The Origins of 10 Nicknames
September 20, 2014 § Leave a comment
How did we get “Dick” from “Richard“? “Bill” from “William“? “Hank” from “Henry” and “Jack” from “John“? Why does “Chuck” come from “Charles“, “Peggy” from “Margaret“, and “Ted” from “Edward“? Where did we get “Harry” from “Henry” and “Jim” from “James“? And why is “Sally” from “Sarah“?
Click through to find out!
Naming Danger!
September 20, 2014 § Leave a comment
Here’s an amusing little satirical article on the risks of giving your children unusual or oddly-spelled names. Parents, you have been warned:
Ensie
September 16, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Ensor“, “Ennis”, “Enos”, “Enoch”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Eni, Eny, Enni, Ennie, Enny, Ensi, Ensy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ensie (Ensor) Doone (later re-named Jones), Carver’s young son, who adores and is adopted by John Ridd following the assault on the Doone stronghold, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
Ikey
September 16, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Isaac” or “Ichabod”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Iikka, Iiro, Ike, Ikie, Ikka, Isa, Isak, Iza, Sahak, Sekel, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ikey (Ike), an old yeoman who joins in the assault on the Doone stronghold, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
Ike
September 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Isaac” or “Ichabod”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Iikka, Iiro, Ikey, Ikie, Ikka, Isa, Isak, Iza, Sahak, Sekel, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ike (sometimes called “Ikey“), an old yeoman who joins in the assault on the Doone stronghold, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
QUOTATIONS:
– “Sweet Betsy from Pike” is an American ballad, written in the 1850s: “Did you ever hear tell of sweet Betsy from Pike / Who crossed the wide mountains with her lover Ike?”
Honour
September 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Latin, meaning “honor” (and also alternately spelled “Honor”), this is one of the “virtue” names created and embraced by the Puritans.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Honor, Honora, Honoria, Honorata, Nora, Norah, Noreen, Norene, Norina, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Honour Jose, the Badcock’s maid, who is able to hide from the Doone’s during the raid on the farmhouse, and consequently testify to their cruelty in murdering the Badcock’s child, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
Christopher
September 16, 2014 § 6 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Christophoros”, meaning “bearer of Christ”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Chip, Chris, Christie, Christoffel, Christoffer, Christophe, Christophoros, Christy, Cris, Cristobal, Cristoforo, Hristo, Hristofor, Kester, Kit, Kris, Kristof, Kristoffer, Kristofor, Kristopher, Krsto, Krystof, Krzys, Krzysiek, Krzysztof, Risto, Toph, Topher, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Christopher Badcock (called “Kit“), the innocent farmer whose young child is murdered while his wife, Margery, is carried off by the Doones, the final outrage which causes the locals to rise up against this scourge in their midst, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
WRITERS:
– Christopher Fry (1907-2005), English poet and playwright.
– Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011), Anglo-American author, debater, journalist, and polemicist.
– Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986), English novelist.
– Christopher Koch (1932-2013), Australian novelist.
– Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), English dramatist, poet, and translator.
– Christopher Morley (1890-1957), American essayist, journalist, novelist, and poet.
– Christopher Nolan (1965-2009), Irish author and poet.
Margery
September 16, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Marjorie” / “Marjory“, a medieval English version of “Margaret“, influenced by the name of the herb “marjoram”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Madge, Mae, Maisie, Maisy, Mame, Mamie, Margaret, Margareta, Margaretha, Margarethe, Margarita, Margaux, Marge, Margie, Margit, Margy, Margo, Margot, Marguerite, Marji, Marjorie, Marjory, May, Mayme, Maymie, Meg, Megan, Megeen, Megen, Meggie, Meggy, Meta, Metta, Midge, Mim, Mimi, Mimsie, Mimsy, Mysie, Jorey, Jori, Jorie, Peg, Pegeen, Peggie, Peggy, Peigi, Reeta, Rita, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Margery Badcock, the innocent farmer Christopher Badcock’s wife, whose young child is murdered while she is carried off by the Doones, the final outrage which causes the locals to rise up against this scourge in their midst, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
WRITERS:
– Margery Allingham (1904-1966), English mystery writer.
– Margery Fish (1892-1969), English gardener and writer.
– Margery Kempe (c. 1373-after 1438), English mystic and autobiographer.
– Margery Lawrence (1889-1969), English author.
– Margery Sharpe (1905-1991), English writer.
– Margery Williams (1881-1944), Anglo-American author.
Gronus
September 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Gronus” is a name of unknown origin and meaning, but possibly related to the French “grenus”, meaning “grainy”, or archaic French slang for “whiskers” or “moustaches”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
. . . I don’t know. I really, really don’t know.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sir Gronus Batchildor, one of the local gentry who rile up a mob with the intent of at least arresting, if not shooting, the pardoned and somewhat-reformed highwayman Tom Faggus, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
Nita
September 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Anita”, “Benita“, “Juanita”, other names ending in “-nita”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Anika, Juana, Neeta, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nita (Benita) Odam, the Italian nursemaid John Ridd meets in an innyard, who is stranded in Exmoor by the Doone’s attack on her employer’s coach, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 