Frederic
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
French version of “Frederick“, from the Germanic for “peaceful ruler”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedde, Federico, Federigo, Fred, Frederic, Frederik, Freddie, Freddy, Fredo, Fredric, Friedrich, Fritz, Ric, Rick, Ricki, Rickie, Ricky, Rico, Rik, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Frederic, French butler to the Gray family while in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Sir Frederic Granby, grandfather to the estimable young Mr. Granby who Rosamond Oliver elects to marry, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Frederic Raphael (b. 1931), English writer.
– Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) French poet and author.
– Frédéric Vitoux (b. 1944), French journalist and writer.
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.
Gertrude
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “spear of strength” or “spear-maiden”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gert, Gertie, Gertrud, Gerty, Trudi, Trudie, Trudy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Gertrude Gray, the middle of the Gray girls, prettiest and most popular of the three, but most prone to hardness and snobbishness, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
WRITERS:
– Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), American novelist, poet, and playwright.
Georgie
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgy“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Georgy, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgy, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgie Gray, the oldest of the Gray girls, a bit dreamy and weak and too easily led astray, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Berry
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Berenice“, “Bernice”, “Beryl”, etc., or simply referring to the fruit. As a masculine name, an alternate spelling of “Barry“, from Irish, meaning “fair hair” or “spear”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Barrie, Berenice, Bernelle, Bernice, Berri, Beryl, Bunnie, Bunny, Vernice, Veronica, Veronika, Veronique, etc.
For boys: Bairre, Barrie, Barry, Berach, Finbar, Finbarr, Finnbar, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Berry (Berenice) Joy, Georgie Gray’s friend, who is not a good influence, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 