Odd nicknames - it's all about getting noticed

By show of hands, how many of you out there know where Topher Grace got his first name?

That many? It took me longer.

In fact, it wasn't until early this year that I discovered "Topher" is short for "Christopher."

How long has "That '70s Show" been on?

Yeah, I know, "Christopher" is my name, too. But I didn't make the connection.

In the old days, a movie studio might have come up with a marquee name for Grace, and "Topher" isn't such a reach.

Like Rock Hudson (real name: Roy Harold Scherer Jr.).

On the other hand, "Topher" might be one of those unique names people give their kids nowadays — like Jewel or Paris or Dakota or Orlando.

Or Bow Wow? Or Snoop Dog? Or Ice Cube? OK, not given names. And a long way from Rock Hudson.

But you have to admit, they make "Topher" seem a lot less unusual.

In fact, if you think about it, I coulda been a Topher.

Back in the day, as they say, I went back and forth between "Chris" and "Christopher" . . . and a few others.

As a kid, everyone just naturally called me "Chris."

Except my parents.

My mother, usually when I spilled or broke something, or disobeyed, or tried to torture my younger brother — which was far too often — would include my middle name and holler "Christopher John!"

My father always called me "C.J." I kind of liked that, but it didn't stick. So to everyone else I remained just boring old "Chris."

I can see why Grace wanted to come up with something unusual and more noticeable. But I wasn't that inventive.

So, for me, it was "Chris" during high school and college and the Army and as an office manager and college again and then, finally, journalism.

When I began writing news stories on the city desk at the Ogden Standard-Examiner and then here at the Deseret Morning News, I used "Chris" as my byline.

But when mail started showing up for "Ms. Chris Hicks," and when people would call and ask to speak to "that Hicks woman," and especially when the city desk secretary started calling me "Christine," I decided to change my byline to "Christopher."