In an interview on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Vin Diesel said that he changed his name to "Vin Diesel" while working as a bouncer at the New York City nightclub Tunnel, because in that business one's real name is not usually given out. The name "Vin" is simply a shortened version of "Vincent". Vin Diesel received the nickname "Diesel" from his friends who said he ran off diesel, referring to his non-stop energy.