Fred
August 4, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Frederick“, meaning “peaceful ruler”. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Alfred“, “Manfred”, “Wilfred”, etc., or, for girls, for names like “Frederica” or “Winifred”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Freda, Freddi, Freddie, Frieda, Fritzi.
For boys: Fred, Fredde, Freddie, Fredo, Fritz.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nickname for Frederick (b. 1916), the eighth of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Fred, a rather snobbish and foppish young man in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Fred (called “Freddy“) Allen, whose wife is a friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, and frequently serves as chaperone for their parties, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Fred (Frederick Augustus) Bullock, the young man Maria Osborne hopes to marry in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Fred (Philip Frederick) Ottenburg, the dynamic young brewing heir who launches Thea’s operatic career, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Fred Thompson (1884-1949), English writer and librettist.
– Fred Urquhart (1912-1995), Scottish short story writer.
Lawrence
August 4, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Laurence”, a Latin place name related to “laurel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Enzo, Larkin, Larrie, Larry, Lars, Lasse, Lassi, Laurance, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurie, Lauritz, Lawrance, Lawrie, Loren, Lorencio, Lorens, Lorenzo, Lorin, Lorrin, Rance, Rens, Renzo, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Lawrence Grills, the clergyman Becky references when trying to conciliate Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Lawrence Jones, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Rev. Lawrence Veal, who is engaged to educate young Georgy Osborne, in Vanity Fair.
WRITERS:
– Lawrence Durrell (1912-1990), English dramatist, novelist, poet, and travel writer.
Beilby
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English “last name as first name”, by way of the Norse Vikings, meaning “Beli’s farm”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bel, Beli, stuff like that?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Beilby Binny, “the mild and genteel curate of the district chapel” who pays his attentions to the widowed Amelia, much to the chagrin of his proud sister, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Ralph
August 4, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From Old Norse by way of Anglo-Saxon, meaning “wolf counsel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Radulf, Rafe, Ralf, Ralphie, Ralphy, Raoul, Raul, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ralph Plantagenet Mango, a little boy whose bout with the measles received far less attention from the local doctor than little Georgy Osborne’s case, a testament to the popularity of their respective mothers, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
AUTHORS:
– Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), American writer and critic.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement.
Bartholomew
August 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From Aramaic via Greek / Hebrew, meaning “son of Talmai (abounding in furrows)”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bart, Barth, Bartie, Bartlett, Bartley, Bartol, Barty, Bertok, Mees, Mies, Tolly, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Bartholomew Irons, an “awakening man” befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
WRITERS:
– Bartholomew of Lucca (also known as “Bartolomeo Fiadóni”, “Tolomeo da Lucca”, or “Ptolemy da Lucca”; c.1236-c.1327), Italian historian and monk.
– Bartholomew Dowling (1823-1863), Irish author, editor, and poet, who sometimes published under the pen names “Masque” or “Southern”.
– Bartholomew MacCarthy (1843-1904), Irish author, chronologist, curate, and scholar.
– Bartholomew Mastrius (also known as “Bartholomaeus” or “Bartolomeo Mastri”; 1602-1673), Italian monk, philosopher, theologian, and writer.
QUOTATIONS:
– The poem “Bartholomew“, written by Norman Rowland Gale in the 1910s, starts: “Bartholomew is very sweet, / From sandy hair to rosy feet. / Bartholomew is six months old, / And dearer far than pearls or gold.”
Luke
August 2, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
English version of the Greek name “Loukas”, meaning “a person from Lucania” (an area in Italy). Often used as a shortened version of “Lucas”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lluc, Luc, Luca, Lucas, Lucky, Luka, Lukas, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Brother Luke, the kind and patient monk who looks after Robin and helps him to grow strong again, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Rev. Luke Waters, a Wesleyan minister befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Saunders
August 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Sander”, a Scottish-derived “last name as first name”, meaning “belonging to Alexander“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sander, Sandor, Sandro, Sandy, Xander, Zander, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Saunders McNitre, a “Scotch divine” befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Clement
August 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
English version of the Latin “Clemens” or “Clementius”, meaning “merciful” or “gentle”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Clem, Clemens, Clemente, Klement, Klemens, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Clement William Sheepshanks, Earl of Southdown, brother to Lady Emily and Lady Jane Sheepshanks in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Sir Clement Willoughby, the insistent rouge (perhaps the original “NiceGuyTM”) who forces his attentions on Miss Anville, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
AUTHORS:
– Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), American theologian and poet.
Malloy
August 2, 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, “Malloy” was an Irish name meaning either “noble” or “big and soft”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maloy, Molloy, Mulloy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Malloy Malony was a brother of Mrs. Major O’Dowd in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Isidor
August 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Isidore”, from the Greek name “Isidoros”, meaning “gift of Isis”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Isa, Isadore, Isidro, Issy, Izzie, Izzy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Isidor is Joseph Sedley’s Belgian manservant while he accompanied the regiment to war in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 