Is Fluttershy just a Nickname?

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

If you haven't noticed, every pony on the show has their name based on a special talent, or a physical attribute. Pinkie Pie because she's pink, Rainbow Dash because she's fast, Rarity for her gem finding talents, Twilight Sparkle for her magic. Yet Fluttershy is the only pony who's name is based of a personality trait. Why is that? Well, part of me wants to believe that Fluttershy is merely just nickname ponies gave her due to her timid nature. I'm willing to bet her full name is based off her animal talents like Wind Soothe, or Gentle Care.

Edited December 31, 2014 by TheMisterManGuy

[Silver Herald 169]

 

 

Twilight Sparkle for her magic.

 

 

If you really look at it, though, what does Twilight or Sparkle have to do with magic? It seems like much more of a stretch than the others, so Fluttershy isn't the only outlier.

I'm also going to apply the "too deep for a kid's show" clause to this thought, because the whole idea seems a bit too much of a stretch as well.

[FirstPonySpectre 176]

A ponies name can also relate to their personality. Such as Fancy Pants. He basically acts like anyone you would refer to as a "fancy pants" would. Same with Harshwhinny. She's rather harsh. Fluttershy is shy, which is where the "shy" portion comes into play. Flutter is most likely related to butterflies because people (at least I) refer to butterflies as fluttering. Her cutie mark is three butterflies so it makes sense. 

[A Black Circle 1,585]

 

 

If you really look at it, though, what does Twilight or Sparkle have to do with magic? It seems like much more of a stretch than the others, so Fluttershy isn't the only outlier.

I'm also going to apply the "too deep for a kid's show" clause to this thought, because the whole idea seems a bit too much of a stretch as well.

 

Nothing is too deep for ponies.

[catnet 9,353]

Well, part of me wants to believe that Fluttershy is merely just nickname ponies gave her due to her timid nature. I'm willing to bet her full name is based off her animal talents like Wind Soothe, or Gentle Care.

But, didn't she only truly discover her animal talents around the time she got her cutie mark? Before then, she was just timid and a weak flyer; there wasn't really any opportunity to show off that 'gentle care', from what I understand. 

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

But, didn't she only truly discover her animal talents around the time she got her cutie mark? Before then, she was just timid and a weak flyer; there wasn't really any opportunity to show off that 'gentle care', from what I understand. 

Gentle Care or Wind Soothe could possibly be based on her gentle nature, not just with animals.

[sweetolebob18 724]

I'll go w the "Fluttershy is her real name" school of thought.  Scootaloo, though, has got to be a nickname

[catnet 9,353]

Gentle Care or Wind Soothe could possibly be based on her gentle nature, not just with animals.

But she had virtually no friends at that point, right? And quite a few bullies against her instead. Though obviously we know that she is a gentle character, back then, her gentleness wouldn't have been quite as obvious as her shyness. If I go through my day and don't get involved with anything that's thrown at me, then it's more a case of me being too shy to respond than being gentle (you could confidently respond in a gentle way, but it's not really an issue of gentleness if you're too shy to make any action. Someone could even be shy yet hope to respond in a rough and violent way). I just feel her shyness would have been the main aspect of her to define what she's referred to as, but then again, that's just me.

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Her real name is Shya LaFlutter.

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

I highly doubt it's a nickname. Since a nickname is only used on occasion like "Dashie" "Twi" or "Twily" as a fun little thing. Since everypony calls her "Fluttershy" it can't be her nickname. Heck you don't see Celestia or Luna calling Twilight "Twily" or "Twi". So if Fluttershy was a nickname, Celestia or Luna wouldn't be calling her "Fluttershy" They'd be calling her by her full name.

 

Nicknames are used among friends, and are generally a short version of someone's full name meant to be cute or playful. If She did have a nickname,it'd be "Flutters" or similar.I know a lot of people call her "Flutters" because it's a cute nickname.

Edited December 31, 2014 by :Flutterdash:

[Nature's Spell 526]

Yeah I agree with the consensus that it's her name. Although the show uses nicknames they are never used exclusively. Also the writers rarely think so deeply about details like that or have hidden meanings.

[Sceethe 704]

imagine naming your kid "introverted"

that´s pretty much how that would feel, in the real world.

 

i think fluttershy is just a nickname, since noone in their right mind would name their child that way.

[Princess Lona 381]

Maybe Fluttershy is her real full name, and that's why she is so shy. Maybe having that name made an impression on her from a very young age and affected the way other ponies viewed and interacted with her. Her name tells her she is shy, so she believes it. The same could be said of Rainbow Dash. Maybe she's only as confident and brazen as she is because her name makes her feel strong and awesome. Sorry if this is a bit off topic but the thread just made me think of it.

[DND 2,354]

If you haven't noticed, every pony on the show has their name based on a special talent, or a physical attribute. Pinkie Pie because she's pink, Rainbow Dash because she's fast, Rarity for her gem finding talents, Twilight Sparkle for her magic. Yet Fluttershy is the only pony who's name is based of a personality trait. Why is that? Well, part of me wants to believe that Fluttershy is merely just nickname ponies gave her due to her timid nature. I'm willing to bet her full name is based off her animal talents like Wind Soothe, or Gentle Care.

 

 

 

 

If you really look at it, though, what does Twilight or Sparkle have to do with magic? It seems like much more of a stretch than the others, so Fluttershy isn't the only outlier.

I'm also going to apply the "too deep for a kid's show" clause to this thought, because the whole idea seems a bit too much of a stretch as well.

 

 

If you really think about it again however sparkle does hint an effect of unicorn magic. Like the TheMinisterManGuy has implied, all of these names must come from some time after they start showing personality traits. Fluttershy was bound to be shy, probably showing her shy characteristics as early as Pumpkin Cake Pound Cake showed their personality. It's rarer to have their names based upon personality traits, but it's clearly evident that pony names generally have to do with actions and appearance from the get-go. It's been a theme in all gens; MLP has generally always been about talents and traits implemented in a cute little magical pony form, heavily leaning towards that of inspirational destiny.

Edited January 1, 2015 by IncognitoKiwoy

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

I wouldn't be surprised if it is her nickname.

[silvadel 1,393]

While parents can saddle their kids with some of the cruelest names possible, it does seem a bit odd that you would call your foal "Fluttershy" as a baby.

 

The naming of ponies seems to be quite an odd thing as it really does seem to influence their development far more than one would think.

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

Well usually when some character in a show (whether cartoon or not) introduces themselves they usually give their first name and then they say "but you can call me" and then they give their nickname.

And what dis Fluttershy say when we were first introduced to her?

Nothing else.

Just Fluttershy.

 

Also her name is mentioned in a flash back in one of the earlier episodes.

She was only like 12 years old (just a guess) and people still called her Fluttershy.

So I'm more inclined to believe that she was born with that name.

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

Well usually when some character in a show (whether cartoon or not) introduces themselves they usually give their first name and then they say "but you can call me" and then they give their nickname.

And what dis Fluttershy say when we were first introduced to her?

Nothing else.

Just Fluttershy.

 

Also her name is mentioned in a flash back in one of the earlier episodes.

She was only like 12 years old (just a guess) and people still called her Fluttershy.

So I'm more inclined to believe that she was born with that name.

Well it could be that she introduced herself as Fluttershy because

 

1. She's probably so used to being called that and...

 

2. She doesn't want to reveal her full name since she probably wants to distance herself from her family name as much as possible.

 

I mean, Pinkie's real name, Pinkamina wasn't reveald until The Cutie Mark Chronicles. So anything is possible.

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

Well it could be that she introduced herself as Fluttershy because

 

1. She's probably so used to being called that and...

 

2. She doesn't want to reveal her full name since she probably wants to distance herself from her family name as much as possible.

 

I mean, Pinkie's real name, Pinkamina wasn't reveald until The Cutie Mark Chronicles. So anything is possible.

But you'd think that after all this time that she'd reveal her full name by now.

I don't know though,.. it's a pretty vague question if you think about it.

[NavelColt 22,875]

Flutter is the opposite of Dash, by means to go slowly, and flutter is also fitting because Fluttershy loves butterflies, nature, etc. Fluttershy as a full word can also be interpreted as 'slow flyer' or 'infrequent flyer'. I think it fits the way the others' do just fine. Just need to look at things from various perspectives.

[Malafax 90]

Ok, on topic. I do not believe that Fluttershy is a nickname. It may be possible, but very very unlikely. While Pinkie Pie is just a nickname, it's only really a shorthand way of saying Pinkamena Diane Pie. Same can be said with AJ, Dashie and Twilight. Fluttershy couldn't be shorthand for anything, and the only pony with a canon nickname that isn't an abbreviation of sorts is Vinyl Scratch (DJ PON3). It's safe to assume here that nicknames are merely ways of contracting names. Besides, wouldn't she have already told the rest of the mane 6 and Discord her REAL name?

OT:

Nothing is too deep for ponies.

No pony is too deep...

[TheMisterManGuy 344]

But you'd think that after all this time that she'd reveal her full name by now.

I don't know though,.. it's a pretty vague question if you think about it.

This is Fluttershy we're talking about though, It's been implied that she doesn't like talking about her personal life, specificaly her past. 

[Manman20x6 359]

imagine naming your kid "introverted"

that´s pretty much how that would feel, in the real world.

 

i think fluttershy is just a nickname, since noone in their right mind would name their child that way.

 

There are ponies whose REAL NAMES are "Stinking", "Namby-Pamby", and "Silver Shill". From that, we can deduce that Equestrian naming customs are different from ours.

[Dark Horse 12,795]

If it is it's a great nickname, and I don't wanna know her real one.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

She has butterflies on her butt.