Was Tolkien called John or Ronald to his friends and associates?

E

elf_wannabee

Lorien
In rhe movie "Tolkien " I noticed some people called Tolkien John and some called him Ronald. I'm confused about this. What did his friends and associates call him? By the way the movie was excellent despite the critics reviews. I was moved to tears! I loved Stephen Colbert's interview with Nickolas, Lilly, and Dome! Thank you Fathom!
 
His wife and other family members called him "Ronald".

The Inklings and other friends called him "Tollers". (Adding "-ers" to the first syllable of one's last name to make a nickname was a somewhat common practice at that time and within his class.)
 
To his very close school chums (ie the TCBS) he was "John Ronald." To family he was Ronald. To everyone else he was Tolkien,* except to his closer friends like the Inklings, for whom "Tollers" was an acceptable nickname.

Englishmen of Tolkien's class and generation didn't go by first name except to family and intimate friends.

Or "Mr. Tolkien," to students and staff. Towards the end of his career "Professor" as a form of address was coming into vogue at Oxford, but he disliked it.
 
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In letters from his *T.C.B.S. friends Tolkien was called variously ‘Gabriel’, ‘Gab’, ‘Cludhari’ – nicknames whose origin is obscure and not mentioned in surviving correspondence – but mainly ‘John Ronald’, with isolated instances of ‘Ronald’ or ‘JRRT’. His few surviving letters to the T.C.B.S. are signed ‘John Ronald’. In a letter to *Joy Hill of 26 December 1971 he noted that his contemporaries used to write his initials as ‘JR(superscript2)T' and pronounce them ‘to rhyme with dirt’ (collection of Ren? van Rossenberg).

According to Humphrey Carpenter, when Tolkien ‘was an adult his intimates [presumably other than family] referred to him (as was customary at the time) by his surname, or called him “Tollers”, a hearty nickname typical of the period. To those not so close, especially in his later years, he was often known as “J.R.R.T.”’ (Biography, p. 13).
-From The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Volume 3: Reader’s Guide PART 2.
(Very highly recommended)
 
In letters from his *T.C.B.S. friends Tolkien was called variously ‘Gabriel’, ‘Gab’, ‘Cludhari’ – nicknames whose origin is obscure and not mentioned in surviving correspondence
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... an inside joke where each one of them got assigned the name of one of the 4 archangels :D in any case, nicknames can be invented in fun and spontaneousn ways among friends. That's what I find makes great friendships so rich - they sparkle with unpredictable and ample creativity.
 
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