Myra
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Invented by English poet Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke (1554-1628) in the 17th century, possibly from the Latin for “myrrh”, or a variation on the name “Mary“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mayra, Maira, Mira, Myrra, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Myra, the elderly spinster who looks after young orphan Candace, until Cousin Kate Gray and her family invite the girl to stay with them, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Myra, the name of a lost pig advertised in The Observer in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
WRITERS:
– Myra Bradwell (1831-1893), American activist, lawyer, and publisher.
– Myra Kelly (1875-1910), Irish-American educator and children’s book writer.
– Myra MacPherson (b. c.1935), American activist, author, and journalist.
– Myra Morris (1893-1966), American children’s book author, novelist, and poet.
– Myra Sklarew (b. 1934), American biologist, poet, and teacher.
Courtenay
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Courtney”, an English last name from a French place name, meaning “short” or “short nose”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cort, Cortnay, Cortney, Court, Courtnay, Courtney, Kort, Kortnay, Kortney, Kourt, Kourtenay, Kourtnay, Kourtney, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Courtenay Gray (called “Court” by his wife), the father of the clan which, after some trials, adopts Candace Arden, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Peleg
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Hebrew, meaning “division” or “channel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
. . . Pel?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Captain Peleg King, captain of the steamer Eolus, which carries Candace Arden to her cousins’ home in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Candace
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Kandake”, meaning “queen mother”, the title and name of the hereditary Queens of Ethiopia.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Candice, Candis, Candi, Candie, Candy, Candyce, Kandace, Kandice, Kandis, Kandi, Kandie, Kandy, Kandyce, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Candace Arden (called “Cannie“), the “little country girl” of the title, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Candace Van Vliet, Cannie’s mother and Kate’s cousin, who married Henry Arden and settled down in New England for too short a while, in A Little Country Girl.
WRITERS:
– Candace Bushnell (b. 1958), American novelist and producer.
– Candace Camp (b. 1949), American romance novelist.
– Candace Fleming (b. 1962), American writer of children’s books.
– Candace Stevenson (1883-1968), American poet.
Moses
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “saved” or “son”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mo, Moe, Moey, Moises, Moishe, Moisey, Mose, Moshe, Moss, Musa, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Moses Pennel, Becky Moore’s country suitor in “Mountain-Laurel and Maiden-Hair”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Cis
August 10, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Cecily” / “Cicely“, “Cecelia”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cecile, Cecille, Cece, Cecelia, Cecelie, Cecilia, Cecilie, Cecily, Celia, Cili, Cilla, Cille, Cissie, Cissy, Sheila, Silla, Sille, Sissie, Sissy, Zilla, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cousin Cis (Cecily) Carey, a somewhat frivolous and impatient young lady, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Roxy
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Roxana” or “Roxane” / “Roxanne”, meaning “bright” or “dawn”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Rockie, Rocky, Roksana, Rosana, Roshanak, Rossana, Roxana, Roxane, Roxanne, Roxie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Roxy, the maid at the Carey house in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Rosy
August 10, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Rosey” / “Rosie“; diminutive of “Rose“, “Rosa“, names beginning with “Ros-“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Rohese, Rohesia, Ros, Rosa, Rosabel, Rosaleen, Rosalie, Rosalind, Rosaline, Rosamond, Rosamonde, Rosamund, Rosanne, Rose, Roselin, Roselind, Rosella, Roselle, Rosemond, Rosemund, Rosetta, Rosette, Rosey, Rosie, Rosina, Rosine, Rosita, Roslyn, Royse, Roz, Roza, Rozelle, Rozie, Rozy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rosy (Rosamond) Carey, the “Button-Rose” who brings peace and joy to the lives of several cranky adults, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.