Well, I'm around the sixth “Joseph Louis Lockett” in a row in my family -- I guess Locketts just aren't a very creative lot. My grandfather didn't care much for the name (so it beats me why he named my dad that...), and went nickname-hunting shortly after I was born.
He was a lawyer for the Port of Houston, and thus had a lot of contacts. According to family stories, one of these was the local consul for Argentina, who recommended the nickname “Chepe” (pronounced CHEH-pee, or maybe CHEH-peh if you're feeling particularly Latin), similar to the Mexican “Pepe” or the Italian “Giuseppe,” and like them meaning “Little Joe.”
So it stuck. My parents picked it up (my Mom's often called my Dad by the endearing “José”), as did my friends. Now the only time I'm “Joe” is in more formal situations or when I'm talking to somebody I won't know long enough (or informally enough) to bother with the explanation.
I am not a Mexican railroad a salsa band, a Colombian bicyclist, or a frozen mojito. I do not own restaurants in Mérida or Atlanta, nor a car stereo shop in Fresno,
And there you have it. Go back to my home page. (Also accessible, as of early 2009, by going to chepe.org).