Women, Nicknames, and Blues Singers

A nickname may be defined as a name not derivative from, or a diminutive of, a person's given names, but one which is added to, substituted for, or used alternatively with a person's given names. As reviewed elsewhere (Skipper, "Significance of Nicknames"), nicknames are an important and deeply embedded element in American culture, but there has been little systematic research reported in the literature. This is true not only for onomastics, but also for such disciplines as history, sociology, psychology, and so forth. What little research has been done usually focuses on the nicknames of males. With few exceptions, the nicknames of females have almost b.een entirely ignored.