nicknaming

noun

1. an additional or substitute name given to a person, place, or thing: usually descriptive and given in fun, affection, or derision, as “Doc,” “Shorty,” etc.
2. a familiar, often shorter, form of a proper name, as “Dick” for “Richard”

Etymology: < (a)n ekename < ME ekename, surname: see eke & name

transitive verb nicknamed -·named′, nicknaming -·nam′·ing

1. to give a nickname to
2. Now Rare to misname