Tommy
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Like “Tom“, a diminutive of “Thomas“, the Greek form of the Aramaic for “twin”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tam, Thom, Tom, Toma, Tomas, Tommie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tommy Harrison, Carlotta’s touring minstrel father, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Tommy Lambert, whose generous choice inspires Elsie, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Tommy O’Flaherty, a denizen of Pump Court, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
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).
Will
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “William“, meaning “will-helmet”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bil, Bill, Billie, Billy, Gwil, Liam, Lyam, Pim, Vila, Vili, Viljo, Ville, Wil, Wilkie, Wilkin, Wilky, Willie, Willis, Willy, Wim, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Will Evans, the most popular boy in town, a founding member of the children’s society for the prevention of cruelty to cats in “The Kit-Kat Club”, and supporter of the clothing shop for dolls in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Will Watcombe, an old sailor whose insight into the local weather patterns ought to have been heeded, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Will Wentworth (sometimes called “Willie“), a friendly, level-headed Boston boy in “That Little Smith Girl” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
WRITERS:
– Will Durant (1885-1981), American historian, philosopher, and writer.
– Will (William) Shakespeare (1564-1616), English poet, playwright, and actor.
– Will Stanton (1918-1996), American humorist and writer.
Patty
August 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Pattie” or “Paddy”; originally a variant of “Martha” (via “Mattie” / “Matty“), now commonly used as a diminutive of “Patrick” or “Patricia”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Maddi, Maddie, Maddy, Madge, Mart, Martie, Marty, Mat, Matt, Matti, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Maudie, Midge, Pat, Patsy, Patti, Pattie, Tilda, Tilde, Tillie, Tilly, Trecia, Tresha, Tricia, Trish, Trisha, etc.
For boys: Paddy, Padraic, Padraig, Padrig, Pat, Pate, Patric, Patrice, Patricius, Patrick, Patrik, Patrizio, Patryk, Patsy, Pherick, Rick, Rickie, Ricky, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Patty, maidservant to Mrs. and Miss Bates, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Patty Dunbar, a clever, sensible girl, one of the founding members of the children’s society for the prevention of cruelty to cats in “The Kit-Kat Club”, and originator of the idea to have a shop and sell doll clothes to raise money for the family, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Donald
August 14, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Gaelic name “Domhnall”, meaning “world ruler”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Domhnall, Domnall, Domnall, Don, Donal, Donnie, Donny etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Donald McGilvray (called “Donny“), Bella’s “crippled” younger brother, who thinks Katy Bennet might be a fairy, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Donald Murray (1924-2006), American journalist, teacher, and writer.
Larry
August 14, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Laurence” / “Lawrence“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Enzo, Larkin, Larrie, Lars, Lasse, Lassi, Laurance, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurie, Lauritz, Lawrance, Lawrence, Lawrie, Loren, Lorencio, Lorens, Lorenzo, Lorin, Lorrin, Rance, Rens, Renzo, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Larry, Dr. Archie’s servant at his medical office in Moonstone, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Larry, the name of more than one of the boys Lily dates, who perhaps not-so-coincidentally often have names which rhyme with her long-absent father, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– Larry Moore, Lily’s serviceman father, a man she never knows, in Sleeping Arrangements.
– Larry Mulligan, a drunken lout who ruins Bella and Donny McGilvray’s playtime, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Larry Brown (1951-2004), American novelist and writer.
– Larry David (b. 1947), American actor, comedian, and writer.
– Larry Doyle (b. 1958), American novelist, television writer, and producer.
– Larry Gelbart (1928-2009), American writer.
– Larry McMurtry (b. 1936), American essayist, novelist, and screenwriter.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 