That's Not My Name

A great story has the power to create an unforgettable nickname; sometimes to the point where real names are consigned to oblivion. These are the anecdotes behind the most famous apodos around.

Arnulfo Treviño - Riuf

“I’m a man of nicknames. I’ve been called ‘Fufo’ since I can remember, but my friends have always found it funny to play with my name and change it up. In a trip to Cancún, Carlos Rousseau started to call me ‘Ruffles’ since it kind of sounded like ‘Fufo’. One thing led to another and he cut ‘Ruffles’ to ‘Riuf’. He kept saying it in a very funny tone that made all of my friends laugh, making it stick. After, ‘Fufo’ and ‘Iracheta’ among many others, people now tend to call me ‘Riuf’.”

Eugenio Garza - Corru

“Not all people get your sense of humor, believe me, I would know. In 9th grade, I embarked on a trip with the MUN program to Querétaro. At the end of the simulation, I playfully offered 10,000 pesos to the chair of my committee so he would name me best delegate. Instead of understanding my joke, he took the bribe seriously. He told everyone about it and I got expelled from MUN because of it. From that moment on, my friends call me the short term of corrupt, ‘Corru’.”

René Martinez - Otzu

“My dog’s name is ‘Otzu’, and I’m called the same way since my friends found it funny and catchy. I heard the name for the first time while watching the world cup with my family. The only player to score a goal in Japan’s national team was named ‘Otzu’. We had just bought our dog and figured this name was perfect. Who knew that it would end up being my nickname?”

Antonio Arredondo - Tony Tormenta

“It is actually the nickname of the Mexican narco, Antonio Cárdenas Guillén. We were playing basketball at school and a friend of mine from the 1999 generation started to tell me that I was crazy, comparing me to a storm. My friend told me that there was actually a Mexican drug lord with this exact nickname and that it made sense to call me that too. So the name ‘Tony Tormenta’ now identifies me. I think that it actually stuck because if you know me, you would totally agree with the nickname.”

Lorenzo Fernández - ChoOte

“It started in Houston, where the elite boys’ soccer team played the Rayados cup. The whole team was in my room and I accidentally put on a shirt that was Gabriel Villanueva’s. It didn't fit me very well, of course, it was very tight. Everyone started laughing and started to call me ‘anchote’ from ancho because of the way that I looked in the shirt. Then, from all people, Fufo Treviño, started to play with the name and it passed from ‘Anchote’ to just ‘ChoOte’ with a big emphasis in the second ‘o’. From there on, I have been called like that.”

Juan Pablo González - Chompa

“On a Christmas break, I was skiing with my friends in Aspen. While going down the mountain I crashed against a tree and fell down. All my friends started to freak out and worry since it was a hard fall. I was actually hurt but I decided not to respond to my friends to give them a scare. They were commenting, not knowing what to do, until a friend said, ‘Sí se dió en la mera chompa.’ I couldn’t hold back my laugh when I heard this because of the word ‘chompa’. My friends started to laugh as well and the name has stayed since then.”

Diego Villarreal - Cachetes

“On the summer of 2nd grade, I was in a summer camp in Texas with my friends. One night, while I was asleep, a spider came into my cabin and bit my cheeks. When I woke up the next day, my cheeks were swollen like golf balls. Of course, it was funny to everyone in my camp, and the word spread. From that day on, people started referring to me as ‘Cachetes’.”

Daniel Guzmán - Kappa

“In the movie Monsters University, there was a fraternity called ‘Oozma Kappa’.

At first, people called me ‘Guzma Kappa’ for the similar sound that it has with my last name Guzmán, and as time passed by, it was reduced to just ‘Kappa’ and now it has practically replaced my name.”