Ellen
August 30, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Variation of “Helen“, meaning “torch” or “bright one”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Alena, Alyona, Elen, Elena, Eleni, Eli, Elin, Elina, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Ellin, Elly, Ellyn, Elyn, Helen, Helena, Helene, Hellen, Ileana, Jelena, Leena, Lena, Lene, Leni, Lenke, Nell, Nelle, Nellie, Nelly, Olena, Yelena, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ellen, a maidservant in the Lambert household, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Ellen, one of the servants who was looking after Robin while his parents were away, until the plague hit the household, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Ellen Creighton, a strong, sensible, and affectionate woman, mother of the Creighton clan, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Middle name of Mary Ellen Creighton (b. 1844-46), Jethro’s older sister, “pretty as Jenny, only blond and more delicate”, who was killed in a carriage accident caused by a drunken Travis Burdow in 1859, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Ellen Gilchrist (b. 1935), American novelist, short story writer, and poet.
– Ellen Glasgow (1873-1945), American novelist.
– Ellen Goodman (b. 1941), American columnist and journalist.
– Ellen Key (1849-1926), Swedish writer.
– Ellen Peck (1942-1995), American activist and writer.
– Ellen Raskin (1928-1984), American writer, illustrator, and fashion designer.
– Ellen Wood (1814-1887), English novelist who often wrote under the pen name “Mrs. Henry Wood”.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 
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[…] Diminutive of “Ella“, “Eleanor”, “Ellen”, etc., or of names ending in “-ella” or “-elle”, […]
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[…] or “other”. Sometimes used as a nickname for “Eleanor“, “Ellen“, names ending in “-ella” or “-elle”, […]
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