July | 2015 | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Everything Old is New Again, Vol. II

July 31, 2015 § 1 Comment

As in our first installment of “Everything Old is New Again“, here you’ll find an assortment of old-fashioned baby names which are poised to make a comeback. Be the first on your block / friends list to use one! (As usual, you can click through to the article for more information about the names):

Names included are:

For girls: Adelaide, Agnes, Alice, Antonia, Aurelia, Beatrice, Betty, Clementine, Constance, Cora, Cordelia, Dorothy, Edith, Eleanor, Eliza, Frances, Harriet, Hattie, Hazel, Helen, Ida, India, Isadora, Josephine, Lillian, Louisa, Lucinda, Lula, Mabel, Marcella, Margaret, Margo, Marion, Mercy, Myrtle, Pearl, Penelope, Rosalind, Rosemary, Ruth, Susannah, Theodora, Winifred

For boys: Abner, Archie, Arthur, Augustine, Cormac, Cornelius, Denver, Ephraim, Ford, Francis, Frank, Gordon, Gus, Guy, Harris, Harry, Lawrence, Louis, Magnus, Martin, Milton, Nigel, Oscar, Otis, Patrick, Paul, Philip, Ray, Simeon, Stanley, Theodore, Walter

A Selection of Très Chic French Baby Names

July 29, 2015 § 1 Comment

If you follow the link, you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about these lovely French names (although a pronunciation guide is not included; you may have to look that up yourself!):

“20 French Baby Names You’ll Want to Steal Immediately”

(Click here for the Dutch version.)

For girls: Anaelle, Aveline, Coralie, Elize, Fleur, Marielle, Solene
For boys: Bale, Cabot, Danton, Henri, Janvier, Landry, Luc, Mathis, Montgomery, Olivier
For either: Bellamy, Jorden, Remi

Galahad

July 23, 2015 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
A name of unknown origin used in the Arthurian romances (written in Norman French), and associated with the ideals of “purity” and “nobility”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Um . . . Gal, maybe? Eh, maybe not . . .

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Galahad, the rumored brother of Guinevere, one of the “irregular” children at Lily’s school, presumed to come from a “very well-educated if not sanitation-minded home”, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

Guinevere

July 23, 2015 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
French version of the Welsh “Gwenhwyfar”, meaning “smooth and white” or “white-cheeked”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gaenor, Gaynor, Genevra, Geneva, Ginevra, Guenevere, Guenievre, Guinever, Gwen, Gwenevere, Gwenhwyfar, Gwenni, Gwennie, Gwenny, Gwenyver, Janelle, Jen, Jena, Jenae, Jenelle, Jenessa, Jeni, Jenifer, Jenna, Jenni, Jennie, Jennifer, Jenny, Jinelle, Jin, Jinessa, Jini, Jinifer, Jinni, Jinnie, Jinny, Yenifer, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Guinevere, one of the “irregular” children at Lily’s school, presumed to come from a “very well-educated if not sanitation-minded home”, where she is rumored to have a brother named Galahad, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Guinevere Turner (b. 1968), American actress and screenwriter.

Linda

July 22, 2015 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Meaning “soft” or “tender”, a diminutive of names ending with “-linda” or “-linde”: e.g., “Belinda”, “Melinda”, “Rosalinda”, “Sieglinda”, etc. Also associated with the Spanish word, meaning “pretty”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lin, Lindall, Lindell, Lindie, Lindsay, Lindsey, Lindsie, Lindy, Linette, Linn, Linne, Linnet, Linnette, Linnie, Linsay, Linsey, Linsie, Lyn, Lyndee, Lyndi, Lyndie, Lyndsay, Lyndsey, Lyndsie, Lynette, Lynn, Lynna, Lynne, Lynnette, Linza, Lynda, Lynzee, Lynzie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Linda, one of the Lexington girls clamoring to partner with Rab at the Silsbee country dance in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Linda, one of the other “irregular” children at Lily’s school, so deemed because of her pink plastic prosthetic arm, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

Steven

July 21, 2015 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Medieval English version of “Stephen”, or a Dutch variant of “Stefan”, both from the Greek name “Stephanos”, meaning “crown.”

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Esteban, Estebe, Estavan, Esteve, Estevo, Estevon, Estienne, Etienne, Eztebe, Fane, Istvan, Pista, Pisti, Staffan, Stavros, Ste, Steafan, Steaphan, Steenie, Stefan, Stefano, Stefanos, Stefans, Stefanus, Steffen, Stefon, Step, Stepan, Stepane, Steph, Stephan, Stephanas, Stephane, Stephanos, Stephanus, Stephen, Stephenson, Stesha, Steponas, Stevan, Steve, Stevenson, Stevie, Stevo, Stevon, Stevyn, Stipan, Stipe, Stipo, Stiofan, Stjepan, Tapani, Tahvo, Teppo, Tipene, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Steven, one of the other “irregular” children at Lily’s school, so deemed due to an accidental sterilization causing him to grow increasingly effeminate, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

Frankie

July 20, 2015 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Frank” / “Francis” or, for girls, “Frances“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Chica, Cissie, Cissy, Fan, Fannie, Fanny, Fran, Franca, Franci, Francie, Francka, Franka, Frankie, Franky, Frannie, Franny, Franzi, Paca, Paquita, Sissie, Sissy, etc.
For boys: Chica, Chico, Ferenc, Feri, Fran, Franca, Francesco, Francis, Francisco, Franciscus, Franco, Francois, Frank, Franka, Franky, Franny, Frans, Franz, Franzi, Paca, Paco, Pancho, Paquita, Paquito, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Frankie, a slightly older boy who befriends Lily at Camp Ava, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

Toni

July 18, 2015 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
For girls, a shortened version of “Antonia” (a feminine form of “Anthony“, etc.). For boys, a Croatian, Finnish, or Hungarian diminutive of the same.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Antia, Antica, Antoinette, Antonela, Antonella, Antonia, Antonie, Antonietta, Antonija, Latonya, Nela, Nella, Nia, Tania, Tanja, Tanya, Teuna, Toini, Tonia, Tonie, Tonina, Tonja, Tonka, Tony, Tonya, etc.
For boys: Akoni, Anakoni, Andon, Andony, Antal, Antanas, Ante, Anthony, Anto, Antoine, Anton, Antonello, Antoni, Antonie, Antonij, Antonije, Antonio, Antonis, Antonius, Antono, Antony, Antoon, Doncho, Teun, Teunis, Theun, Theunis, Ton, Tone, Tonci, Tonino, Tonio, Tonis, Tono, Tony, Toon, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Toni Bloom, an older girl who is also attending Camp Ava during Lily’s disastrous summer there, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Toni Cade Bambara (1939-1995), American activist, author, film-maker, and professor.
– Toni Braxton (b. 1967), American actress, musician, philanthropist, producer, and singer-songwriter.
– Toni Childs (b. 1957), American singer-songwriter.
– Toni Cucarella (b. 1959), pen name of Spanish author Lluís Antoni Navarro i Cucarella.
– Toni Halliday (b. 1964), English lyricist, musician, and singer.
– Toni Morrison (b. 1931), American editor, novelist, and professor.
– Toni Rothmund (1877-1956), German biographer, journalist, novelist, poet, and short story writer.
– Toni (T.K.F.) Weisskopf (b. 1965), American editor and publisher.
– Toni Wine (b. 1947), American songwriter.

Roberta

July 18, 2015 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Feminine form of “Robert“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Berti, Bertie, Berty, Bobbi, Bobbie, Bobby, Robertia, Robertina, Robin, Robina, Robyn, Robynne, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Roberta Zolotow, Susan’s new best friend at Camp Ava, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Roberta Flack (b. 1937/39), American musician and singer-songwriter.
– Roberta Beach Jacobson (b. 1952), American editor, humorist, and journalist.
– Roberta Kalechofsky (b. 1931), American activist and writer.
– Roberta Lannes (b. 1948), American author, essayist, poet, and writer.
– Roberta Rogow (b. 1942), American author and librarian.
– Roberta Spear (1948-2003), American poet.
– Roberta Teale Swartz (1903-1993), American academic, poet, and professor.
– Roberta (Mary Morgan) Wohlstetter (1912-2007), American historian.

Ava

July 12, 2015 § 6 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Eva”. Possibly an English variation of “Eve”, meaning “to breathe” or “to live”; or from Persian, meaning “voice” or “sound”; or from Greek, meaning “bird-like”; or a shortened version of Germanic names such as “Avis” or “Avila”, or even “Hedwig”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Avalina, Avaline, Avalyn, Avelina, Aveline, Avelyn, Aven, Aveza, Aviana, Aviance, Avice, Avila, Avis, Aviva, Chava, Chavah, Chave, Chavilah, Eabha, Eeva, Eevi, Efa, Eua, Eva, Eve, Evelia, Evie, Evika, Evita, Evvie, Evvy, Ewa, Hava, Havilah, Havva, Hawa, Ieva, Iva, Ivah, Yeva, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ava, founder and leader of Camp Ava, where Lily spends a miserable summer, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Ava (c.1060-1127), German poet, also known as “Ava of Göttweig”, “Ava of Melk”, or “Frau Ava”.
– Ava DuVernay (b. 1972), American director and screenwriter.

Where Am I?