Agnes

August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Latinized version of the Greek “Hagne”, meaning “pure” or “chaste”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aggie, Aggy, Agi, Agnese, Agnessa, Agneta, Agnete, Agnetha, Agneza, Agnieszka, Aigneis, Annice, Annis, Aune, Hagne, Iines, Ines, Inez, Jagna, Janja, Nainsi, Nance, Nancie, Nancy, Nensi, Nes, Neske, Nessie, Nessy, Nest, Nesta, Neysa, Oanez, Ynes, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Dame Agnes, who mends Robin’s clothing in preparation for his journey to Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Agnes Brendan, a fashionable, stuck-up, ill-behaved Boston girl in “That Little Smith Girl” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Agnes Canning, Philip’s mother and the subject of the portrait of the title, in “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Agnes (later Canning), the young relative of the elder Agnes, in “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen.
– Agnes Grant, Kitty’s sister in “Esther Bodn”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Agnes Johnstone, a pupil at Lowood Academy, who, along with her sister Catherine, is invited to tea with some friends at Lowton, resulting in Miss Temple being chastised by Mr. Brocklehurst for allowing “two clean tuckers in the week” when “the rules limit them to one”, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Agnes Newton Keith (1901-1982), American author.
– Agnes Smedley (1892-1950), American journalist and writer.
– Agnes Strickland (c. 1797-1874), English historical writer and poet.

Naomi

August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “pleasant”

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Na’omi, Noemi, Noemia, Noémie, Noemin, Nohemi, Nomi, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Naomi Brocklehurst, the lady who built the new part of Lowood Institute, and whose son overlooks and directs the school, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Naomi Alderman (b. 1974), English author.
– Naomi Jacob (1884-1964), English actress, author, and broadcaster.
– Naomi Klein (b. 1970), Canadian activist and author.
– Naomi Lewis (1911-2009), English anthologist, author, critic, essayist, and poet.
– Naomi Mitchison (1897-1999), Scottish novelist and poet.
– Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), Palestinian-American novelist, poet, and songwriter.
– Naomi Ragen (b. 1949), American-Israeli activist, author, and playwright.
– Naomi Wolf (b. 1962), American activist and author.

Broughton

August 25, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
English place name, meaning “brook town”, “fortress town”, or “hill town”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Broctune, Broghtone, Browton, Burghton, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Master Broughton Brocklehurst, oldest son of the formidable and hypocritical supervisor of Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Georgy

August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgie“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgie, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgie, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgy (Georgiana) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Lizzy

August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Lizzie“, diminutive of “Elizabeth“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Elise, Elissa, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Else, Elsie, Elsje, Elyse, Ilsa, Ilse, Isa, Let, Lettie, Letty, Liana, Libby, Liddy, Lies, Liesl, Liese, Lillie, Lilly, Lily, Lis, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizette, Lizy, Lizzie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lizzy (Elizabeth) Bennet, the clever, “fine-eyed” second Bennet daughter, and heroine of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Lizzy (Eliza) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Lizzy Ryder, Nelly’s equally spiteful, petty sister, too inclined to assist in playing mean tricks, in “An April Fool”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).

Lorinda

August 25, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Variation of “Laura“, meaning “laurel”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lallie, Lally, Lara, Laraine, Laura, 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, Lorita, Lorraine, Lorri, Lorrie, Lory, Lowri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lorinda, the cook at Windemere, the Erroll’s estate in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.

Orizaba

August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Possibly somehow from “Citaltépl”, the Aztec name for the Pico de Orizaba, meaning “star mountain” in the Nauhuatl language.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ori, Orry, Zabe? Your guess is as good as mine.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Orizaba Page (called “Zabe“), a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.

Zabe

August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
As I’ve seen it used so far, a shortened version of “Orizaba“, possibly from “Citaltépl”, the Aztec name for the Pico de Orizaba, meaning “star mountain” in the Nauhuatl language.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Well, I probably would have gone with Ori, or Orry, or something, before Zabe, but what do I know?

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Zabe (Orizaba) Page, a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.

Iztaccihuatl

August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
From an Aztec myth, meaning “white woman” in the Nauhuatl language.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Apparently, “Whattle”? Although, personally, I think that’s a dreadful nickname. But let’s be honest, Amélie Rives is a bit problematic as a writer not solely because she is sometimes weird with character names . . .

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Iztaccihuatl Page (called “Whattle“), a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.

Whattle

August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
As I’ve seen it used so far, a shortened version of “Iztaccihuatl“, from an Aztec myth, meaning “white woman”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
I dunno.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Whattle (Iztaccihuatl) Page, a young servant at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.

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