I heard somewhere that "Shakespeare" was originally a nickname? Is this true?

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heard somewhere that "Shakespeare" was originally a nickname? Is this true? In 1875, Mr. Charles W. Bardsley proposed that the name Shakespeare belonged to a class of nicknames in Renaissance England. He claimed that: "the nicknames given to lower-class officials some centuries ago were invariably hits at the officious and meddlesome character of their duties. Such names generally referred to the implement or badge of office, with the additional wag or shake . Thus we find Shake-buckler, shake-lock (as the designation of a turnkey), Waggestaff, Wag-tail, Wagspere; and the still existing Waghorn, Simon Shake-lock, Henry Shake-launce, and Hugh Shakeshaft occur in ancient records. In the year 1487 a student at Oxford of the name of Shakespeare changed it into Sawndare (Saunders) because he considered his name too common (Hugh Sawndare, alias dictus Shakespeare, sed mutatum est istud nomen ejus, quod vile reputatum). (William Rolfe, A Life of William Shakespeare, Boston: Estes & CO., 1904 (19)). For more information about the name 'Shakespeare' be sure to read The Spelling and Pronunciation of Shakespeare's Name by Dave Kathman