Why is the `nm` utility named as such?

Question

The nm the utility to list symbols in a binary doesn't include in its documentation any explanation or clue of how it got to be named nm.

I imagine some of the long experienced UNIX developers can shed some light.

Why is the nm utility named as such?

Mydriasis

I think it stands for "name mangling". Not sure. – Struck

At 110 baud, it was faster to type "nm" than "name". Similarly, "ls" is faster than "list", "ld" is faster then "load", and "cc" is faster than "c". Oops. I guess my theory isn't right. ;-) – Postern

It is indeed surprising that Unix has no single-letter commands like c. Maybe the risk of typos was deemed to great? – Stalinist

Answer 1

It's an abbreviation for "names" or "name list".

Nm prints the name list (symbol table) of each object file in the argument list.

(V7 Unix manual, 1979)

Stalinist

Note that nm was already in Unix V1 (1971) – Pedro

Answer 2

Looking at http://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9699919799/utilities/nm.html it looks like it is an abbreviation for "NaMe list".

Impracticable

Answer 3

Name symbols. Thus "nm" is the abbreviation chosen.

Vinitavinn