Mick is a masculine given name or nickname, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Michael. Because of its popularity in Ireland, it is often used in England, the United Kingdom in general, English-speaking North America, and Australia as a derogatory term or ethnic slur for an Irish person or a person of Irish descent, particularly ethnic Irish Catholics. In Australia, the meaning also broadened to include any Roman Catholic. A colloquial but possibly false etymology also attributes the origin of the anti-Irish slur to the prevalence of Irish surnames containing the patronymic prefix "Mc-" (or Mhic); whether this patronym significantly contributed to the development of the ethnic slur is debated, but the prevalence of the first name or nickname "Mick" among Irish people is considered by etymologists to be the primary origin of the slur.
People
[edit]- Mick Abrahams (born 1943), English guitarist and band leader, original guitarist for Jethro Tull
- Mick Aston (1946-2013), English archaeologist
- Mick Batyske, aka Mick (DJ), American DJ
- Mick Brown, half of the British vocal duo Pat and Mick
- Mick Coady (born 1958), English footballer
- Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician
- Mick Cronin (basketball) (born 1971), American basketball coach
- Mick Fanning (born 1981), Australian professional surfer
- Mick Foley (born 1965), American professional wrestler, actor and author
- Mick Fleetwood (born 1947), British drummer and founding member of Fleetwood Mac
- Mick Gadsby (born 1947), English footballer
- Michael Hannah (born 1983), Australian downhill mountain biker
- Mick Harvey (born 1958), Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer
- Mick Herron, British mystery and thriller novelist
- Mick Hucknall (born 1960), English singer and songwriter
- Mick Jagger (born 1943), lead singer and songwriter for the Rolling Stones
- Mick Jenkins (rugby league) (born 1972), Welsh rugby footballer
- Mick Jenkins (rapper) (born 1991), American rapper
- Mick Jones (disambiguation)
- Mick Kenney (born 1980), British musician
- Mick McGinley (born 1940/1), Irish Gaelic footballer and father of professional golfer Paul
- Mick Mannock (1887–1918), British First World War fighter ace
- Mickey Mantle (1931-1995), American Major League Baseball Hall-of-Fame player nicknamed "the Mick"
- Mick Mars (born 1951 or 1955), guitarist for Mötley Crüe born Robert Alan Deal
- Mick Mashbir, American guitarist
- Mick Mercer (born 1958), British journalist
- Mick Molloy (born 1966), Australian comedian, writer, producer and actor
- Mick Molloy (born 1944), Irish former rugby union player
- Mick Moss (born 1975), English singer/songwriter
- Mick Mulvaney (born 1967), American politician
- Mick Peck (born 1981), New Zealand magician
- Michael Potter (born 1963), Australian rugby league coach and former player
- Mick Ralphs (born 1944), English guitarist and songwriter, founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company
- Mick Ronson (1946-1993), English guitarist for David Bowie's The Spiders from Mars
- Mick Schumacher (born 1999), German racing driver and son of former F1 champion Michael Schumacher
- Mick Taylor (born 1949), English guitarist for the Rolling Stones
- Mick Thomson (born 1973), American guitarist for Slipknot
- Mick Tongraya (born 1992), Thai actor and model
Fictional characters
[edit]- Mick Mundy alias “The Sniper”, of the 2007 video game Team Fortress 2
- Mick Belker, on the TV series Hill Street Blues
- Mick Carter, on the British soap opera EastEnders
- Michael "Crocodile" Dundee, in the Crocodile Dundee film series
- Mick Garvey, on the TV series Benidorm
- Mick Kanic, on the Power Rangers Ninja Steel
- Mick Kelly, in the 1940 novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter and the 1968 film adaptation
- Mick the Trainer, Rocky 1, 2 and 3