Calvin
August 10, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From a French last name “Chauvin”, from Latin, meaning “bald”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cal. And, um… Cal. Maybe Vin?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Calvin, Cousin Henrietta Carey’s lost love, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Prince Calvin, one of Princess Alison Jocelyn’s three brothers, in the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn (1968) by Peter S. Beagle.
WRITERS:
– Calvin C. Hernton (1932-2001), American author, poet, and sociologist.
– Calvin Hoffman (1906-1986), American author and critic.
– Calvin Thomas (1854-1919), American educator, scholar, and writer.
– Calvin Trillin (b. 1935), American writer.
– Calvin Ziegler (1854-1930), German-American poet.
Mamie
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Mary” / “Marie” / “Maria“, “May“, or “Margaret“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Madge, Maggie, Maggy, Maisie, Maisy, Mame, Marge, Margie, Margy, Mariella, Marietta, Marji, May, Mayme, Maymie, Meg, Meggie, Meggy, Mia, Midge, Mim, Mimi, Mimsie, Mimsy, Moll, Mollie, Molly, etc. etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mamie Parsons, Rosamond Carey’s best friend, with whom she sometimes quarrels, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Mamie (Mary) Dickens (1838-1896), English editor and writer.
Henny
August 10, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Henrietta” / “Henriette”, or, as a nickname for “Henry“, “Hendrik”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Enrica, Etta, Ettie, Etty, Harriet, Harriett, Harrietta, Harriette, Hattie, Hatty, Hen, Hennie, Henny, Henriette, Henrika, Henrike, Het, Hettie, Hetty, Yetta, etc.
For boys: Amerigo, Amery, Arrigo, Emmerich, Emery, Emory, Enrico, Enrique, Enzo, Hal, Hank, Harald, Harold, Harri, Harry, Heinrich, Heinz, Hennie, Henri, Hendrik, Hendry, Henrik, Henry, Henryk, Herrold, Herry, Imre, Imrich, Imrus, Ric, Rico, Rik, Rikki, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cousin Henny (Henrietta) Carey, a plump old lady rather inclined to hold grudges, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Penny
August 10, 2014 § 5 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Penelope“, meaning “weaver”. Could also simply refer to the small coin. Although, if you think about it, it’s a little odd to name someone after money. But, I suppose, people do, nevertheless . . .
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Pen, Pene, Penelope, Penney, Pennie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cousin Penny (Penelope) Carey, a quiet old lady who loves children, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Penny Jordan (1946-2011), pen name of English romance author Penelope Halsall, who also published under the pen names “Annie Groves”, “Caroline Courtney”, “Lydia Hitchcock”, and “Melinda Wright”.
Cicely
August 10, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Cecily” or “Cecilia”, feminine versions of “Cecil”, from the Latin, meaning “blind”.
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:
– Cicely Carey (called “Cis“), Rosamond’s somewhat frivolous and impatient older cousin, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Cicely Hamilton (1872-1952), English activist, actress, journalist, and writer.
– Cicely Saunders (1918-2005), English activist, nurse, physician, social worker, and writer.
– Cicely (C.) Fox Smith (1882-1954), English poet and writer.
QUOTATIONS:
– From “Cicely Bathing” by Norman Rowland Gale: “The brook told the dove / And the dove told me / That Cicely floating on the wave / Woke music in the tree.”
Henrietta
August 10, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Like “Harriet“, an English version of “Henriette”, the French feminine version of “Henry“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Enrica, Etta, Ettie, Etty, Halle, Hallie, Harriet, Harriett, Harrietta, Harriette, Hattie, Hatty, Hen, Hennie, Henny, Henriette, Henrika, Henrike, Het, Hettie, Hetty, Yetta, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Henrietta Carey (called “Henny“), a plump old lady rather inclined to hold grudges, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Henrietta Tayler (1869-1951), pen name of British author and historian Helen Tayler, who also published as “Hetty Tayler”, and often published jointly with her brother, Alexander.
Penelope
August 10, 2014 § 9 Comments
ORIGIN:
Greek, meaning “weaver”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Pen, Pene, Penney, Pennie, Penny, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Penelope Carey (called “Penny“), a quiet old lady who loves children, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Penelope Fitzgerald (1916-2000), English biographer, essayist, novelist, and poet.
– Penelope Halsall (1946-2011), English romance author who published under the pen names “Annie Groves”, “Caroline Courtney”, “Lydia Hitchcock”, “Melinda Wright”, and “Penny Jordan”.
– Penelope Lively (b. 1933), English author.
Rosamond
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Rosamund”, from the Germanic, meaning “horse protector”. Also related to the Latin for “pure rose”, or meaning “rose of the world”. Sometimes used as a variant of “Rose” or “Rosa“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ros, Rosa, Rosamonde, Rosamund, Rose, Rosemond, Rosemonde, Rosemund, Rosey, Rosie, Rosy, Roz, Roza, Rozie, Rozy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rosamond Carey (called “Rosy“), 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.
– Rosamond Oliver, the beautiful young woman St. John Rivers is in love with, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
AUTHORS:
– Rosamond Lehmann (1901-1990), English novelist.
Lemuel
August 7, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “devoted to the Lord”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lem, Lemmie, Lemmy.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lemuel Homer, the gentlemanly scholar who escorts his wife and Misses Ethel Amory and Jane Bassett around Europe, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Marie
August 7, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
French and Czech version of “Maria” / “Mary“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Maja, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Maree, Mari, Maria, Marianne, Mariel, Marielle, Marietta, Marika, Marilee, Marilisse, Marilla, Marilyn, Marinda, Marion, Marise, Marita, Maritta, Mary, May, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marie, the flighty French girl Ethel Amory hopes to take along as companion on her trip to Europe, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Marie Corelli (1855-1924), English novelist.
– Marie Manning (1872-1945), American advice columnist and novelist.
– Marie Thérèse Blanc (1840-1907), French essayist, journalist, and novelist who wrote under the pen name “Thérèse Bentzon”.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 