Mick is a masculine
given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
or
nickname
A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...
, usually a
hypocorism
A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek ; sometimes also ''hypocoristic''), or pet name, is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as ''Izzy'' for Isabel or ''Bob (given name), Bob'' fo ...
of
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* he He ..., a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name
* Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
.
Because of its popularity in
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, it is often used in the
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...
as an
ethnic slur
The following is a list of ethnic slurs, ethnophaulisms, or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnic, national, or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pej ...
for
Irish people
The Irish ( or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common ancestry, history and Culture of Ireland, culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has be ...
.
In Australia, the meaning also broadened to include all
Catholics.
A colloquial but possibly
false etymology
A false etymology (fake etymology or pseudo-etymology) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or po ...
also attributes the origin of the slur to the prevalence of
Irish surnames containing the patronymic prefix "
Mc-" (or ''
Mhic''); whether this
patronym
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
Patronymics are used, ...
significantly contributed to the development of the slur is debated, but the prevalence of the first name or nickname "Mick" among Irish people is considered by etymologists to be its primary origin.
People
*
Mick Abrahams (born 1943), English guitarist and band leader, original guitarist for Jethro Tull
*
Mick Aston (1946-2013), English archaeologist
* Mick Batyske, aka
Mick (DJ), American DJ
* Mick Brown, half of the British vocal duo
Pat and Mick
*
Mick Clarke (born 1989), Irish footballer
*
Mick Coady (born 1958), English footballer
*
Mick Cronin (basketball) (born 1971), American basketball coach
*
Mick Fanning (born 1981), Australian professional surfer
*
Mick Foley (born 1965), American professional wrestler, actor and author
*
Mick Fleetwood (born 1947), British drummer and founding member of Fleetwood Mac
*
Mick Gadsby (born 1947), English footballer
*
Mick Harvey (born 1958), Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer
*
Mick Herron, British mystery and thriller novelist
*
Mick Hucknall (born 1960), English singer and songwriter
*
Mick Jagger (born 1943), lead singer and songwriter for the Rolling Stones
*
Mick Jenkins (rugby league) (born 1972), Welsh rugby footballer
*
Mick Jenkins (rapper) (born 1991), American rapper
*
Mick Jones (disambiguation)
*
Mick Kenney (born 1980), British musician
*
Mick Linden, bassist
*
Mick McGinley (born 1940/1), Irish Gaelic footballer and father of professional golfer Paul
*
Mick Mannock
Mick is a masculine given name or nickname, usually a hypocorism of Michael (given name), Michael.
Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in the English-speaking world as an List of ethnic slurs, ethnic slur for Irish people. In A ...
(1887–1918), British First World War fighter ace
*
Mick Mars (born 1951 or 1955), guitarist for Mötley Crüe born Robert Alan Deal
*
Mick Mashbir, American guitarist
*
Mick Mercer (born 1958), British journalist
*
Mick Molloy (born 1966), Australian comedian, writer, producer and actor
*
Mick Molloy (born 1944), Irish former rugby union player
*
Mick Moss (born 1975), English singer/songwriter
*
Mick Mulvaney (born 1967), American politician
*
Mick Peck (born 1981), New Zealand magician
*
Mick Ralphs (born 1944), English guitarist and songwriter, founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company
*
Mick Ronson (1946-1993), English guitarist for David Bowie's The Spiders from Mars
*
Mick Schumacher (born 1999), German racing driver and son of former F1 champion Michael Schumacher
*
Mick Taylor (born 1949), English guitarist for the Rolling Stones
*
Mick Thomson (born 1973), American guitarist for Slipknot
*
Mick Tongraya (born 1992), Thai actor and model
Fictional characters
* Mick Mundy alias “The Sniper”, of the 2007 video game
Team Fortress 2
* Mick Belker, on the TV series ''
Hill Street Blues''
*
Mick Carter, on the British soap opera ''EastEnders''
* Mick Garvey, on the TV series ''
Benidorm''
*
Mickey Goldmill, commonly addressed as Mick, in
Rocky,
Rocky II and
Rocky III
* Mick Kanic, on the ''
Power Rangers Ninja Steel''
* Mick Kelly, in the 1940 novel ''
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
''The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter'' (1940) is the debut novel of American author Carson McCullers, who was 23 at the time of publication. It is a Southern Gothic novel about a deaf man named John Singer and the people he encounters in a 1930s m ...
'' and the 1968 film adaptation
See also
*
The Mick (disambiguation)
*
Mickey (disambiguation)
*
MIC (disambiguation)
*
Micky
*
Micki
*
Taking the mick
References
{{given name
Masculine given names
Hypocorisms
Pejorative terms for European people