why are so many Dominicans named "Wilson?"

bob saunders

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We have chino, el mister, papo, el nene (6,5 foot), keka and caralarga.
But those are nicknames, which most but not all Dominicans have. Papolo and Papito are really common. My neighbor is called Beba but his real name is Ramon. DeeDee is Dela Doreen ...etc. Mono, a cousin is Jose Ramon.
 
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JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
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My ex had a name, had a nickname, but everybody called her yet another name.

Let's not even get started on the folks who make up names based on other family members.

Stuff like Yoreylizman, jaqulinkynico, Georhenlizda.. I've known so many.

And we've already been through the folks named after movie character and holidays.
 
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Fulano2

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But those are nicknames, which most but not all Dominicans have. Papolo and Papito are really common. My neighbor is called Beba but his real name is Ramon. DeeDee is Dela Doreen ...etc. Mono, a cousin is Jose Ramon.
I didn’t know they were nicknames. I thought caralarga got his name from his grandfather who was a goat.
 
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Sol09

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I think many people will meet or read about someone named Jhon (yes, with the H and O exactly where they are.)
Screenshot 2025-03-05 190553.png

Even going as far as changing the spelling of the former president on the street sign.
 
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Sol09

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Some mispellings I've seen on DR streets

Jhon F Kennedy (John, of course)
Charles Summer (Charles Sumner)
Tiradientes (Tiradentes)
Correa Ysidron (Correa & Cidrón)
Estrella Sadala (which is Estrella Sadhalá)
And Charles is also pronounced "Charlie"!
 
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josh2203

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I've met numerous named Elvis and Freddy which I always found interesting
Funny coincidence My SIL's family has a friend (now in New York, set up their own business there) called Elvis, but nobody actually calls him with that name, only on his cedula. Very funny, social and a nice guy. I'm not sure if that's exactly his name on the cedula, but they call one of my wife's closest uncles Freddy. Somehow looks like it too.
 

josh2203

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I wouldn’t even try to spell the names of our campo neighbors, but I’d bet about 90% of them aren’t their legal/given names.
This is is very common in my wife's family on his father's side. Almost nobody is called what their cedula says, not even resembling. My wife's stepmother is called with a name that is actually a valid Spanish name, even some important people in the current govt are named like that. She's never called anything else, by anyone. Imagine my face and surprise when I was one of the people who were tasked with helping with some important banking papers during a house purchase, and I had to confirm that her name matches exactly what her cedula says. That was the first time ever I saw her cedula, with her full official name. The names had zero same letters, and the official name was really weird and twice as long. At that point I did however understand why she was called with a different name.

As I understood that apparently this name thing is a bit sensitive topic in the family, I never said anything about it.
 

keepcoming

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I wouldn’t even try to spell the names of our campo neighbors, but I’d bet about 90% of them aren’t their legal/given names.

Mr AE’s family is pretty traditional. The 5 brothers are Luis, Leonardo, Jose, Cesar and Jorge. Most of them named first son for themselves. First daughter for their wives. We followed Italian tradition, our children are named for their grandparents.

Grandchildren of his brothers are Valentina, Jasmine (2), Alonzo, Kylie, Chloe, Nicolas, Raymond, Rodrigo, Jorge, Luis, Michael, Gregory, Jacob, Christian, Jose, so all over the place but nothing weird.

As others have said is that the spelling can be eye opening. B vs V is a whole other discussion 😊
Sounds like names in my spouse's family, Luis, Raul, Winston, Andres, Ramon, Angela, normal names. The grandkids, Angela, Ashley, Alexander, Dariel, Ruben, Hailey, Michael, common names. Now the extended family, that's another story. There is a Maco, Chelo, Dorito, Fa, Sambo, names like that. I doubt those are their real names but that is what I know them as.
 

NALs

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Jan 20, 2003
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Most people I know have a nickname and many others I have renamed to Gilipoya.
Some people have more than one nickname. I have 4. For whatever reason one is popular among known Dominicans in the USA and another nickname from a very small group. In the DR another nickname is the most used and the 4th one is now disused because one grandmother was basically the only person that called me like that. None of those nicknames are even remotely related to the another nicknames.

I respond to all of them wherever I hear them, except the 4th one since it was said by one person. I get kind of annoyed if I hear anyone else calling me that.
 
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