This Is How Snooki Got Her Iconic Nickname

Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi got her iconic nickname from the 2001 teen dance movie, Save the Last Dance (via Fox News). If you need a refresher on this movie, it's a high-school coming of age story where Julia Stiles plays a lapsed ballerina come hip hop dancer — with a little help from her friends. E! News refreshes us on the character of Snooki as the dance club DJ and class clown who helps Stiles character get into the STEPS dance club despite being underage. 

As told to E! True Hollywood Story and shared by Jezebel, Nicole's nickname inspired by this jokester began when she was only 12 years old. Unfortunately, being named after a character who's tagline is "Snook, the coochie crook" hasn't aged well for Polizzi. Expressing in the same interview that she's grown tired of the nickname she says, "Now, I wish I could change it, I miss my name Nicole so much."

After entertaining us for many seasons, Nicole Polizzi recently announced her retirement. As told to App, "I am retiring from Jersey Shore, the main reason is really... I just can't do it anymore. Literally, leaving my kids to film it is really, really hard on me." Polizzi recently gave birth to her third child and has expressed her desire to spend time with her kids instead of filming. While she has enjoyed the party life, she explains she simply doesn't want to party three days in a row anymore, which helped inspire her retirement decision. She also hasn't enjoyed the direction the show has gone in remarking, "Lately, everything is so serious. It's not about a team anymore." 

But Snooki fans need not despair yet — this tiny powerhouse hasn't left small screens yet. Snooki will appear in the most recent season of MTV's Jersey Shore Family Vacation which debuted February 27.