Josie
August 29, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Josey”, etc., a diminutive of “Josephine”, a feminine form of “Joseph“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Giosetta, Jo, Joetta, Joleen, Jolene, Joey, Josée, Josette, Josey, Josi, Josiane, Josy, Posie, Posey, Seph, Sephi, Sephie, Sephy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Josie Kelley, Matty’s sister, and another of the shopgirls in “Becky”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Matty
August 29, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Mattie“, “Maddie”, etc.; diminutive of of “Matilda“, “Martha“, etc., or of “Matthew”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Maddi, Maddie, Maddy, Madge, Mart, Martie, Marty, Mat, Matt, Matti, Mattie, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Midge, Pat, Patti, Pattie, Patty, Tilda, Tilde, Tillie, Tilly, etc.
For boys: Mat, Matt, Mattie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Matty Kelley, one of the shopgirls in “Becky”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Flo
August 29, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Florence” or “Flora”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fflur, Fiorenza, Fleur, Floor, Flora, Flore, Floreen, Floella, Florence, Florene, Florentia, Floretta, Florette, Floris, Florrie, Flossie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Flo (Florence) Aplin, a snobbish, bragging girl from a snobbish, bragging family, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Esther
August 29, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Possibly Persian, meaning “star”, or derived from “Ishtar”, the name of the Babylonian and Assyrian mother goddess of love, fertility, and war.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aster, Eistir, Esfir, Essi, Essie, Esta, Estee, Ester, Estera, Esteri, Eszter, Eszti, Hester, Ishtar, Istar, Yesfir, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Esther Bowdoin, whose shabby home life belies her blue-blooded ancestry and artistic heritage, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Esther (or Edna or Etka) Kroll Shaine — “Esther in Hebrew, Edna in English, and Etka in Russian” — Lily’s increasingly-senile grandmother in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
You can find a good, solid starter list of writers named “Esther” in this post.
Cordelia
August 29, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From “Cordeilla”, a Celtic name, meaning unknown.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cordeilla, Cordie, Cordula, Cordy, Delia, Della, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cordelia Burr, an ungainly lass with a sore heart, in need of comfort and friendship, in “A Little Boarding-School Samaritan”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Sibyl
August 29, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Sybil”, from the Greek “Sibylla”, meaning “prophetess”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cybill, Sibella, Sibilla, Sibylla, Sibylle, Sybella, Sybil, Sybila, Sybilla, Sybille, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sibyl Merridew, a pretty little Rebel in Tory’s clothing, in “Sibyl’s Slipper”, a story of the American Revolutionary War, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Elise
August 28, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Elizabeth“, meaning “oath of God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Eilis, Eilish, Eli, Eliisa, Elisa, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Elli, Ellie, Elly, Elsa, Else, Elsje, Elyse, Elze, Ilsa, Ilse, Lies, Liesa, Liese, Liesel, Liesel, Liesje, Liisa, Liisi, Liisu, Lili, Lilli, Lilly, Lily, Lis, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liza, Lys, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Elise Wheatley, the daughter of the kind woman Polly meets at the shop, in “Polly’s Valentine” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Metalka
August 28, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
As far as I can discover, the word “metalka” is possibly Slovenian or Serbian, meaning “metallic”. But the way I have seen it used in literature thus far, it seems to be a made-up name intended to sound Native American, specifically Walla Walla – Sahaptin. Which is all to say . . . I don’t know what it means or where it came from. Origin unknown.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
I don’t know.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Metalka, Wallula’s older sister in “Major Molly’s Christmas Promise” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Lula
August 28, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of names like “Louise” / “Louisa“, names that begin with “Lu-“, such as “Lucy” or “Lucretia“, or that contain “-ula”, such as “Wallula” or “Ursula”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Loola, Lou, Louella, Lulu, Oola, Ula, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lula, the nickname Molly Elliston gives to her friend Wallula, in “Major Molly’s Christmas Promise” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
Wallula
August 28, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Variation of “Walla Walla”, from the Walla Walla branch of the Sahaptin language, meaning “many waters”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lula, Luula, Ula, Uula, Wallawalla, Wallie, Wally, Waluula.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Wallula (sometimes called “Lula“), a local Native American girl Molly Elliston befriends, in “Major Molly’s Christmas Promise” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 