I know there are some out there who like to knock Southern customs and names and it is a sore point when it is from outside the South. ~Especially mocking accents.
My husband is called Spanky. We have no idea how this arose, but he is stuck with it. Nicknames are endemic in the South as you know.
None of my kids go by there given name :)
Peanut, Bebe, and Pepper.
There also endemic in Filipino circles apparently. My Dad is called "Pempe" (never figured out what that means) and I have cousin whose nickname is "Jingle" when his real name is Dennis.