The Art of Literary Nomenclature

ORIGIN:
From the maple tree, probably. Or perhaps a variant of “Mabel” / “Mable”. But probably just the tree.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Um . . . Mapie? No, on second thought, please don’t call anyone, real or imagined, “Mapie”. That’s awful.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Maple Durham, the real name of local “wise woman” (read: witch) Mother Melldrum, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

Tagged: 1670s, 1680s, 1860s, English, M