Berra’s first name was surprisingly not Yogi, but Lawrence. He was born in 1925 in Saint Louis to Italian immigrant parents, according to Reuters. He climbed from poverty in childhood, leaving school early to help support his family, to prosperity in adulthood. As his manager, Casey Stengel noted, “He has a lovely wife and family, a beautiful home, money in the bank, and he plays golf with millionaires” (via The Baseball Hall of Fame).
Before all that, he played American Legion Baseball as a teenager, and that’s when he got his nickname. His friend, Jack Maguire, had just seen a short film on India and thought the Hindu yogis’ poses were similar to Berra’s when he sat on the ground waiting to bat with his arms and legs crossed. Maguire told Berra, “I’m going to call you Yogi,” and that was his nickname from then on (via Reuters and the Baseball Hall of Fame).
