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-" ; 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.