DIMINUTIVE | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Mimi

August 18, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Maria“, “Miriam”, “Jemima“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Madge, Maisie, Maisy, Mame, Mamie, Maria, Marie, Mariele, Mariella, Marietta, May, Mayme, Maymie, Mia, Midge, Mim, Mimsie, Mimsy, Mirele, Moll, Mollie, Molly, etc. etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mimi, the Austrian kitchen maid at Mrs. Page’s boarding-house, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).

Bill

August 18, 2014 § 5 Comments

ORIGIN:
Like “Will“, a diminutive of “William“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bil, Billie, Billy, Gwil, Liam, Lyam, Pim, Vila, Vili, Viljo, Ville, Wil, Wilkie, Wilkin, Wilky, Will, Willie, Willis, Willy, Wim, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bill, a little boy who lives on the Street with the Pages and the Wilsons and the rest in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Bill, the bartender at Schwitter’s road-house in K.
– Bill Blacksmith, a friend of John Fry’s in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Bill (William) Creighton (b. 1838), Jethro’s favorite older brother, “a big, silent man who was considered ‘peculiar’ in the neighborhood”, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Bill Dadds, a workman on John Ridd’s farm, in Lorna Doone.
– Bill Oliver, wealthy owner of a needle-factory and iron-foundry near Morton, whose daughter, Rosamond, is in love with St. John Rivers, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Bill James (b. 1929), pen name of Welsh novelist James Tucker, who also publishes as “David Craig” and “Judith Jones”.

QUOTATIONS:
– The 1902 song “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey“, written by Hughie Cannon (1877-1912) remains a standard among Dixieland and classic jazz performers: “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey, won’t you come home? / I’ve moaned the whole night long / I’ll do the cookin’, honey, I’ll pay the rent / I know I done you wrong.”
– In Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1927 musical Show Boat, torch singer Julie (working in a nightclub circa 1903), sings “Bill“, a lament for the less-than-perfect man who stole her heart: “But along came Bill / Who’s not the type at all / You’d meet him on the street / And never notice him / His form and face / His manly grace / Are not the kind that you / Would find in a statue / And I can’t explain / It’s surely not his brain / That makes me thrill / I love him because he’s wonderful / Because he’s just my Bill / . . . He’s just my Bill, an ordinary man / He hasn’t got a thing that I can brag about / . . . I love him, because he’s, I don’t know, / Because he’s just my Bill.”
– From the 1945 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical Carousel, set in 1873 or so, erstwhile barker Billy Bigelow sings a “Soliloquy” about his anticipated son: “Bill, my boy Bill, / I will see that he’s named after me, I will. / My boy Bill! He’ll be tall / And as tough as a tree, will Bill! / Like a tree he’ll grow / With his head held high / And his feet planted firm on the ground. / And you won’t see nobody dare to try / To boss him or toss him around.”
– In the “Wedding Bell Blues” (1969), written by Laura Nyro, the singer laments about a lover who won’t marry her: “Bill, I love you so, I always will / . . . I was on your side, Bill, when you were losing / I’d never scheme or lie, Bill, there’s been no fooling / But kisses and love won’t carry me ’til you marry me, Bill.”

Katie

August 18, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Katy“, etc., a diminutive of “Catherine” / “Katherine“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cadi, Cady, Cait, Cat, Cate, Catey, Cathi, Cathy, Catie, Cato, Caty, Catya, Kady, Kaia, Kaity, Kaja, Kat, Kata, Kate, Katey, Kathi, Kathie, Kathy, Katka, Katri, Katy, Kay, Kaya, Kaye, Kaylee, Kayleen, Kit, Kitti, Kittie, Kitty, Kylee, Kyleen, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Katie, housemaid at Mrs. Page’s boarding-house, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).

WRITERS:
– Katie Stewart (1934-2013), English cooking writer and columnist.

Tillie

August 18, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Tilly“, diminutive of “Matilda“, meaning “strength in battle” or “mighty battle-maid”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Malta, Mathilda, Mathilde, Matilda, Matilde, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Tilda, Tilde, Tilly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tillie, Mrs. Rosenfeld’s niece who works in the dining room at Mrs. McKee’s boarding-house, and who is courted by the already-married Mr. Schwitter, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Tillie Kronborg, Thea’s eccentric aunt and biggest fan, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Tillie Olsen (1912-2011), American activist and writer.

Ed

August 18, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Edward“, “Edgar”, “Edwin“, “Edmund”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Edd, Eddi, Eddie, Eddy, Ned, Nedd, Neddie, Neddy, Ted, Tedd, Teddie, Teddy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ed Turner, the neighbor whose farm Rob Taylor tried to escape to when he and Mary Creighton were pursued by Travis Burdow, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Dr. Ed Wilson, who sacrificed wealth and home life so his brilliant younger brother Max could get an education and a career, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).

Sid

August 17, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Sidney“, meaning “wide island”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Cyd, Cydne, Cydnie, Cydney, Sid, Sidelle, Sidonia, Sidonie, Sidne, Sidnie, Syd, Sydelle, Sydne, Sydney, Sydnie, Sydonia, Sydonie, etc.
For boys: Sid, Syd, Sydney, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sid (Sidney) Page, a brave, selfless young woman who wishes to become a nurse, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).

WRITERS:
– Sid Chaplin (1916-1986), English writer.
– Sid Fleischman (1920-2010), American writer.
– Sid Smith (b. 1949), English novelist and journalist.

Nancy

August 17, 2014 § 6 Comments

ORIGIN:
Medieval diminutive of “Annis”, or of “Ann” / “Anne” (via “Nan“).

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ann, Anne, Annie, Anny, Nainsi, Nan, Nancie, Nana, Nance, Nandag, Nanette, Nanice, Nanine, Nannie, Nanny, Nanse, Nansi, Nansie, Nansy, Nenci, Nensi, Neske, Nest, Nesta, Nina, Ninette, Ninon, Nona, Nonna, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Nancy, who might be a fallback matron for Hope should something happen to Mrs. Bell, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Nancy Creighton, John’s quiet and withdrawn wife, “amiable, but aloof to the friendly Creightons” in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Nancy (Annie) Ridd (sometimes called “Nanny“), John’s favorite sister, a sweet little homemaker, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Nancy (Anne) Steele, Lucy’s well-intentioned but empty-headed ninny of an older sister, a woman of “vulgar freedom and folly”, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).

WRITERS:
– Nancy Boyd (1892-1950), pen name of American poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay.
– Nancy Cato (1917-2000), Australian activist and writer.
– Nancy A. Collins (b. 1959), American horror novelist.
– Nancy Farmer (b. 1941), American author and children’s book writer.
– Nancy Garden (1938-2014), American author.
– Nancy Holder (b. 1953), American novelist.
– Nancy Huston (b. 1953), Canadian essayist and novelist.
– Nancy Kress (b. 1948), American sci-fi writer.
– Nancy Milford (b. 1938), American biographer.
– Nancy Meyers (b. 1949), American director, producer, and screenwriter.
– Nancy Mitford (1904-1973), English biographer, journalist, and novelist.
– Nancy Oliver (b. 1955), American playwright and screenwriter.
– Nancy Pickard (b. 1945), American crime novelist.
– Nancy Brooker Spain (1917-1964), English broadcaster, columnist, and journalist.
– Nancy Springer (b. 1948), American author.
– Nancy Werlin (b. 1961), American author.
– Nancy Willard (b. 1936), American novelist, poet, and children’s book writer and illustrator.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “Wages“, by Norman Rowland Gale: “Because I bowed / content, I fancy, / He gave me you / for wages, Nancy!”

May

August 17, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Name for the hawthorn flower, or referencing the month of May, named after “Maia”, the Roman goddess of spring. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Mary“, “Margaret“, “Mabel”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mabella, Madge, Mae, Maggie, Maggy, Maia, Maisie, Maisy, Malia, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Mara, Maralyn, Maret, Margaux, Marge, Margie, Margo, Margot, Margy, Mari, Mariel, Marilyn, Marilynn, Marinda, Marise, Maja, Marlyn, Marylyn, Maya, Maybell, Maybella, Maybelle, Maybelline, Mayme, Meg, Megeen, Meggie, Meggy, Mele, Meri, Merilyn, Merrilyn, Metta, Mette, Mia, Miep, Mies, Miia, Midge, Moll, Mollie, Molly, My, Mya, Peg, Pegeen, Peggie, Peggy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– May, a married woman who befriends Ruth while she spends the winter with her grandparents in the city, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– May Franklin, a little girl who lives near the Bell’s boarding-house, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

Elly

August 16, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Ella“, “Eleanor”, “Ellen”, etc., or of names ending in “-ella” or “-elle”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
El, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Elsy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Elly Dunbar (sometimes called “Ella“), a refined girl, somewhat inclined to be priggish, one of the founding members of the children’s society for the prevention of cruelty to cats in “The Kit-Kat Club”, and reluctant participant in the plan to open a shop to sell doll’s clothes, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

Milly

August 16, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Millie“, a diminutive of “Mildred”, “Millicent”, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mila, Mili, Milla, Milli, Millie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Milly, one of the servants at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
– Milly Rogers, a snobbish girl the Dunbar’s fear will look down on them for their plans to make and sell doll clothes, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

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