Tedo
August 25, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Theodore“, meaning “gift of God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedir, Fedor, Fedya, Feodor, Fyodor, Tad, Taddie, Taddy, Ted, Teddie, Teddy, Teo, Teodor, Teodoro, Theo, Theodor, Theodore, Theodoros, Theodorus, Todor, Toshe, Tudor, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tedo (Theodore) Ingram, Blanche and Mary’s brother, one of the elegant people who make up Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
Amy
August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Old French “Amée”, meaning “beloved”. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Amelia“, “Emily“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aimée, Amada, Amata, Amée, Ami, Amie, Emme, Emmie, Emmy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Amy Eshton, the oldest of the Eshton girls, members of Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Amy Robson, Dora’s saucy, slightly snobbish cousin in “That Little Smith Girl” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Amy Stanton, a friend of Kitty’s and Laura’s, in “Esther Bodn”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
WRITERS:
– Amy Levy (1861-1889), English essayist, novelist, and poet.
– Amy Lowell (1874-1925), American poet.
– Amy Dora Reynolds (1860-1957), American crime author, poet, and romance author who published as “Mrs. Fred Reynolds”.
– Amy Tan (b. 1952), American author.
– Amy Wallace (1955-2013), American writer.
– Amy Witting (1918-2001), pen name of Australian novelist and poet Joan Austral Fraser.
Celine
August 25, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
French feminine form of “Caelinus”, meaning “heaven”, or a diminutive of “Marceline”, from Mars, the Roman god of war, or a variation of “Selene”, the name of a Greek moon goddess.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Caelina, Celena, Celene, Celina, Lena, Lina, Marcelina, Marceline, Marcellina, Marcelyn, Selena, Selene, Selina, Seline, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Céline Varens, the French opera-dancer who was Mr. Rochester’s one-time mistress, and mother of Adèle, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
Sophie
August 25, 2014 § 5 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Sophy“, a diminutive of “Sophia“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fifi, Sofi, Sofia, Sofie, Sofiya, Sonia, Sonja, Sonya, Sophia, Sophy, Vivi, Zophi, Zophia, Zophie, Zosia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sophie, Adèle Varens’ French nursemaid, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Sophie Leyton (1928-2009), pen name of English romance author Sheila Walsh.
Bobby
August 25, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Robert” or “Roberta“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Bobbi, Bobbie, Roberta, Robertina, Robin, Robina, Robyn, Robynne, etc.
For boys: Bob, Bobbie, Dob, Dobbie, Dobby, Rob, Robb, Robbe, Robbi, Robbie, Robby, Robi, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bobby, the boy Sheila briefly went “steady” with while on summer vacation with her family, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– Bobby Leaven, Bessie’s young son, who goes with her when she visits Jane Eyre at Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
Georgy
August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgie“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgie, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgie, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgy (Georgiana) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
Lizzy
August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Lizzie“, diminutive of “Elizabeth“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Elise, Elissa, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Else, Elsie, Elsje, Elyse, Ilsa, Ilse, Isa, Let, Lettie, Letty, Liana, Libby, Liddy, Lies, Liesl, Liese, Lillie, Lilly, Lily, Lis, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizette, Lizy, Lizzie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lizzy (Elizabeth) Bennet, the clever, “fine-eyed” second Bennet daughter, and heroine of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Lizzy (Eliza) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Lizzy Ryder, Nelly’s equally spiteful, petty sister, too inclined to assist in playing mean tricks, in “An April Fool”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Zabe
August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
As I’ve seen it used so far, a shortened version of “Orizaba“, possibly from “Citaltépl”, the Aztec name for the Pico de Orizaba, meaning “star mountain” in the Nauhuatl language.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Well, I probably would have gone with Ori, or Orry, or something, before Zabe, but what do I know?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Zabe (Orizaba) Page, a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
Whattle
August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
As I’ve seen it used so far, a shortened version of “Iztaccihuatl“, from an Aztec myth, meaning “white woman”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
I dunno.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Whattle (Iztaccihuatl) Page, a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
Popo
August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
As I’ve seen it used so far, a shortened version of “Popocatepetl“, from an Aztec myth, meaning “smoking mountain”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
. . . No idea. None, maybe.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Popo (Popocatepetl) Page, a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 