GIRL NAMES | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Maude

August 12, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
An alternative English spelling of “Maud”, a diminutive of “Matilda“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Malta, Mat, Mathilda, Matilda, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maudie, Tilda, Tilde, Tillie, Tilly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Maude Tucker, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, sister of Sue Tucker, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

Sue

August 12, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Susan“, “Susanna”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sooki, Sookie, Sooky, Su, Suse, Susey, Susi, Susie, Susy, Sukey, Suki, Sukie, Suze, Suzey, Suzi, Suzie, Suzy, Zooey, Zooie, Zsazsa, Zsuzsa, Zsuzsi, Zsuzsu, Zu, Zuza, Zuzi, Zuzia, Zuzu, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sue 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).
– Sue Tucker, a friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, and sister of Maude Tucker, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

WRITERS:
– Sue Grafton (b. 1940), American crime novelist.
– Sue Townsend (1946-2014), English writer and humorist.

QUOTATIONS:
– From the popular ballad “Black Ey’d Susan, or Sweet William’s Farewell“, by John Gay, first published in 1730: “‘If to far India’s coast we sail, / Thy eyes are seen in diamonds bright, / Thy breath is Afric’s spicy gale, / Thy skin is ivory, so white. / Thus every beauteous object that I view, / Wakes in my soul some charm of lovely Sue.'”

Freddy

August 12, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive 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:
– 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.

Julia

August 12, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Feminine form of “Julius”, a Roman name possibly derived from the Greek “Ioulos”, meaning “downy-cheeked” or “youthful”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Giulia, Giulietta, Jules, Juli, Juliana, Julianne, Julie, Juliet, Julietta, Juliette, Juliska, Juliya, Yulia, Yuliya, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Julia Bennet, Katy’s oldest sister, who lacks sympathy, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Julia Hurstwood, George Hurstwood’s beautiful-but-cold wife, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Julia Prime, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Julia Severn, a pupil at Lowood Academy, guilty of the unthinkable crime of having naturally curly hair, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Julia Cameron (b. 1948), American writer.
– Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), American activist, poet, and writer.
– Julia Peterkin (1880-1961), American author.
– Julia Sweeney (b. 1959), American actress, comedian, and author.

QUOTATIONS:
– Probably the most famous usage of the name is “Julia“, from The Beatles’ 1968 album The Beatles (known as the White Album), which begins: “Half of what I say is meaningless / But I say it just to reach you, Julia / Julia, Julia, oceanchild, calls me / So I sing of song of love, Julia”
– “Upon Julia’s Clothes“, written in 1630 by Robert Herrick, famously begins: “Whenas in silks my Julia goes, / then, then (methinks) how sweetly flows / That liquefaction of her clothes.” Apparently, this Julia was a favorite of Herrick’s, because he wrote a ton of poetry to her. This should come in super handy to anyone who wants to romance a Julia.
– From “Upon Julia’s Riband“, by Robert Herrick: “As shows the air when with a rainbow grac’d, / So smiles that riband ’bout my Julia’s waist”
– From “The Dream“, by Robert Herrick: “Only remained a little bit, / Which will be burnt up by-and-by; / Then, Julia, weep, for I must die.”
– From “Upon Roses“, by Robert Herrick: “They blush’d, and look’d more fresh than flowers / Quicken’d of late by pearly showers / And all because they were possess’d / But of the heat of Julia’s breast”
– From “How His Soul Came Ensnared“, by Robert Herrick: “My soul would one day go and seek / For roses, and in Julia’s cheek / A richesse of those sweets she found”
– From “To Julia“, by Robert Herrick: “How rich and pleasing thou, my Julia, art / In each thy dainty and peculiar part!”
– From a different “To Julia“, by Robert Herrick: “The saints’-bell calls, and, Julia, I must read / The proper lessons for the saints now dead: / To grace which service, Julia, there shall be / One holy collect said or sung for thee.”
– From “A Ring Presented to Julia“, by Robert Herrick: “Julia, I bring / To thee this ring / Made for thy finger fit; / To show by this / That our love is / (Or should be) like to it.”
– From “His Sailing From Julia“, by Robert Herrick: “But yet for love’s sake let thy lips do this, / Give my dead picture one engendering kiss: / Work that to life, and let me ever dwell / In thy remembrance, Julia. So farewell.”
– From “The Transfiguration“, by Robert Herrick: “Immortal clothing I put on / So soon as, Julia, I am gone / To mine eternal mansion.”
– From “Cherry-Pit“, by Robert Herrick: “Julia and I did lately sit / Playing for sport at cherry-pit”
– Robert Herrick also wrote “The Candour of Julia’s Teeth“, “To Julia In The Temple“, “His Charge To Julia At His Death“, “On Julia’s Picture“, and “His Covenant; Or, Protestation To Julia“. He really dug this Julia chick.

Edith

August 11, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Old English / Germanic, meaning “rich war” or “blessed war”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Eadie, Edie, Editha, Edita, Edyth, Edytha, Edythe, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Edith, Maud Hallett’s aunt, who took her to Paradise Valley one summer, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Edith Beers, the audacious and scandalous heiress who jilts her fiancé Dick Brisbane for his friend Fred Ottenburg, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Edith Elliott, Dolly’s best friend, in “Dolly Varden”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

WRITERS:
– Edith Carter (fl. 1920s-1930s), English actress and playwright.
– Edith Hamilton (1867-1963), German-American educator and author.
– Edith (E.) Nesbit (1858-1924), English author and poet.
– Edith Pearlman (b. 1936), American short story writer.
– Edith Wharton (1862-1937), American author and designer.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “The Children’s Hour” (1859), by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “From my study I see in the lamplight, / Descending the broad hall stair, / Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, / And Edith with golden hair.”

Betsey

August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Betsy” or “Betsie”, diminutive of “Elizabeth“, meaning “oath of God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bess, Bessie, Bessy, Betsy, Bette, Beth, Bette, Bettie, Betty, Buffy, Elspet, Elspeth, Pet, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Miss Betsey Colishaw, who won’t sell her antiques to the boorish rich ladies who wish to buy them, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

AUTHORS:
– Betsey Guppy Chamberlain (c. 1797-1886), Native American writer and poet.
– Betsey Wynne (1778-1857), English diarist.

Berenice

August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
From Greek, meaning “bringer of victory”. Sometimes contracted to “Bernice”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Barrie, Bernelle, Bernice, Berri, Berrie, Berry, Beryl, Bunnie, Bunny, Nica, Nika, Vernice, Veronica, Veronika, Veronique, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Berenice Joy (called “Berry“), Georgie Gray’s friend, who is not a good influence, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

AUTHORS:
– Berenice Rubens (1928-2004), Welsh novelist.

Court

August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Courtenay” / “Courtney”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cort, Cortnay, Cortney, Courtenay, Courtnay, Courtney, Kort, Kortnay, Kortney, Kourt, Kourtenay, Kourtnay, Kourtney, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Court (Courtenay) Gray, the father of the clan which, after some trials, adopts Candace Arden, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

Cannie

August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Candace“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Candace, Candice, Candis, Candi, Candie, Candy, Candyce, Kandace, Kandice, Kandis, Kandi, Kandie, Kandy, Kandyce, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cannie (Candance) Arden, the “little country girl” of the title, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

Marian

August 11, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
An alternate spelling of “Marion” or “Marianne“, French diminutive forms of “Marie”, ultimately derived from “Maria“. Sometimes used as a masculine form of “Maria“, or as a version of “Marianus”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Mairenn, Mairin, Mairwen, Manon, Manya, Mari, Maria, Mariamne, Mariana, Marianna, Marianne, Marie, Marielle, Mariette, Marion, Mariona, Marise, Marjan, Mary, Marya, Maryana, Maryann, Marzena, Maureen, Maurine, Miren, Mirjana, Mirjane, etc.
For boys: Marianus, Marion, Mariano, Marius, Merrian, Merrion, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marian Butter, Anthony Butter’s sturdy and strong-willed wife, who nursed Lady Margaret from childhood, in “A Brother to Dragons” (written in 1886, set in 1586), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Mistress Marian Every, Lady Elizabeth’s adopted daughter, who grows up with Lady Patience and Lord Ernie, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales.
– Marian Gray, the youngest of the Gray girls, fun-loving and strong-willed, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Marian Selwyn, a well-bred young lady who is a good role-model for the girls around her, in “An April Fool”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).

WRITERS:
– Marian Engel (1933-1985), Canadian novelist.
– Marian Keyes (b. 1965), Irish author.

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