Having the surname, “Swagerty”, the nickname, “Swag” was a natural choice. However, my dad had that nickname, so I didn’t want to also be called Swag. Swag was my dad’s nickname, so I didn’t want it. Don’t get me wrong…I love my dad. I just wanted to have my own identity. Brian isn’t very conducive to a nickname, so I was just Brian. My next-door neighbor and best friend’s name was Bruce. We hung out together all the time, and we were Bruce and Brian.
In college, I was the largest (and probably the strongest) person on the swim team. I also had bent-over shoulders and swam the butterfly. My nickname from the first or second week in college was Igor. I think a lot of people knew me only as Igor. I was fine with this nickname…it wasn’t Swag. As time progressed and I had children, they were nicknamed Swag and Swags by their friends. It wasn’t until about ten or twenty years ago that I warmed up the the nickname, Swag. I now use Swag when I build wood objects. I have a branding iron now that says, “Made by Swag.” I think I finally came to terms with using Swag as a nickname, or at least a brand.
Swagerty-Aldrich Family Web Site 