Selina
August 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Selena”, a variation of “Selene”, the name of a Greek moon goddess.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Celena, Celene, Celina, Celine, Lena, Lina, Selena, Selene, Seline, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Selina Hawkins, Augusta’s older sister, whose marriage to the wealthy Mr. Suckling, owner of the Maple Grove estate, seems to be the family’s only claim to fame, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
Augusta
August 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Feminine form of “Augustus”, meaning “majestic” or “venerable”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gus, Gussie, Gussy, Gusta.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Augusta Brocklehurst, the second daughter of the formidable and hypocritical supervisor of Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Augusta Hawkins, the vain and self-important younger daughter of a Bristol merchant, who Mr. Elton selects for his wife after being disappointed in his first choice, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
WRITERS:
– Augusta, Lady Gregory (1852-1932), Irish dramatist, folklorist, and theatre manager.
Hetty
August 21, 2014 § 5 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Hettie”, diminutive of “Henrietta“, “Hester“, “Harriet“, “Mehetabel”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Essie, Essy, Etta, Ettie, Etty, Halle, Hallie, Hattie, Hatty, Hen, Hennie, Henny, Het, Hettie, Yetta, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Miss Hetty Bates, a silly, chatty, good-hearted woman who is always delighted to talk about anything, particularly her beloved niece, Jane Fairfax, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Aunt Hetty Walker, who used to frighten young John and Bill with “witch stories” when she’d come to help Ellen with work on the farm, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Hetty Burlingame Beatty (1907-1971), American children’s book author, illustrator, and sculptor.
– Hetty Tayler (1869-1951), pen name of British author and historian Helen Tayler, who also published as “Henrietta Tayler”, and often published jointly with her brother, Alexander.
– Hetty Verolme (b. 1930), Belgian-Australian author and educator.
– Hetty Wright (1697-1750), pen name of English poet Mehetabel Wesley Wright, who was also known as “Kitty Wright”.