Ward
August 20, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From an Old English last name, meaning “guard” or “watchman”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Varde, Warda, Warde, Warden, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Middle name of Thomas Ward Creighton (b. 1843), Jethro’s older brother, who, at just 18 years of age, runs off to join the Union Army, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Ward Churchill (b. 1947), American activist, author, and professor.
– Ward Costello (1919-2009), American actor, composer, and lyricist.
– Ward Hawkins (1912-1990), American author, producer, and screenwriter.
– Ward Moore (1903-1978), pen name of American novelist and short story writer Joseph Ward Moore.
– Ward Morehouse (1895-1966), American author, columnist, critic, and playwright.
– Ward Ruyslinck (1929-2014), pen name of Belgian novelist, poet, translator, and writer Raymond De Belser.
Shad
August 17, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Shadrach“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Shadd, Shaddo, Shadoe, Shadrak, Shadrach, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Shad (Shadrach) Yale (b. 1841), the well-educated and eminently reasonable, though tender-hearted, schoolmaster Ellen “adopts”, Jethro idolizes, and Jenny adores, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
Shadrach
August 17, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “commander of Aku (Babylonian god of the moon)”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Shad, Shadd, Shaddo, Shadoe, Shadrak, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Shadrach Yale (sometimes called “Shad“; b. 1841), the well-educated and eminently reasonable, though tender-hearted, schoolmaster Ellen “adopts”, Jethro idolizes, and Jenny adores, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
Hallam
August 17, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English last name, meaning “at the rocks”, “at the nook”, “from the hills”, or “remote valley”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Hal, Hall, Hallum, Halm, Halum.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Middle name of Jethro Hallam Creighton (b. 1852), the young boy through whose eyes we view the events of Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
By Any Other Name: Writers Named Esther
August 14, 2015 § 1 Comment
There are many writers named “Esther“, and here you can find a good, solid list to start with:
– Esther Bradford Aresty (1908-2000), American collector, historian, and writer.
– Esther Averill (1902-1992), American children’s book author, editor, illustrator, and publisher.
– Esther Bendahan (b. 1964), Moroccan-Spanish author and translator.
– Esther Biddle (c.1629-1697), English preacher and writer also known as “Hester Biddle”.
– Esther Baum Born (1902-1987), American author and photographer.
– Esther Boserup (1910-1999), Danish economist and writer.
– Esther Brann (1899-1998), American children’s book author and illustrator.
– Esther (E.M.) Broner (1927-2011), American activist and author.
– Esther Eberstadt Brooke (1894-1987), American author and counselor.
– Esther Edwards Burr (1732-1758), American diarist.
– Esther Chapa (1904-1970), Mexican activist, doctor, and writer.
– Esther Copley (1786-1851), English children’s book author and nonfiction writer.
– Esther Croft (b. 1945), Canadian educator and writer.
– Esther David (b. 1945), Indian artist, author, and sculptor.
– Esther Delisle (b. 1954), Canadian author and historian.
– Esther Forbes (1891-1967), American children’s book author, historian, and novelist.
– Esther Freud (b. 1963), English novelist.
– Esther Friesner (b. 1951), American fantasy and science fiction author.
– Esther Frumkin (1880-1943), Russian activist and author.
– Esther Garber (1947-2015), pen name of English author and poet Tanith Lee, who also published as “Judas Garbah”.
– Esther Gitman (b. 1941), Yugoslavian historian.
– Esther Glen (1881-1940), pen name of New Zealander activist, children’s book author, journalist, and novelist Alice Esther Glen, also known as simply “Esther”.
– Esther Schiff Goldfrank (1896-1997), German-American anthropologist and writer.
– Esther Hautzig (1930-2009), American novelist.
– Esther (“Etty”) Hillesum (1914-1943), Dutch diarist and woman-of-letters.
– Esther Allen Howland (1801-1860), American nonfiction writer.
– Esther Inglis (1571-1624), British artisan, artist, bookbinder, calligrapher, and manuscript-maker.
– Esther Cooper Jackson (b. 1917), American activist, editor, and writer.
– Esther Johnson (1681-1728), English woman-of-letters.
– Esther Kellner (1908-1998), American author and civil servant.
– Esther Kreitman (1891-1954), Polish novelist and short story writer.
– Esther (“Eppie”) Lederer (1918-2002), American columnist who published under the pen name “Ann Landers”.
– Esther Martinez (1912-2006), Tewa (Native American) linguist and storyteller.
– Esther McCoy (1904-1989), American author and historian.
– Esther McCracken (1902-1971), English actress and playwright.
– Esther Morgan (b. 1970), English poet.
– Esther Nelson (1810-1843), Manx poet.
– Esther Nirina (1932-2004), Malagasy poet.
– Esther Raab (1894-1981), Israeli author and poet.
– Esther Rochon (b. 1948), Canadian science fiction author.
– Esther Kerr Rusthoi (1909-1962), American author, composer, evangelist, poet, and singer.
– Esther Seligson (1941-2010), Mexican academic, historian, poet, translator, and writer.
– Esther Popel Shaw (1896-1958), American activist, editor, educator, poet, and writer.
– Esther Singleton (1865-1930), American editor, historian, and travel writer.
– Esther Streit-Wurzel (1932-2013), Israeli children’s book author and educator.
– Esther Tusquets (1936-2012), Spanish essayist, novelist, and publisher.
– Esther Boise Van Deman (1862-1937), American archaeologist and writer.
– Esther Vanhomrigh (c.1688-1723), Irish woman-of-letters.
– Esther Vilenska (1918-1975), Polish-Israeli activist, author, journalist, and politician.
– Esther Voet (b. 1963), Dutch editor and journalist.
– Esther von Kirkbach (1894-1946), German chaplain, journalist, and poet.
– Esther Clark Wright (1895-1990), Canadian author and historian.
Jeth
August 14, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Jethro“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Jethro, Yitro.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jeth (Jethro) Creighton (b. 1852), the young boy through whose eyes we view the events of Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
Jethro
August 14, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From the Hebrew name “Yitro”, meaning “abundance” or “pre-eminence”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Jeth, Yitro.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jethro Hallam Creighton (sometimes called “Jeth“; b. 1852, so 9 years old at the start of the war), the young boy through whose eyes we view the events of Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Jethro Hallam, the “old doctor that the folks set such store by”, who young Jeth was named after, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
Popular Names for Girls Around the World
August 13, 2015 § Leave a comment
It’s always interesting how much variation there is in naming trends around the world, and this article explores that a little by seeking out some names which, while highly popular in at least one of the 15 countries researched, nevertheless ranked barely a blip on the U.S. charts. Click through to find out more (including pronunciations, origins and meanings, and which countries adore which names)!
“The Most Popular Girl Names Abroad”
Names included are: Aleyna, Anissa, Aoife, Cloe, Elif, Esmae, Estela, Gaia, Gema, Guilia, Indie, Ines, Iona, Isobel, Iva, Izabela, Lottie, Margaux, Mari, Marta, Milla, Mona, Naia, Neve, Nika, Nour, Pia, Rocio, Romy, and Tilly
“I Named My Baby That Before It Was Cool”
August 11, 2015 § Leave a comment
Today I have a link for you to an article about hipster baby names. Fair warning: the author of the article is not a fan of hipster baby names, and pulls no punches when it comes to mocking them. If you intend to use one of these names — for your baby, for your character, for yourself — prepare yourself for complaints (some of them, let’s face it, well-deserved . . . especially if you decide to saddle an infant with a name like Salinger) like these:
“The List For Hipster Baby Names Is Out And It’s As Bad As You Imagined”
For girls: Briseida, Farrah, Inez, Liora, Minnie, Odette, Pandora, Romy, Suzette, Tessie, Wren, and Zola
For boys: Auden, Byron, Enoch, Gulliver, Ignatius, Lennon, Murray, Nico, Orson, Roman, Salinger, and Zane
(Related: “20 Baby Names That Will Become Overused in the Next 100 Years”
Would-be hipsters, beware! Use of these names will instantly out you as being bandwagon-jumpers rather than the cutting-edge trendsetters you aspire to be!
Addison, Aiden, Ariana, Audrey, Ava, Avery, Brooklyn, Caden, Carter, Chloe, Emma, Elijah, Jackson, Jayden, Leah, Logan, Mason, Noah, Sophia, and Zoe.)
Abdul
August 10, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Arabic, meaning “servant of” (usually combined with another name, to mean “servant of the [whatever the other name means]”).
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
None, I don’t think? None that I’ve come across, at any rate.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Abdul Schwartz, one of Uncle Gabe’s two favorite students at his Jewish vocational school, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).