Ethel
August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “noble”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Adele, Adell, Ethelina, Etheline, Ethelinda, Ethelinde, Ethelyn, Ethelynne, Ethyl, Ethyle, Etta, Ette, Ettie, Etty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ethel Amory, the somewhat spoiled, impetuous young lady who wastes a trip to Europe on frivolity, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Ethel Curtis, Berry Joy’s friend, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
WRITERS:
– Ethel M. Dell (1881-1939), English novelist and short story writer.
– Ethel Mannin (1900-1984), English novelist and travel writer.
– Ethel Brilliana Tweedie (1867-1940), English journalist and travel writer (as Mrs. Alec Tweedie).
– Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864-1960), Irish novelist and musician.
– Ethel Lina White (1876-1944), English author.
Millie
August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Milly“, a diminutive of “Mildred”, “Millicent“, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mila, Mili, Milla, Milli, Milly, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Millie, the little girl Ruth Bowen heroically saves in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Floss
August 7, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Flossie” / “Flossy”, diminutive of “Florence“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Flo, Floella, Flora, Floris, Florrie, Florry, Flossie, Flossy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Floss (Florence) Ellery, a rather snobbish and conceited young lady in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Nabby
August 7, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Abigail”, from Hebrew, meaning “my father is joy”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Abegail, Abi, Abigail, Abigayle, Abbey, Abbi, Abbie, Abby, Avigail, Avi, Gail, Gaila, Gala, Gale, Gayla, Gayle, Tabbie, Tabby, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Nabby, who looks after Ruth and Sammy Bowen in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Ben
August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Benjamin“, “Benedict”, “Reuben“, etc., diminutive of “Bernard“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bennie, Benny, Bent, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ben Bowen, Ruth and Sammy’s ailing grandfather in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Ben Harris, a local who tries to stick up for Jethro against Guy Wortman’s bullying, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Ben (Reuben) Huckabuck, the Ridd’s wealthy, persnickety uncle in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
WRITERS:
– Ben Jonson (1572-1637), English critic, dramatist, and poet.
Sammy
August 7, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Samuel”, “Samson”, or “Samantha”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sam, Sami, Sammi, Sammie.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sammy Bowen, Ruth Bowen’s energetic younger brother in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Sammy (Sam) Turner, Ed Turner’s 18-year-old son, who gives Jethro a dog (to help keep him company and to protect his family), and who ends up part of Sherman’s army, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Sammy Cahn (1913-1993), American lyricist, songwriter, and musician.
Ruth
August 7, 2014 § 7 Comments
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “friend” or “companion”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ruta, Rute, Ruut, Ruthie, Ruthy.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ruth Bowen, the noble, sea-loving young heroine of “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Ruth Huckabuck, Reuben’s dwarfish granddaughter and heir, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Ruth Jameson (sometimes called “Ruthie“), “a girl of the city” who cannot see herself as the Harvester’s dream girl, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– Ruth Varnum (later Mrs. Ned Hale), a friend of Ethan’s and Mattie’s, who, as landlady to the narrator, is able to fill him in on some of the details surrounding Ethan’s tragic life, in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome (written in 1911, but set in the 1890s or first few years of the 1900s).
– Ruth Visor, Keren Lemon’s cousin, who fears she will be forced to compete with Keren for Robert Racket’s love, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
WRITERS:
– Ruth Gordon (1896-1985), American actress and writer.
– Ruth Prowler Jhabvala (1927-2013), German-born British-American writer.
– Ruth Edna Kelley (1893-1982), American author and librarian.
– Ruth Rendell (b. 1930), English author.
– Ruth Stout (1884-1980), American author.
– Ruth Plumly Thomson (1891-1976), American children’s book author.
Helen
August 7, 2014 § 10 Comments
ORIGIN:
English form of the Greek “Helene”, meaning “torch” or “bright one”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Alaina, Alayna, Alena, Aleena, Alenka, Alyona, Eleanor, Elena, Elene, Eleni, Elin, Ella, Elle, Ellen, Ellie, Elly, Helaine, Helayne, Helena, Helene, Ileana, Iliana, Jelena, Jelica, Jelka, Léan, Leena, Lena, Leni, Lenka, Lina, Nell, Nelle, Nellie, Nelly, Olena, Yelena, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Helen Burns, Jane’s pious, calm, and intelligent friend at Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Helen Warburton, née Harper, who tries to teach valuable lessons to her young guests, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Helen Bannerman (1862-1946), Scottish children’s book writer.
– Helen Diner (1874-1948), pen name of Austrian historian, journalist, and writer Bertha Eckstein-Diener.
– Helen Forrester (1919-2011), pen name of English author June Bhatia.
– Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885), American activist, poet, and writer.
– Helen Keller (1880-1968), American activist and author.
– Helen MacInnes (1907-1985), Scottish author.
– Helen Hooven Santmeyer (1895-1986), American poet and writer.
– Helen Tayler (1869-1951), British author and historian who published under the pen names “Hetty Tayler” and “Henrietta Tayler”, and often published jointly with her brother, Alexander.
– Helen Thomas (1920-2013), American author, columnist, and reporter.
QUOTATIONS:
– From “The First Kiss“, by Norman Rowland Gale: “On Helen’s heart the day were night! / But I may not adventure there: / Here breast is guarded by a right, / And she is true as fair.”
– From “Old Letters“, also by Norman Rowland Gale: “How rough a hill my eager feet / Flung backward when upon its crest / I saw the flutter of the lace / The wind awoke on Helen’s breast!”
Samuel
August 7, 2014 § 7 Comments
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “God has heard” or “name of God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sam, Sami, Sammie, Sammy, Semuel, Shem, Shemuel, Shmuel, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Samuel Warburton, Mrs. Warburton’s husband, a scientist and scholar, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Irish novelist, playwright, and poet.
– Samuel Butler (1613-1680), English poet and satirist.
– Samuel Butler (1835-1902), English writer and iconoclast.
– Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), American author and humorist who wrote under the pen name “Mark Twain”.
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English critic, poet, and philosopher.
– Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English moralist, writer, and lexicographer.
– Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), English diarist.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 