boring later on in life a boy could go to James since ive never answered to it and a girl could be Jamie if she wants to be boring.
I know this is quite old at this point, but I thought of one that hasn't been mentioned. Quip seems like it'd be pretty cute to me--it's more appropriate to someone who's [Name] V, of course, but Quap sounds like crap (both literally and subjectively >>). And it suggests he's witty, which'd be a bonus to me.
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