Louisa May Alcott | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Laura

July 31, 2014 § 6 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Latin, meaning “laurel”. Feminine variant of “Laurence” / “Lawrence“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lallie, Lally, Lara, Laraine, Laure, Laureen, Laurel, Lauren, Laurene, Lauressa, Lauretta, Laurette, Laurey, Laurie, Laurinda, Laurine, Laurissa, Laurita, Laury, Lavra, Llora, Lollie, Lolly, Lora, Loreen, Loren, Lorene, Loretta, Lorette, Lori, Lorie, Lorinda, Lorita, Lorraine, Lorri, Lorrie, Lory, Lowri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Laura, the fake name used by Berry Joy and Georgie Gray to play their Lonely Hearts prank, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Laura, the “fairy princess” Ted Shaffer plans to marry, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Laura Brooks (sometimes called “Brooksie”), who refuses to give up her friendship with Esther, in spite of the judgment and disdain her friends and family may heap upon her head, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Laura Delano, an invalid who sells her artwork to try and support herself and her sister, Jessie, in “An Ivy Spray and Ladies’ Slippers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Laura Fleming, Ally’s cousin, who perhaps expects too much, in “Ally”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Laura Martin, a little orphan girl who worships Amelia Sedley during her time at Miss Pinkerton’s academy in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Laura Selwyn, one of Marian’s cousins, who knows all about the trick, in “An April Fool”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.

WRITERS:
Check out this post for a starter list of writers named “Laura”.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “To My Brothers” by Norman Rowland Gale: “O brothers, who must ache and stoop / O’er wordy tasks in London-town, / How scantly Laura trips for you — / A poem in a gown!”

Becky

July 31, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Rebecca“, from the Hebrew name “Rivkah”, meaning “yoke” or “snare”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Becca, Becka, Beckah, Beckie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Great Aunt Becky, Lily’s elderly relative, who believes her deceased nephew is still alive and living in Alaska because no one in the family has the heart to break the news to her, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– Becky Hawkins, a sharp and saucy “parcel-girl” who is as brave and generous as she is quick-witted, in “Becky”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Becky (Rebecca) Moore, the plain, hard-working farm girl with the heart of a poet in “Mountain-Laurel and Maiden-Hair”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Becky (Rebecca) Sharp, the clever and self-centered anti-heroine of Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Joe

July 30, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Joseph“, from the Latin / Greek version of “Yosef”, a Hebrew name meaning “He will add”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Jo, Joey, Jojo, Jos, José, Sep, Seph, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Joe, the under-gardener at Amhurste, 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.
– Joe Collins, an old army friend of Marion Warren’s father, in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Joe Drummond, who is love / obsessed with Sidney Page, to a dangerous degree, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Joe Giddy, Ray Kennedy’s brakeman, whose laziness has tragic results, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Joe Marchant, who is in need of a friend now more than ever, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Joe Pebbles, one of Humfrey Lemon’s customers, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales.
– Joe Scales, the very first suitor for one of the Gilbreth girls in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Joe (Joseph) Scott, an odorous and odious young man who considers himself a candidate for Virginia Herrick’s heart, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
– Joe Sibley, the teenaged son of the brash, shallow Sibley clan who encourage Ethel Amory in her frivolity while on their trip to Europe in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls.

Tom

July 30, 2014 § 5 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Thomas“, Greek form of the Aramaic for “twin”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tam, Thom, Toma, Tomas, Tommie, Tommy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tom, Maggie Bradford’s cousin, who calls her a “chit of a girl”, in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Tom, one of the servants at Randalls, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Tom, one of Susy’s brothers, whose kite-flying she finds distracting, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Cousin Tom, who teases Molly Gair about her love of fine dresses, in “Molly Gair’s New Dress”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Tom Branghton, the loutish son of Madame Duval’s (and Evelina’s) cousins, the crude, ill-mannered Branghton clan, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– Tom Cinqbars, subject of one of Rawdon’s sporty stories in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Tom Colt, the “young pup” who hopes to steal Alice away from Jim, in “The Tragedy of the Unexpected”, from Nora Perry’s The Tragedy of the Unexpected and Other Stories (published in 1880, but set in the 1870s).
– Tom (Thomas) Creighton (b. 1843), Jethro’s older brother, who, at just 18 years of age, runs off to join the Union Army, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Tom Drinker, one of Johnny’s acquaintances, an apprentice at one of the shops on the wharf, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Tom Eaves, a city man full of gossip about Lord Steyne, in Vanity Fair.
– Tom (Thomas) Faggus, the roguishly charming highwayman whose relation to the Ridd family gives them both prestige and trouble, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Tom Fleming, Ally’s uncle, who ought to have paid more attention, in “Ally”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Tom Grieves, the handyman who works for the Gilbreth family in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– “Doctor Tom” (Dr. Thomas Harrison), who specializes in mending children’s hurt limbs, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Tom Joy, Berry’s brother, who fortunately takes after his father, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Tom Lloyd, Marge and Elsie’s cousin, an amateur artist, in “The Egg-Boy” from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Tom Marin, a neighbor from Rose Hill who comes to help the Creightons with their barn-raising, in Across Five Aprils.
– Tom Moody, Sir Huddleston Fuddleston’s huntsman, in Vanity Fair.
– Tom Posky, one of the soliders of the regiment in Vanity Fair.
– Tom Raikes, one of Becky’s more forward conquests, in Vanity Fair.
– Tom Raymond, Will Wentworth’s good-natured chum, in “That Little Smith Girl” from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Tom Rivington, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, George Rivington’s brother, in A Little Country Girl (1885).
– Tom Stubble, a young ensign under Capt. William Dobbin’s command in Vanity Fair.
– Tom Tufto, a relative of Sir George Tufto’s in Vanity Fair.

WRITERS:
Try this link for a starter list of writers named “Tom”.

QUOTATIONS:
– “Tom” and “Tommy” are fairly common names used in nursery rhymes such as “Tom, Tom, the piper’s son”
– In “Tom, Dick or Harry“, a song from the 1948 Broadway musical Kiss Me, Kate by Cole Porter, Bianca and her suitors sing of her eagerness to wed: “I’m a maid who would marry / And would take with no qualm / Any Tom, Dick or Harry, / Any Harry, Dick or Tom. / I’m a maid mad to marry / And will take double-quick / Any Tom, Dick or Harry, / Any Tom, Harry or Dick!”

John

July 30, 2014 § 16 Comments

ORIGIN:
The Anglicization of “Johannes”, which is the Latin form of “Ioannes”, the Greek version of the Hebrew “Jochanan”, meaning “Jehovah has been gracious”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Eoin, Evan, Ewan, Gianni, Giannino, Giovanni, Hankin, Hans, Ian, Iain, Ioannes, Ivan, Jack, Jackie, Jackin, Jacky, Jan, Janko, Jannick, Jean, Jeannot, Jenkin, Jens, Jo, Joan, Jock, Johan, Johannes, Johnnie, Johnny, Jon, Jonas, Jonel, Jonny, Joop, Jovan, Juan, Juanito, Nino, Sean, Shane, Shawn, Yan, Yannick, Yochanon, Yon, Yvan, Vanya, etc. So, so many variations.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– John, the Gray’s stableman while in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– John, a coachman who helps Captain Mirvan and Sir Clement pull their highwayman prank on Madame Duval, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– John, the manservant at Thornfield (and later, Ferndean), in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– John, a house-servant at the Elliston’s, in “Major Molly’s Christmas Promise” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– John, one of Sir John and Lady Middleton’s children, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– John, a local boy Robin went to school with, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– John-go-in-the-Wynd, a minstrel who befriends Robin and escorts him to Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall.
– John-the-Fletcher, who was supposed to take Robin to Sir Peter’s for training, in The Door in the Wall.
– Big John, the ambulance driver at the hospital, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Captain John, the honest and amiable hero of “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– John (b. 1919), the tenth of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– John Abdy, whose father was clerk to Mrs. Bates’ husband, and who goes to Mr. Elton to ask for relief from the parish in caring for the old man, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Sir John Belmont, who marries and afterwards rejects Caroline Duval, compelling her to leave their daughter, Evelina, in the care of the kind Rev. Mr. Villars, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World.
– John Birch, the local farmer who is arrested for harboring the rebel, Major Wade, following the Monmouth Rebellion, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– John Blackmore, a ne’er-do-well local to Queen’s Crawley in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Sir John Buckskin, who canes Becky’s traveling companion, Major Loder, for cheating at cards, in Vanity Fair.
– John Coney, a real-life master silversmith mentioned in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– John Churchill Crawley was Sir Pitt’s grandfather in Vanity Fair.
– John Robert Creighton (b. 1837), Jethro’s oldest brother remaining at home, “more impatient, quicker to anger” than his beloved brother Bill, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Sir John de Bureford, Robin’s father, who is away at war, fighting with King Edward III against the Scots, in The Door in the Wall.
– John Dashwood, the greedy, selfish older half-brother of Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, in Sense and Sensibility.
– John Thomas Dawson was the father of Sir Pitt Crawley’s second wife, Rose, in Vanity Fair.
– John Elliott (called “Jack“), Edith’s cousin, who Dolly embarrasses herself in front of, in “Dolly Varden”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– John Eyre, Jane’s uncle, who spends years searching for her, in Jane Eyre.
– John Faggus, Tom and Annie’s little boy, named for his uncle and godfather, the goodly John Ridd, in Lorna Doone.
– John Fleming, Ally’s uncle, who realizes he hasn’t been understanding enough, in “Ally”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– John Fry, a longtime servant at the Ridd farm, known for being lazy and prone to dishonesty, in Lorna Doone.
– John Fry, his son, whose warts compel his cowardly father to seek the help of the local witch, Mother Melldrum, in Lorna Doone.
– John Green, parish clerk near Millcote and Thornfield, in Jane Eyre.
– John Hancock, a real-life historical figure, the richest man in Boston, who figures into the story of Johnny Tremain.
– John Horrocks, Sir Pitt Crawley’s butler and right-hand man in Vanity Fair.
– John Johnes, First Baron Helvellyn, father of the Hon. Joan, who marries Lord Steyne’s son, George, in Vanity Fair.
– John Jones, a rich gentleman from Llandaif who inherits Watchett Grange after the Countess of Dugal’s death at the hands of the Doones, in Lorna Doone.
– John Paul Jefferson Jones, a guest of Lord Steyne’s who spreads Becky’s fame far and wide in an article he writes for his American newspaper, in Vanity Fair.
– John Knightley, the second of John and Isabella Knightley’s three sons, who takes after his mother, in Emma.
– John Krescott, who is, with his twin brother Alan, included in the “irregular” kids at Lily’s school, due to their having been born prematurely and continuing to be undersized, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– John Kriszinski, Sheila’s twin brother, in Sleeping Arrangements.
– Mr. John Knightley, a rather anti-social young man; George Knightley’s younger brother, who lives in London with his wife Isabella, who is Emma Woodhouse’s older sister, in Emma.
– John Lambert, whose unfortunate financial advice leads to a rift in the family, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– John Lovering, who holds the mortgage to much of the De Whichehalse property, in Lorna Doone.
– Sir John Middleton, a relative of Mrs. Dashwood, a friendly, likeable sportsman who finds no greater pleasure in life than to play the host at Barton Park, in Sense and Sensibility.
– John Moreland, one of Granny Moreland’s sons, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– John Odam, the English pottery-maker who marries the Italian nursemaid Benita after she is stranded in Exmoor by the Doone’s attack on her employer’s coach, in Lorna Doone.
– John Pimlico, a “friend” whose marriage draws comment on the tendency of old ladies to cry at weddings, in Vanity Fair.
– Sir John Redhand, a gentleman gossiped about in Vanity Fair.
– John Reed (sometimes called “Jack“), one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre.
– John Ridd (sometimes called “Jack” or “Johnny“), the large and deliberate yeoman who is the narrator and hero of Lorna Doone.
– John Ridd, young John’s father, who is murdered by the Doone’s, in Lorna Doone.
– John Runninghorse, Lily’s first college boyfriend, in Sleeping Arrangements.
– John Saunders, a local silversmith Miss Bates talks of taking her mother’s broken spectacles to, were it not for Mr. Frank Churchill’s kind attentions, in Emma.
– John Sedley, Amelia’s father in Vanity Fair.
– John Scroggins, Sir Pitt Crawley’s second keeper, in Vanity Fair.
– Dr. John Simson, who does not believe in ghosts, but is shaken by a mysterious juniper bush, in “The Open Door” (1881), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Sir John Trenyan, Lord Robert and Lady Margaret’s uncle, 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.
– Squire John Whichehalse, who helped capture the rebel Major Wade, an act the fair-dealing Exmoor locals can’t approve of, in Lorna Doone.
– John Willoughby, the handsome and charming Casanova who courts Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility.
– John Wybern, Esther’s artist uncle in “Esther Bodn”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.

WRITERS:
– John Bonett (1906-1989), pen name of English mystery author John Hubert Arthur Coulson, who often published jointly with his wife, Emery.
– John S. Browning (1907-1977), pen name of American science fiction author Robert Moore Williams, who also wrote under the pen names “E.K. Jarvis”, “H.H. Hermon”, “Robert Moore”, and “Russell Storm”.
– John Bunyan (1628-1688), English Christian writer and preacher.
– John Anthony Devon (1911-1983), pen name of Cornish biographer, historian, lecturer, novelist, poet, and professor Robert Payne, who also used the pen names “Howard Horn”, “Richard Cargoe”, “Robert Young”, and “Valentin Tikhonov”.
– John L. Carter (1880-1959), English author and playwright who published under the pen names “Compton Irving”, “Compton Irving Carter”, and “J.L.J. Carter”.
– John Donne (1572-1631), English poet and cleric.
– John Keats (1795-1821), English Romantic poet.
– John Locke (1632-1704), English philosophical writer and “Father of Classical Liberalism”.
– John Masefield (1878-1967), English Poet Laureate and author.
– John Milton (1608-1674), English poet and polemicist.
– John Neal (1793-1876), American author and critic who also published under the pen name “Jehu O’Cataract”.
– John Ruskin (1819-1900), English writer, critic, social thinker, and philanthropist.
– John Steinbeck (1902-1968) American author and Pulitzer Prize-winner.
– John Philip Thackray (1938-2002), English journalist, poet, singer, and songwriter who published under the pen name “Jake Thackray”.
– John van See (1916-2013), pen name of American author Jack Vance, who also published under the pen names “Alan Wade”, “Ellery Queen”, “Jay Kavanse”, and “Peter Held”.
– John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), American Quaker poet and abolitionist.
– John Wyndham (1903-1969), English science fiction author.

QUOTATIONS:
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Elizabeth” (published in 1873, but set in 1701-02; from Tales of a Wayside Inn, Part the Third: The Theologian’s Tale) tells the love story of John Estaugh (1676-1742) and Elizabeth Haddon (1680-1762), with her servants Joseph and Hannah as supporting characters, and John himself described thusly: “. . . a young man, a stranger, John Estaugh, / Moved by the Spirit, rose, as if he were John the Apostle, / Speaking such words of power that they bowed our hearts, as a strong wind / Bends the grass of the fields, or grain that is ripe for the sickle. / . . . Youthful he was and tall, and his cheeks aglow with the night air; / . . . with staid and quiet behavior . . . / . . . ‘When the Lord’s work is done, and the toil and the labor completed / He hath appointed me, I will gather into the stillness / Of my own heart awhile, and listen and wait for his guidance.’ / . . . Meanwhile John Estaugh departed across the sea, and departing / Carried hid in his heart a secret sacred and precious . . . / And on the First-Day that followed, he rose in the Silent Assembly, / Holding in his strong hand a hand that trembled a little, / Promising to be kind and true and faithful in all things.”

Frank

July 30, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Francis“, from the Late Latin word “Franciscus” (meaning “Frenchman”), from the Germanic / Old French word for “free”, or referring to the Germanic tribe settled in Europe known as the Franks.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Chica, Chico, Ferenc, Feri, Fran, Franca, Francesco, Francis, Francisco, Franciscus, Franco, Francois, Franka, Frankie, Franky, Franny, Frans, Franz, Franzi, Paca, Paco, Pancho, Paquita, Paquito, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Frank, Ida Standish’s uncle, on whose farm she, the Kennedy family, and Miss Sarah Parsons will work all summer, in order to “pick berries, and get strong”, in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Frank Churchill, Mr. Weston’s son, adopted by his wealthy aunt and uncle; a very friendly and engaging young man who is looked on as a possible match for Emma, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Frank Crawley, one of the Rev. Bute Crawley’s sons, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Frank Gilbreth (b. 1911), the fifth child, and oldest boy, of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Sr. (b. 1868), the industrial engineer and efficiency expert whose family life is related in Cheaper By the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes.
– Frank A. Hale, manager of the Standard Theatre in Chicago, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Dr. Frank Harmon, whose generosity once saved Ruth’s soul, and “who concludes to leave the city”, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– Frank Lyman, Lucretia Harper’s fiancée, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls.
– Frank Smithson, an “arch-schemer and swindler” who flees to Rio, in “That Little Smith Girl” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Frank L. Taintor, a friend of Hurstwood’s, in Sister Carrie.
– Frank Tuchek, the blond Ukrainian boy Lily has a crush on at school, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Frank Bunker Gilbreth, Jr. (1911-2001), American author and memoirist.
– Frank Loesser (1910-1969), American composer and lyricist.

George

July 28, 2014 § 12 Comments

ORIGIN:
English version of the Greek “Georgios”, meaning “farmer”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgie, Georgy, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– George Boulter, “Lord Levant’s son”, married to one of the Mango daughters and one of the “nobs” Mr. Osborne prides himself on being connected to through his daughter’s marriage, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– George Evans, one of the traveling salesmen who appear briefly in the pages of Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Lord George Gaunt, Lord Steyne’s second son, on whom the family curse of insanity unhappily devolves, in Vanity Fair.
– Master George Gaunt, Lord Gaunt’s young son, in Vanity Fair.
– George Gustavus, Lord Steyne, who is responsible for Becky’s highest heights and lowest lows, in Vanity Fair.
– George Herrick, Virginia’s father, the overseer at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
– George (G.W.) Hurstwood, the illustrious manager of Fitzgerald and Moy’s saloon, whose fall from grace counters Carrie’s rising star, Sister Carrie.
– George Hurstwood, Jr., his self-centered son, in Sister Carrie.
– George Knightley, the youngest of John and Isabella’s three boys, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Mr. George Knightley, “a sensible man”, “a very old and intimate friend of the family”, and “the elder brother of Isabella’s husband”, who takes it upon himself to be the sole voice of criticism in Emma‘s life.
– George Lawrence, whose son is wounded at Shiloh / Pittsburgh Landing, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Sir George Lynn, a friend of Mr. Rochester, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– George Mac Turk, Lord Bajazet’s eldest son, who claims “that if he had his will when he came to the title, he would do what the sultans do, and clear the estate by chopping off all his younger brothers’ heads at once”, in Vanity Fair.
– George Osborne, the dashing cad Amelia falls for in Vanity Fair.
– George Osborne (called “Georgy“), the son of George and Amelia and the means of somewhat reconciling his mother with his father’s family, in Vanity Fair.
– George Otway, a member of the Otway clan, guests at Mr. and Mrs. Weston’s ball, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– George Page, Sidney’s father, whose death leaves Anna, Sid, and Aunt Harriet without a reliable income, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– George Rivington, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, brother of Tom Rivington, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Sir George Tufto, Lieutenant-General in the army in Vanity Fair.
– George Wickham, the likable rascal in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– George Winslow, Anna Winslow’s brother, whose letters from abroad Anna reads for the amusement of the working-class girls at the Union, in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– George B. Seitz (1888-1944), American actor, director, playwright, and screenwriter.
– George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish author, critic, and playwright.
– George Eliot (1819-1880), pen name of English novelist and journalist Mary Ann Evans.
– George Orwell (1903-1950), English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic.
– George Sand (1804-1876), pen name of French novelist and memoirist Amantine-Lucile-Aurore Dupin.
– George Caryl Sims (1902-1966), American author and screenwriter who wrote under the pen name “Paul Cain”.

Maria

July 28, 2014 § 11 Comments

ORIGIN:
Pronounced either “ma REE’ a” or “ma RYE’ a”, this is the Latin form of Mary.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maia, Maike, Maja, Malia, Mara, Mairen, Mari, Mariah, Marie, Mariele, Mariella, Marietta, Marijeke, Marika, Mariska, Marita, Mary, Maureen, Maya, Mia, Mimi, Mirele, Moira, Reena, Reeta, Ria, Riele, Riella, Rina, Rita, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Maria, maid-of-all-work for Maggie Bradford’s family in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Maria Johnson, the farmer’s wife in The Song of the Cardinal, by Gene Stratton Porter (1903).
– Maria Lucas, the younger sister of Lizzie Bennet’s best friend Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Maria Mirvan (called “Molly” or “Moll” by her father), Evelina’s dearest friend, with whom she enters into London society, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– Maria Frances Osborne, the younger of George Osborne’s sisters in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Maria Porter (called “Ria“), a shopgirl Anna Winslow helps in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls.
– Miss Maria Temple, head teacher and superintendent of Lowood Institute, whose kindness to Jane encourages and consoles her, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Maria Todd, Miss Osborne’s goddaughter and sister to Osborne Todd, Georgy Osborne’s friend, in Vanity Fair.

QUOTATIONS:
– “They Call The Wind Maria” is a song from the 1951 musical Paint Your Wagon by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe: “Away out here they got a name / For rain and wind and fire / The rain is Tess, the fire Joe / And they call the wind Maria”. (Obviously, you have to go with the “ma RYE’ a” pronunciation for this song, or it doesn’t really rhyme. Also, I have serious doubts about anyone actually calling fire “Joe”.)
– “Maria” is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim: “The most beautiful sound I ever heard. / Maria! . . . Say it loud and there’s music playing, / Say it soft and it’s almost like praying.”
– “(How Do You Solve a Problem Like) Maria” is a song from the 1959 musical The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: “How do you solve a problem like Maria? / How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? / How do you find a word that means Maria? / A flibbertigibbet! A will-o’-the-wisp! A clown! / Many a thing you know you’d like to tell her / Many a thing she ought to understand / But how do you make her stay / And listen to all you say / How do you keep a wave upon the sand? / How do you solve a problem like Maria? / How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?”

Mary

July 28, 2014 § 18 Comments

ORIGIN:
The common Anglicized version of the Hebrew name “Miriam”, which may mean “rebellious” or “obstinate”. Or it may not. No one really knows. By now, “Mary” has more meaning due to connotation than to whatever the denotation may be.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maaike, Maia, Mair, Mairenn, Mairi, Mairin, Mairwen, Maja, Malia, Maille, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Mara, Mari, Maria, Mariah, Mariamne, Marian, Marianne, Marie, Mariele, Mariella, Marielle, Marietta, Marika, Mariona, Marise, Mariska, Marissa, Marita, Maritza, Marjo, Marjut, Marya, Maryam, Marzena, Maura, Maureen, Masha, Mele, Mere, Meri, Mia, Mieke, Miep, Mies, Mimi, Mirele, Miriam, Mitzi, Moira, Moireen, Moll, Molle, Molly, Myriam, Ona, Poll, Pollie, Polly, Ria, etc. So many variations. So, so many.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mary, Carrie’s older sister, expected to marry soon, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Mary (b. 1906), the second of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Mary, wife of John, the manservant at Thornfield (and later, Ferndean), in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Mary, the name of a succession of inept maidservants employed by the Hurstwoods, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Lady Mary, the old woman whose laid-back approach to business nearly ruins her goddaughter, in “Old Lady Mary” (1884), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Mary, the Hungarian housemaid at Thea’s boarding house in Chicago, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Mary, the housemaid at Grandpa Bennet’s, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Mary Arkwright, the friend whose birthday party Dolly Lorton writes about in her diary, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Aunt Mary Balcarres, whose house lies opposite the College Library, in “The Library Window” (1896), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen.
– Mary Bennet, the serious and often-overlooked third Bennet daughter in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Mary Box, a girl local to Queen’s Crawley, with a reputation for fighting with her sister, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Lady Mary Caerlyon, the unhappy wife of Lord Steyne in Vanity Fair.
– Mary Clapp (nicknamed “Polly“), daughter of the Sedley’s landlord, who bestows on Dobbin the nickname “Major Sugarplums” owing to his habit of bringing gifts for all at every visit to the house, in Vanity Fair.
– Mary Ellen Creighton (b. 1844-46), Jethro’s older sister, “pretty as Jenny, only blond and more delicate”, who was killed in a carriage accident caused by a drunken Travis Burdow in 1859, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Mary Erroll, the beautiful and elegant neighbor who captures Jack Roden’s attention, and Virginia Herrick’s enmity, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
– Mary Fleming, Ally’s cousin, whose actions don’t always reflect her intentions, in “Ally”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Mary Garrett, one of Jane’s students at the charity school in Morton, in Jane Eyre.
– Mary Grant, Kitty’s sister in “Esther Bodn”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Mary Ingram, Blanche’s younger sister, one of the elegant people who make up Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre.
– Mary Jordan, an impoverished woman who turns to Philip Canning for aid, in “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen.
– Mary King, the young heiress who attracts Wickham’s attentions away from Elizabeth, in Pride and Prejudice.
– Mary Leslie, a little girl who needs to have a better example set for her by the older girls, in “A Little Boarding-School Samaritan”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Lady Mary Mango (daughter of the Earl of Castlemouldy), to whom Amelia is favorably compared in Vanity Fair.
– Mary Marcy, a shrewd, spirited girl whose Quaker mother isn’t enough to keep her from wanting to fight back against injustice, in “An April Fool”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Mary McGuire, one of Sidney’s patients at the hospital, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Mary, Lady Middleton, Mrs. Jennings’ daughter and Sir John’s wife, an elegant, though dull, woman who has little to offer besides devotion to her children and to the politesse of hostessing, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– Mary Peters, wife of local farmer Amos Peters, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– Mary Porter (called “Molly“), a shopgirl Anna Winslow helps in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls.
– Mary Rivers (later Wharton), one of St. John’s sisters, who befriend Jane after she leaves Thornfield, in Jane Eyre.
– Miss Mary Scott, the pleasant old lady who hopes to see a rare flower bloom in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls.
– Mary Sedley is Amelia Sedley’s mother (although later her husband refers to her as “Bessy“) in Vanity Fair.
– Mary Turner, Ed’s wife and Sam’s mother, in Across Five Aprils.
– Mary Vivian, Lady Mary’s goddaughter, who is nearly left destitute through simple procrastination, in “Old Lady Mary” (1884), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen.

WRITERS:
– Mary Cowden Clark (1809-1898), English author and scholar.
– Mary Higgins Clark (b. 1927), American novelist.
– Mary Boykin Chesnut (1823-1886), American diarist and socialite.
– Mary Stewart Doubleday Cutting (1851-1924), American activist and author.
– Mary McCarthy (1912-1989), American activist, author, and critic.
– Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876-1958), American mystery novelist.
– Mary Shelley (1797-1851), English writer.
– Mary Somerville (1780-1872), Scottish science writer and polymath.
– Mary Stewart (1916-2014), English author.
– Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797), English activist, philosopher, and writer.

QUOTATIONS:
– Classic nursery rhymes such as “Mary, Mary, quite contrary” and “Mary had a little lamb“. Probably the most popular girl’s name for nursery rhymes, really. When it comes to rhyming, Mary is very ordinary.
– “Bring Flowers of the Rarest” is a hymn to the Virgin Mary, written by Mary E. Walsh in 1871: “Oh! Thus shall we prove thee / How truly we love thee, / How dark without Mary / Life’s journey would be. / O Mary! we crown thee with blossoms today, / Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May!”

Jane

July 28, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
The feminine form of “John“, the Anglicization of “Johannes”, which is the Latin form of “Ioannes”, the Greek version of the Hebrew “Jochanan”, meaning “Jehovah has been gracious”. Whew.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Chevonne, Gia, Gianna, Giannina, Giovanna, Giovannetta, Ioanna, Ivana, Jan, Jana, Janae, Janelle, Janet, Janette, Janey, Janie, Janice, Janina, Janine, Janis, Janith, Jayna, Jayne, Jean, Jenelle, Jeanette, Jeanine, Jeanne, Jeannette, Jena, Jeni, Jenna, Jennie, Jenny, Joan, Joanie, Joanna, Joanne, Johanna, Johannah, Juana, Juanita, Nina, Nita, Seanna, Shavonne, Shayna, Sheena, Shevaun, Siana, Siobhan, Sinead, Vanna, Yana, Yoana, Yoanna, Zhana, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jane, cook for the Gray family while in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Jane, the parlor-maid in the Lorton household, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Aunt Jane, a relative of the Ridd’s, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Aunt Jane, the relative Janey Evans is named after, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Jane (b. 1922), the youngest of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Jane Bassett (called “Jenny“), the quiet, hard-working young lady who makes the most of her trip to Europe, and reaps the benefits, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Jane Bates, Mrs. Bates’ daughter and Miss Hetty Bates’ sister, Jane Fairfax’s mother, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Jane Bennet, the beautiful and kind-hearted eldest of the five Bennet daughters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Jane Dobbin, one of William Dobbin’s sisters in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Jane Eyre (sometimes called “Janet” by Mr. Rochester, and “Jeannette” by Adèle), the passionate, principled, independent narrator of Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Jane Fairfax, an elegant, accomplished, and deeply reserved young woman, Emma.
– Jane Firkin, lady’s maid to the wealthy Miss Crawley in Vanity Fair.
– Jane Leaven, Bessie’s young daughter, in Jane Eyre.
– Jane McClane, a strong and sensible older girl who has never had a Valentine, in “Polly’s Valentine” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Jane Osborne, the elder of George Osborne’s sisters in Vanity Fair.
– Jane Reed, the title character’s mother, who marries a clergyman and is disinherited by her family, in Jane Eyre.
– Lady Jane Sheepshanks, Mr. Pitt Crawley’s long-suffering fiancée in Vanity Fair.

WRITERS:
– Jane Andrews (1833-1887), American author and educator.
– Jane Austen (1775-1817), English novelist.
– Jane Bowles (1917-1973), American writer and playwright.
– Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), Canadian-American activist, author, and journalist.
– Jane Lane (1905-1978), pen name of English biographer and historical novelist Elaine Kidner Dakers.
– Jane Porter (1776-1850), Scottish historical novelist and dramatist.
– Lady Jane Seymour (c. 1541-1561), English writer.

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