Marion
August 6, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
For the masculine version, derived from a French last name. For the feminine version, an alternate spelling of “Marian” or “Marianne“, French diminutive forms of “Marie“. All versions ultimately derived from “Maria“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Mairenn, Mairin, Mairwen, Manon, Manya, Mari, Maria, Mariamne, Marian, Mariana, Marianna, Marianne, Marie, Marielle, Mariette, Mariona, Marise, Marjan, Mary, Marya, Maryana, Maryann, Marzena, Maureen, Maurine, Miren, Mirjana, Mirjane, etc.
For boys: Marian, Marianus, Mariano, Marius, Merrian, Merrion, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marion Warren, member of the Mayflower Club in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
WRITERS:
– Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999), American novelist.
– Marion Cunningham (1922-2012), American food writer.
– Marion Rose Harris (b. 1925), Welsh romance author who publishes under the pen name “Rosie Harris”.
– Marion Richardson (1892-1946), English educator and author.
QUOTATIONS:
– “Oh, Marion“, from Paul Simon’s 1980 album, One Trick Pony: “Oh Marion / I think I’m in trouble here / I should’ve believed you / When I heard you saying it / The only time / That love is an easy game / Is when two other people / Are playing it.”
Hook
August 5, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Hook” was an Old English surname given to one who lived or worked near a hook, or bend, in a river, or to one who made hooks for a living.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Hooke, Hooker, Hookes, Huck, Hucks, Huke, Hukes, Hocke, Hockes, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Hook Eagles, whose wife befriends Becky during her years of exile, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Osborne
August 5, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Variant of the English last name “Osborn”, meaning “divine bear” or “godly strength”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Asbjorn, Esben, Osbeorn, Osbern, Osborn, Osbourn, Osbourne, Oz, Ozzie, Ozzy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Osborne Todd, Mr. Osborne’s godson and friend, schoolmate, and hanger-on to Georgy Osborne, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
WRITERS:
– Osborne Henry Mavor (1888-1951), Scottish playwright, screenwriter, and surgeon, who wrote under the pen name “James Bridie”.
Bedwin
August 5, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English last-name-as-first-name, deriving from Welsh “Bedwyn”, meaning “birch”, or Arabic “Bedouin”, meaning “nomad” or “wanderer”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bedouin, Bedwyn. . . um . . . Beddy?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bedwin Sands, the “elegant dandy and Eastern traveler” who manages Becky’s famous presentation of charades at a party given at Gaunt House, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Washington
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English place name, meaning “town belonging to Wassa (the intelligent one)’s people”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Wash, I suppose?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mrs. Washington White is a friend of Becky’s who must be cut after the clever little adventuress is presented at court, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Macduff
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Macduff” is a Scottish name meaning “son of the dark man”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Other than Mac? I don’t know.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Macduff McMull, the little son of James McMull and Rhoda Swartz, who “will be Viscount Castletoddy”, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Lawrence
August 4, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Laurence”, a Latin place name related to “laurel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Enzo, Larkin, Larrie, Larry, Lars, Lasse, Lassi, Laurance, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurie, Lauritz, Lawrance, Lawrie, Loren, Lorencio, Lorens, Lorenzo, Lorin, Lorrin, Rance, Rens, Renzo, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Lawrence Grills, the clergyman Becky references when trying to conciliate Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Lawrence Jones, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Rev. Lawrence Veal, who is engaged to educate young Georgy Osborne, in Vanity Fair.
WRITERS:
– Lawrence Durrell (1912-1990), English dramatist, novelist, poet, and travel writer.
Beilby
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English “last name as first name”, by way of the Norse Vikings, meaning “Beli’s farm”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bel, Beli, stuff like that?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Beilby Binny, “the mild and genteel curate of the district chapel” who pays his attentions to the widowed Amelia, much to the chagrin of his proud sister, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Saunders
August 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Sander”, a Scottish-derived “last name as first name”, meaning “belonging to Alexander“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sander, Sandor, Sandro, Sandy, Xander, Zander, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Saunders McNitre, a “Scotch divine” befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Malloy
August 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Malloy” was an Irish name meaning either “noble” or “big and soft”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maloy, Molloy, Mulloy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Malloy Malony was a brother of Mrs. Major O’Dowd in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 