Syl
August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Sylvia“, “Sylvie“, etc. meaning “of the forest”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Silva, Silvia, Silvie, Silviya, Silvy, Sylva, Sylvi, Sylvia, Sylvie, Sylwia, Szilvia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Little Syl (Sylvie) Lamonte, the “little dryad that had slipped from some rose-tree’s bark” who Doctor Tom cures, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Sylvie
August 16, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
French version of “Silvia” / “Sylvia“, feminine form of the Latin name “Silvius”, meaning “of the forest”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Silva, Silvia, Silvie, Silviya, Silvy, Syl, Sylva, Sylvi, Sylvia, Sylwia, Szilvia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sylvie Lamonte (called “Sylvia” or “Syl“), the “little dryad that had slipped from some rose-tree’s bark” who Doctor Tom cures, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Em
August 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Emma“, “Emmy“, “Emily“, and other names beginning with “Em-“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Amie, Amy, Ema, Emma, Emme, Emmalyn, Emelina, Emeline, Emmaline, Emmeline, Emmie, Emmy, Ima, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Em Mayo, poor little Jessie Mayo’s little sister, one of the girls Doctor Tom tells the story of Sylvie to, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Bess
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Bessie” / “Bessy“, a diminutive of “Elizabeth“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bessie, Bessy, Betje, Bette, Betsy, Bettie, Bettina, Betty, Bettye, Buffy, Let, Lettie, Letty, Pet, Pettie, Tess, Tessie, Tessy, Tetty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bess (Bessie), Laura’s sister, the “Bright-Eyes” Ted tells his rag-bag story to, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Bess Streeter Aldrich (1881-1954), American author.
Bessie
August 15, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Bessy“, a diminutive of “Elizabeth“, meaning “oath of God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bess, Bessy, Betje, Bette, Betsy, Bettie, Bettina, Betty, Bettye, Buffy, Let, Lettie, Letty, Pet, Pettie, Tess, Tessie, Tessy, Tetty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bessie (sometimes called “Bess“), Laura’s sister, the “Bright-Eyes” Ted tells his rag-bag story to, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Bessie Lee (Leaven, after her marriage), the kind-hearted though quick-tempered nursemaid who looks after Jane and her cousins, the Reeds, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Bessie Head (1937-1986), South African author.
Bridget
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Brigid”, from the Irish “Brighid”, meaning “strength” or “exalted one”, after the Irish goddess of fire, poetry, and wisdom.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bea, Bedelia, Bee, Beret, Berette, Berit, Biddie, Biddy, Bidelia, Birdie, Birdy, Birgit, Birgita, Birgitta, Birgitte, Breda, Bride, Bridgette, Bridie, Brighid, Brigid, Brigida, Brigit, Brigitta, Brigitte, Brit, Brita, Britt, Britta, Brygida, Gitta, Gittan, Gitte, Fraid, Piritta, Priita, Reeta, Rita, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bridget, Aunt Cathy’s Irish cook, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Cathy
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Catherine” / “Katherine“, and alternately spelled “Cathie” / “Kathie” / “Kathy”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cadi, Cady, Cait, Cat, Cate, Catey, Cathi, Cathie, Catie, Cato, Caty, Catya, Kady, Kaia, Kaity, Kaja, Kat, Kata, Katey, Kathi, Kathie, Kathy, Katie, Katka, Katri, Katy, Kay, Kaya, Kaye, Kaylee, Kayleen, Kit, Kitti, Kittie, Kitty, Kylee, Kyleen, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Cathy, who is left in charge of Susy and her brothers after their mother’s death, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Cathy Kelly (b. 1966), Irish journalist and author.
Kit
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Christopher” or “Catherine” / “Katherine“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Cadi, Cady, Cait, Cat, Cate, Catey, Cathi, Cathy, Catie, Cato, Caty, Catya, Kady, Kaia, Kaity, Kaja, Kat, Kata, Katey, Kathi, Kathie, Kathy, Katie, Katka, Katri, Katy, Kay, Kaya, Kaye, Kaylee, Kayleen, Kitti, Kittie, Kitty, Kylee, Kyleen, etc.
For boys: Chip, Chris, Christy, Christie, Cris, Kester, Kris, Kristof, Toph, Topher, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Kit, Susy’s little brother, whose marble-playing she envies, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Kit (Christopher) Badcock, the innocent farmer whose young child is murdered while his wife, Margery, is carried off by the Doones, the final outrage which causes the locals to rise up against this scourge in their midst, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
WRITERS:
– Kit Denton (1928-1997), Anglo-Australian broadcaster and writer.
– Kit (Christopher) Marlowe (1564-1593), English dramatist, poet, and translator.
Susy
August 15, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Susie”, “Suzy”, etc., which are all, like “Sue“, etc., diminutive of “Susan”, “Susanna”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sooki, Sookie, Sooky, Su, Sue, Suse, Susey, Susi, Susie, Sukey, Suki, Sukie, Suze, Suzey, Suzi, Suzie, Suzy, Zooey, Zooie, Zsazsa, Zsuzsa, Zsuzsi, Zsuzsu, Zu, Zuza, Zuzi, Zuzia, Zuzu, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Susy, who must learn to conquer her dragon, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Nickie
August 15, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Nicky” / “Nikki”, diminutive of “Nicholas” or “Nicole”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Cole, Colette, Coleen, Coline, Lina, Nica, Nichola, Nichole, Nicol, Nicola, Nicolette, Nicolina, Nicoline, Nicky, Nika, Nikka, Nikki, Nikkole, Nikol, Nikola, Nikole, Nikoleta, etc.
For boys: Cai, Claus, Colas, Col, Cole, Colet, Colin, Collin, Kai, Kay, Klaas, Klaus, Nels, Nic, Nichol, Nichols, Nick, Nicky, Nico, Nicol, Niek, Niels, Nils, Nik, Nika, Nikki, Niko, Nixon, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nickie Boler, a boy “who was always well read on all sorts of queer old facts”, a founding member of the children’s society for the prevention of cruelty to cats, in “The Kit-Kat Club”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 