Frank Stevens
From Lemon Grove (Ship Repair)
I’ve had a few at my work. One of them was “Roger.” It has something to do with Hank and Charlie, from a Jim Carrey movie. Roger was a character that was a real hardass. Another one they had for me was “Beak.” You can tell from looking at me how I got that. I never had any nicknames when I was younger, just now from coworkers.
Tiffany Billings
From North Park (Marketing)
My nickname was given to me when I played in an adult kickball league. Everyone in the league had nicknames. We didn’t even know each other’s real names. Even if we went out drinking after the games, we’d call each other by the nickname. And that was a bit more awkward for me since my nickname was “Tits.” Maybe they gave me that nickname because I have a great personality.
Myranda McGuire
From Pacific Beach (Sales and Marketing)
I hated my nickname. It was back in high school, and people started calling me “the Joker.” It’s because my mouth curls up like Jack Nicholson’s did in Batman. The worst was when a guy I liked started calling me that. It was so embarrassing. People have joked about my name and “Miranda rights,” but no nicknames from that.
Lauren O’Brien
From Solana Beach (Waitress)
I’ve had the nickname “L Boogie” for about eight years now. It’s from a Lauryn Hill song, and a few of my friends started calling me that. For a while, my nickname was “Obes,” which was an abbreviation. When I was younger, my family called me “Monkfish.” My mom said it was because I had puffy cheeks like that fish. But I found out later they were mistaken and had nicknamed me after the wrong fish.
Jack Carver
From Ramona (Carpenter)
I was called “Jump Rope Jack” in elementary school. I could jump rope really fast, the way boxers do. When I surfed, I was called “Bong Hit.” I didn’t smoke pot; it was because I always wore board shorts that said Billabong. I’ve also had nicknames, or pet names, that girlfriends gave me. Some I don’t remember. Others are too embarrassing to say.
Alisha Donovan
From San Diego (Teacher)
I don’t even want to think about all the nicknames that students probably give me behind my back. As a kid, I would hear “Barbie” once in a while because of my blond hair. Oh, I ran track. And my coach always had a nickname for each of us. They were often Olympians that had run track and field. I can’t remember mine, though. I do remember one girl mentioned the fact that the athlete she was named after wasn’t the same race.