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Why Harry, Hal, and Hank for Henry? Or Chuck and Chip for Charles? Or Gus for Constantine? Or Sandy for Alexander? Or Stosh for Stanislaus?
Bob is old, of course. In A Christmas Carol, Dickens notes that Bob Cratchit received 15 copies of himself per week -- 15 'bob' or shillings = $3.75 at the time, or in today's value about $100 (for 5-1/2 days work 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. mon-fri, 9 to 1 pm Sat.)
Now that I come to think of it, Bob Cratchit didn't do so bad. In my first job after getting out of the Army in 1965 about 130 years after Cratchit's time, I got $100 per week for 5-1/2 days except I only had to work to 5:00 pm mon-Fri. But then, I only had 1 child and my wife worked.
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Well maybe I noticed the Bob thing because my brother is named Robert. But there has got to be some sort of thing in people's brains that make this happen.
Is it easier for your brain to think Bob in instead of Rob? I know it is slightly easier to say. As for all those other example, colour me clueless. I always wondered why they called Charlie Brown "Chuck".
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It's an ex-press-ion, wow   .... gee, you make me all verklempt and agita. Ho'ohiki A Ke Akua Thank you for my name in Hawai'ian. I spent a good 20 minutes (i.e. cyber-eternity) trying to find an on-line Hawai'ian translation for 'thank you' but the best I could do was "Thanksgiving" and "thank." Didn't bother to copy them down. I'm sure tsuwm will find it for me. Now, what's the nickname?
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trying to find an on-line Hawai'ian translation for 'thank you'
Easy-peasy
Mahalo.
If you want to get really fancy :
I am grateful for you help = ho'omaika'i i au i kokua mai
(Pukui Elbert Dictionary)
but nobody expects you to know that unless you're a Native speaker!
Mahalo and kokua are seen and used a lot even by haoles.
Mahalo is a general thank you. One lady, visiting Hawaii kept seeing the word Mahalo on the refuse containers in McD and Burger King et.al. She thought it meant rubbish until a kind soul told her the real meaning.
You might see a sign in a bookstore asking you to return books to correct shelves ending with :"Thank you for your kokua" (co-operation.)
That's it, I'm pau (finished)
wow
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Ho'ohiki A Ke Akua (Elizabeth) Now, what's the nickname?
That would be different, given by chums or family. Not necessarily a contraction of true name.
wow
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Elizabeth is from the Hebrew and means oath of God.
In Hawaiian Ho'ohiki A Ke Akua is the literal translation.
Thanks for that, wow. The similarity between "Akua" in Hawaiian and "Atua" in Maori, led me to figure out the Maori version. As a phrase Te Whakaari o Te Atua, and as a name, probably Whakaariatua. I shall definitely remember this, at least as a suggestion for friends.
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Just had a flash (!) : Native Hawaiians, fluent in the language reading my poor efforts.
I'll never know. They're far too kind and polite.
One reason for the notes about books I've used.
wow
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Now that you mention it, wow, I found both in the on-line Pukui-Elbert dictionary but they came up as translations for "thank" (the search function does not work for expressions such as "thank you," and when I tried "thanks" it gave me the word for Thanksgiving) ... I wasn't sure if they merely translated the verb or what. So since the translation wasn't good, I decided not to use either. But now I know. So, mahalo! 
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trying to find an on-line Hawai'ian translation for 'thank you'
Easy-peasy
Mahalo.
That is a very hard phrase to translate into Maori, as there is no specific phrase meaning "thank you." The phrase most commonly used is "kia ora", which is also both a greeting and a farewell. The formal expression of thanks, most often used in religious or ceremonial situations, is, "nga whakawhetai kia koe." Given the similarities between the Polynesian languages, striking differences like this fascinate me.
kia ora mai
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now I know. So, mahalo!
a' 'oli pilikia
(No trouble, no problem)
or for haole : no pilikia!
wow
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