Carrol
August 12, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Carroll”, often used as a last name. Derived either from Irish, meaning “hacking with a weapon”, or related to “Carolus”, the Latin form of “Charles“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Carol, Carolus, Carroll, Caryl, Cearbhall, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Carrol Benton, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Frederic
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
French version of “Frederick“, from the Germanic for “peaceful ruler”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedde, Federico, Federigo, Fred, Frederic, Frederik, Freddie, Freddy, Fredo, Fredric, Friedrich, Fritz, Ric, Rick, Ricki, Rickie, Ricky, Rico, Rik, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Frederic, French butler to the Gray family while in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Sir Frederic Granby, grandfather to the estimable young Mr. Granby who Rosamond Oliver elects to marry, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Frederic Raphael (b. 1931), English writer.
– Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) French poet and author.
– Frédéric Vitoux (b. 1944), French journalist and writer.
Court
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Courtenay” / “Courtney”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cort, Cortnay, Cortney, Courtenay, Courtnay, Courtney, Kort, Kortnay, Kortney, Kourt, Kourtenay, Kourtnay, Kourtney, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Court (Courtenay) Gray, the father of the clan which, after some trials, adopts Candace Arden, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Georgie
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgy“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Georgy, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgy, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgie Gray, the oldest of the Gray girls, a bit dreamy and weak and too easily led astray, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Berry
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Berenice“, “Bernice”, “Beryl”, etc., or simply referring to the fruit. As a masculine name, an alternate spelling of “Barry“, from Irish, meaning “fair hair” or “spear”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Barrie, Berenice, Bernelle, Bernice, Berri, Beryl, Bunnie, Bunny, Vernice, Veronica, Veronika, Veronique, etc.
For boys: Bairre, Barrie, Barry, Berach, Finbar, Finbarr, Finnbar, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Berry (Berenice) Joy, Georgie Gray’s friend, who is not a good influence, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Courtenay
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Courtney”, an English last name from a French place name, meaning “short” or “short nose”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cort, Cortnay, Cortney, Court, Courtnay, Courtney, Kort, Kortnay, Kortney, Kourt, Kourtenay, Kourtnay, Kourtney, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Courtenay Gray (called “Court” by his wife), the father of the clan which, after some trials, adopts Candace Arden, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Peleg
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Hebrew, meaning “division” or “channel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
. . . Pel?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Captain Peleg King, captain of the steamer Eolus, which carries Candace Arden to her cousins’ home in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Moses
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “saved” or “son”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mo, Moe, Moey, Moises, Moishe, Moisey, Mose, Moshe, Moss, Musa, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Moses Pennel, Becky Moore’s country suitor in “Mountain-Laurel and Maiden-Hair”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
Calvin
August 10, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From a French last name “Chauvin”, from Latin, meaning “bald”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cal. And, um… Cal. Maybe Vin?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Calvin, Cousin Henrietta Carey’s lost love, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Prince Calvin, one of Princess Alison Jocelyn’s three brothers, in the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn (1968) by Peter S. Beagle.
WRITERS:
– Calvin C. Hernton (1932-2001), American author, poet, and sociologist.
– Calvin Hoffman (1906-1986), American author and critic.
– Calvin Thomas (1854-1919), American educator, scholar, and writer.
– Calvin Trillin (b. 1935), American writer.
– Calvin Ziegler (1854-1930), German-American poet.