Initial "Names" (Like A.J.)

General Name Discussion
1

[name]Hi[/name],

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this topic before, and I’d like to know people’s impressions. I’m sure we’ve all known at least one person who goes by their initials. I knew a guy named [name]John[/name] [name]Thomas[/name] _______ who was known as J.T. all through school. So, I’m going to throw out some initial “names,” and I’d like you to give your impression of them. ([name]How[/name] do you imagine this person? Boy, girl, or both? Sexy, cool, nerdy, quiet, obnoxious?)

J.T.
A.J.
D.J.
P.J.
T.J.
G.K.
M.J.

[name]Feel[/name] free to add any others you’ve known!

2

J.T. Upper class and aristocratic
A.J. Mischievious boy
D.J. See A.J. above
P.J. Fun and spunky girl
T.J. Loud and obnoxious boy
G.K. Quiet and shy girl
M.J. Cool heart breaker of a male

[name]Don[/name]'t ask me from where I get these impressions - I don’t even know anyone with some of these initials.

3

That is so funny…my first impressions are almost exactly what mischa described! :mrgreen: The only difference is that I see JT as a popular athlete.

4

You know a G.K.? I’m a musician and the only time I hear this combination of letters we’re talking about the Gallien-Krueger bass amp. It doesn’t have the right flow to me for a “name”.

For initial names in general, I’m used to the ones with “J” in the second place, it seems most natural. I have known a JT as well. Aside from DJ on full house and MJ in spiderman, I almost always associate these with boys… I guess just because the only ones I know in real life ARE guys. I’m thinking “J” is a common factor because “[name]Jay[/name]” is more of a name/nickname unto itself than most of the other letters (though of those, the other letters I can think of on their own I’d say are more female: [name]Dee[/name], I know a “G” [[name]Gloria[/name]], [name]Kay[/name], [name]Elle[/name], [name]Emme[/name]).

5

I don’t know what it is, but I really don’t like initial names. They sound very country bumpkin to me. My daughter’s initials are actually PJ, but I have forbidden any family members from calling her this on pain of death.

6

J.T. makes me think of what’s his name, [name]Jonathan[/name] [name]Taylor[/name] [name]Thomas[/name], that kid from Home Improvement. [name]Way[/name] back in the 90’s… :slight_smile: This is definitely male to me; I actually know people called J.T. or J.D. But then again, I’m from the south, where initial names are a little more common, and, in my grandparents’ generation and before, very common.

A.J. Boy, definitely. You know, almost all of these make me think of a famous person. In the 90’s, mostly. A.J. from Backstreet Boys?

D.J. This one could go either way on gender. Famous person who pops to mind in the older sister from Full House. So, I would lean towards female but wouldn’t be put off by a boy called D.J., either.

P.J. More boy, but could work for a girl as well. Famous reference: The littlest child in the comic Family Circus. I see this as a cute childhood nickname, since I know a lot of people who call theirs pajamas p.j.'s, so I would think it weird to see anyone older then about ten called P.J.

T.J. This is the only one that a famous person doesn’t come immediately to mind. However, it’s also the one I’ve heard most in real life. Definitely male. I went to school with a T.J (I think it stood for [name]Timothy[/name] [name]James[/name], but he was never called anything but T.J.). I also know people who like the sound of T.J. enough that they choose names in order to use this nickname.

G.K. Famous person: G.K. ([name]Gilbert[/name] [name]Keith[/name]) Chesterton, a British writer who wrote the Father [name]Brown[/name] mysteries. So my example is male, but really it doesn’t have much gender to me either way. I can just as well see a girl G.K. ([name]Gemma[/name] [name]Kate[/name]??)

M.J. As has been pointed out before, [name]Mary[/name] [name]Jane[/name] from Spiderman. This is the only one that seems definitively female to me. My cousin had a roommate called M.J.; I’m not sure what it stood for. It’s probably the “[name]Em[/name]” sound of the M that ties it to [name]Emily[/name] that makes it sound more feminine.

Interesting to think about. I certainly know many more men and than women who use initial nicknames.

7

I know a PJ ([name]Paris[/name] [name]Jacqueline[/name]), a JJ ([name]John[/name] [name]Joseph[/name]) two TJ’s ([name]Thomas[/name] [name]Jesse[/name] and [name]Thomas[/name] [name]Jefferson[/name]-really!)
and a CK ([name]Corwin[/name] [name]Kenneth[/name]).

My least favorite initial name is BJ…for obvious reasons.

8

Personally, I’ve known an RJ (Richard James), KC (Kenneth C - I can’t remember what the C stands for) and a CJ (Channing J - J being the first initial of his last name), and 4 guys named AJ (one was Aaron [name_u]James[/name_u], one was Andrew Jay, and I can’t remember the other two). There was also a JP (John Paul) who I knew briefly.

9

DH goes by A.J. He hates how the Backstreet Boy uses these initials, but even worse was the ADT commercial about a year ago where “A.J.” was one of the creepy dudes trying to break into a house. :frowning:

10

J.T. - A nerdy but intelectual boy. He might end up on [name_m]Wall[/name_m] [name_m]Street[/name_m] someday. ([name_m]Jared[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m])
A.J. - A plump little boy who likes to play video games and eat junk food. ([name_m]Arnold[/name_m] [name_m]Jeremiah[/name_m])
D.J. - An athletic strong willed girl. ([name_f]Delilah[/name_f] [name_f]Josephine[/name_f])
P.J. - A cute little baby boy with a dirty face and his clothes way too big for him. ([name_m]Peter[/name_m] [name_m]Joseph[/name_m])
T.J. - Mischeivious boy who wants to be the Class Clown. ([name_m]Theodore[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m])
G.K. - Very geeky boy that is into building robots. ([name_u]Gary[/name_u] [name_u]Keegan[/name_u])
M.J. - A young girl with vintage taste and artistic talents. ([name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f])

I’ve also know several J.R.'s who were all very athletic young men. ([name_u]James[/name_u] [name_m]Richard[/name_m], [name_m]Joshua[/name_m] [name_m]Raymond[/name_m] and [name_m]Joseph[/name_m] [name_u]Ryan[/name_u])
I have a cousin R.J. and he is in the military. ([name_m]Richard[/name_m] [name_u]James[/name_u])
I had an uncle J.D. who was very mild and meek and such a great guy! (Jerard [name_m]David[/name_m])
My sister has a friend D.D. who was a very ambitious business woman. ([name_f]Dolores[/name_f] [name_f]Diane[/name_f])
The Principal of my niece’s High School goes by her initials D.A. ([name_f]Delinda[/name_f] [name_f]Ann[/name_f])
My nephew has a friend that goes by M.P. ([name_u]Michael[/name_u] [name_m]Patrick[/name_m])

11

My 10 year old neighbor is J.P. ([name_u]Jean[/name_u] [name_m]Pierre[/name_m])

12

I have AJ on my list of possibilities. ([name_u]Aidan[/name_u] [name_m]Judah[/name_m], [name_u]August[/name_u] [name_m]Jethro[/name_m]…)

I see AJ as a sweet all-rounder sort, laidback and relaxed. Fits in anywhere.

[name_m]JR[/name_m] I knew was nerdy and yet a favourite with the girls. AW was border-line saintly. You had to love him.

PJs I’ve known are all girls. I rather like it. It has a beachy feel to me, like saltwater and white jasmine.

13

A girl in my class had an initial name I really liked: MK. It stood for [name_f]Mary[/name_f] [name_f]Katherine[/name_f], and I think it really fit her. I also think AJ is a cute boy-ish nickname for a girl with feminine names (i.e. [name_f]Arabella[/name_f] [name_f]Juliet[/name_f]) who is more a tomboy

14

I like initial names for the most part. They’re very gender neutral in my mind and I think they provide more nickname options.

15

My associations:
J.T. - [name_m]Justin[/name_m] Timberlake, “popular guy”
A.J. - A.J. [name_m]McLean[/name_m], “bad boy”
D.J. - D.J. [name_m]Tanner[/name_m], “good girl.” Also disc jockey.
P.J. - cute kid or sweet adult, probably male
T.J. - cute guy, probably [name_m]Black[/name_m] for some reason
G.K. - Chesterson, proper, old, serious
M.J. - [name_u]Michael[/name_u] [name_m]Jackson[/name_m], likeable but strange

16

I’ve personally known:

B.G. ([name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] [name_m]Gerald[/name_m])
D.J. ([name_u]Douglas[/name_u] something)
J.J. (two of them - [name_f]Jacqueline[/name_f] [name_f]Jane[/name_f] and a male whose full names I don’t know)
J.L. (male, not sure of full names again)
P.J. ([name_m]Paul[/name_m] [name_m]John[/name_m])
T.C. ([name_m]Todd[/name_m] [name_m]Connor[/name_m])

I also knew a girl who went by [name_u]Ari[/name_u], which was derived from her initials R.E. - [name_f]Ruth[/name_f] [name_f]Ellen[/name_f]. I thought that was pretty cool.