Nicknames in Central Switzerland

In addition to the official naming system based on first names and surnames, the rural areas of Central Switzerland have a second, traditional naming system that the older residents – particularly those born before 1960 – continue to use to this day. It consists of nicknames given to individuals, families or extended families. There is a practical reason for it: since many villages and settlements have broad, extended networks of relatives with the same surname, and traditional first names are limited to those of a few saints, official names are not sufficient as a way of distinguishing between people. The nicknames are often derived from names of meadows, professions or social and physical characteristics. Some of them carry a certain stigma and are therefore no longer used by the persons in question. Others, however, form an unencumbered, everyday part of the people's personal identity. Nicknames linked to names of meadows are particularly common in farming communities, and are sometimes supplemented with details of the people's ancestry.