What's In A Name - A Guide to Brazilian Names

Ever wondered why Brazilian footballers are always identified by a short, and often strikingly similar names instead of their actual names? Why would someone want to be identified with their nickname in the global arena, instead of their first and last names, like the rest? The answer is not simple, as it goes a long way back to the times of slavery, and is entwined deeply with the society and lifestyle of the country.

To start with, it’s not just the Brazilian footballers who are identified by their nicknames. Almost everyone, including high profile members of the society – clergy, doctors, bureaucrats, politicians – you name it, they all are known by their nicknames. For instance, the former President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was known simply as Lula. Some scholars speculate that the single name system might have come up due to the slave system that was prevalent in the country till late 19th century, when slaves were referred by their first names only. In due time, it might have developed as a common naming system in the society. To add to it, Brazil’s low literacy rates makes an even greater case for usage of nicknames or single names instead of longer birth names.

The usage of nicknames in Brazilian society is a mark of intimacy. People feel more connected to one another by use of nicknames. There are no hard and fast rule for nicknaming conventions, and the tales behind a nickname may vary. For example, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, better known as Kaka is known so because his little brother had trouble pronouncing his name and called him Kaka. Two time world champion Valdir Pereira and Brazil’s top scorer in World Cup ’58, Edvaldo Izidio Neto are both known better by diminutive forms of their names Didi and Vava respectively.

Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite – Kaka

Sometimes, the place of birth plays a role in the process, as seen in the case of Junior Baiano, who is from Bahia and Marcelinho Carioca who hails from Rio. Another example is former Lyon player Antonio Augusto Ribeiro Reis Junior, who was simply known as Juninho, till another Brazilian Osvaldo Giroldo Junior, also nicknamed Juninho broke into the national team. The latter took up the name Juniho Paulista (from Sao Paulo), while the former became Juninho Pernambucano (from Pernambuco).

When there are multiple players with the same nickname, suffixes are added to the nickname, which gives rise to more nicknames that are closely related, but which shows clear distinction between the players. When Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima had broken into the Brazil squad, there was already a player nicknamed Ronaldo. So, O Fenomeno took up the name Ronaldinho, meaning Little Ronaldo, while the older one was called Ronaldao, meaning Big Ronaldo. When another rising star from Gremio, also nicknamed Ronaldinho came into prominence, the younger one was commonly known as Ronaldinho Caucho, which translates as the “little Ronaldo from Rio Grande do Sul”. When the eldest of the lot left the National team, Ronaldinho became Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho Caucho became Ronaldinho. In general, a suffix of -inho usually means small, and a suffix of -ao means big. Felipao Scolari was a big rugged defender during his player days.

Ronaldo and Ronaldinho

Sometimes, nicknames are given to indicate a characteristic that is unique to the player, either physical or technical. Manoel dos Santos came to be known as Garrincha, a small brown bird of his native Pau Grande due to his skinny build and extremely bowed legs. Another legend from his era, Eduardo Goncalves de Andrade was so outrageously talented that he used to play with and against much older players during his younger days. The players named him after the smallest coin of the time – Tostao. Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, the ’94 World Cup winning captain came to be known as Dunga, after the dwarf from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Paulo Henrique Ganso was named so because of his long limbs that made him look like a ganso(goose). Similarly, the strength and build of Givanildo Vieira de Souza earned him the name Hulk.

Players may also be named after former players whom they resemble physically or technically. Edinaldo Batista Libanio came to be known as Grafite, named after a former charge who also had long, pencil-thin legs. Marcos Evangelista de Moraes was named Cafuringa, when he played as a wide right during his younger days after a former player who played in the same position. Over the years, the name and position both changed, with Cafu becoming synonymous with excellence at the wing back position.

Manoel dos Santos and Edson Arantes do Nascimento

Not all nicknames could be explained so easily though. For example, take the case of Edson Arantes do Nascimento. He used to visit Vasco to watch his father play alongside Bile, who was his favourite player, and used to shout “Pile, Pile” as he could not pronounce the name right. Over the years, he came to be known as Pele, a name associated with sporting excellence. Marcos Andre Batista Santos, a World Cup ’02 winner has an even stranger story. His looks first earned him the name o Capeta(the Devil). When his two front milk teeth fell off, it earned him the name o Vampiro(the Vampire). His nickname – Vampeta is a combination of these two names.

It is a fact well noted that Brazilians don’t love their defenders, who guard their goals as much as the attackers. Not many of the famous defenders over the years are known by a single name. Nilton Santos and Carlos Alberto may be two of the best defenders of the game, but they were still known by their second names. Same is the case with Roberto Carlos. In almost a century, there has been only one widely recognised goalkeeper who was known by a single name – Dida.

Strangely enough, almost anything goes in terms of player names win Brazil, with players named after animals – Formiga(ant), Pavao(peacock), Aranha(spider), after food – Cocada(coconut candy), Triguinho(wheat), and even after objects - Alfinete(pin) and Balao(balloon). For more information on the subject, Alex Bellos’s book, ‘Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life’, published in 2003 is worth checking out.