Prescott

August 14, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Old English place name, meaning “priest’s cottage”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Prescot, Prestcot, Prestcott.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Prescott Burney, a young man who, unfortunately, believes Dolly Lorton’s idle gossip, resulting in trouble for the Lorton family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

Richard

August 14, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “strong ruler” or “brave power”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dickey, Dickie, Dickon, Dickson, Dicky, Dicun, Dix, Dixon, Rhisiart, Ric, Ricard, Ricardo, Rich, Richie, Rick, Rickey, Rickie, Ricky, Rico, Ritchie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Richard, a cousin of the two Miss Steele’s, who stay with his family in their London home in Bartlett’s Buildings, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– Sir Richard Blewitt, a local magistrate in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Richard de Lindsay, one of Sir Peter and Lady Constance’s two sons, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Mr. Richard Lorton, whose failure to teach his youngest daughter to curb her chattering results in much trouble for the whole family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Richard Mason (called “Dick“), Bertha Mason’s brother, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Richard Allen (1922-1993), pen name of Anglo-Canadian pulp novelist James Moffat, who also published under the pen names of “Etienne Aubin” and “Trudi Maxwell”.
– Richard Bach (b. 1936), American writer.
– Richard Cargoe (1911-1983), pen name of Cornish biographer, historian, lecturer, novelist, poet, and professor Robert Payne, who also used the pen names “Howard Horn”, “John Anthony Devon”, “Robert Young”, and “Valentin Tikhonov”.
– Richard Hugo (b. 1947), pen name of English author Jim Williams, who also publishes as “Alexander Mollin”.
– Richard Lovelace (1618-1657), English poet.
– Richard Matheson (1926-2013), American author and screenwriter.
– Richard Price (b. 1949), American novelist and screenwriter.
– Richard Pryor (1940-2005), American actor, comedian, critic, director, and writer.
– Richard Raine (1923-2006), pen name of English author Raymond Sawkins, who also wrote under the pen names “Colin Forbes”, “Harold English”, and “Jay Bernard”.
– Richard Russo (b. 1949), American author and screenwriter.
– Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), Irish playwright and poet.
– Richard Wilbur (b. 1921), American poet.
– Richard Wright (1908-1960), American writer and poet.

Sally

August 14, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Sallie”, diminutive of “Sarah“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sadie, Sal, Sallie, Sairey, Sairy, Sarey, Sari, Sary, Suri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sally, a maid in the Huckabuck household, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Sally, one of the Lexington girls clamoring to partner with Rab at the Silsbee country dance in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Sally, a servant at Barton Park, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility  (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– Sally Snowe, one of Farmer Nicholas’ three lively, comely daughters, in Lorna Doone.
– Sally Ware, the friend who takes Dolly Lorton to task for her gossiping and rumor-mongering, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

Charley

August 14, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Charlie“, a diminutive or feminine form of “Charles“, meaning “man”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Carla, Carlotta, Carola, Carolina, Caroline, Charlize, Charlotta, Karla, Karola, Karolina, Let, Lettie, Letty, Lotta, Lotte, Lottie, Lotty, Tot, Tottie, Totty, etc.
For boys: Carl, Carlos, Carroll, Charlie, Charles, Chas, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Charley, Red Milton’s amiable, impudent assistant at the newspaper, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Charley Aplin, a snobbish, bragging boy from a snobbish, bragging family, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Charley Freer, a member of Jim Lorton’s boating club, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Charley Kronborg, Thea’s second-oldest brother in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

WRITERS:
– Charley Chase (1893-1940), American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter.
– Charley Rogers (1887-1956), English actor, director, and screenwriter.
– Charley Rosen (b. 1941), American author and coach.
– Charley Trujillo (b. 1949), Mexican-American editor, filmmaker, novelist, and publisher.

Doll

August 14, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Dolly“, a diminutive of “Dorothy” or “Dolores”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dee, Dodie, Dolley, Dollie, Dolly, Dora, Dorit, Dory, Dot, Dottie, Dotty, Lola, Lollie, Lolly, Moll, Molly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Doll, the kitchen wench, 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.
– Family nickname for Dolly Lorton, the heedless, gossiping youngest sister of the Lorton family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Family nickname for Lily Pearl, the little girl whose family life is recounted in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

Maudie

August 14, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Maud” / “Maude“. 

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Malta, Mat, Mathilda, Matilda, Mattie, Matty, Maud, Maude, Tilda, Tilde, Tillie, Tilly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nickname given to Maud Lorton, the soft-hearted middle sister of the Lorton family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

Poll

August 13, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Polly“, a variant of “Molly“, which is a diminutive of “Mary“. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Pauline“, “Paulette”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Moll, Mollie, Molly, Paula, Pol, Pola, Pollie, Polly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Family nickname for Polly Branghton, the youngest child 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.

Pierre

August 13, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
French version of “Peter“, from Greek, meaning “stone”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Boutros, Peadar, Pedro, Pejo, Petri, Petruccio, Petruchio, Petrus, Piero, Pierrot, Piers, Piet, Pieter, Pietro, Piotr, Peer, Per, Pere, Pero, Pyotr, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Pierre Baudouin, the art critic and lecturer whose attention makes all the difference in Esther’s life, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Monsieur Pierre Du Bois, Madame Duval’s friend from France, who falls in love with the wrong woman, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.

WRITERS:
– Pierre Barbet (1925-1995), one of several pen names used by French author Claude Avice.
– Pierre Loti (1850-1923), pen name of French novelist and naval officer Julien Viaud.

Moll

August 13, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Molly“, a diminutive of “Mary“, “Maria“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maille, Malle, Manon, Molle, Mollie, Molly, Pol, Pola, Poll, Pollie, Polly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– The nickname Captain Mirvan gives to his daughter Maria Mirvan, 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.

Evelina

August 13, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Evelyn” or “Aveline”, from the Germanic “Avila”, possibly meaning “desired one”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aileen, Ava, Avalina, Avaline, Avalyn, Avelina, Aveline, Avelyn, Avila, Eileen, Eva, Evalina, Evaline, Evalyn, Eve, Eveline, Evelyn, Evie, Evita, Evvie, Evvy, Lena, Lina, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Evelina Anville, the naive and unspoiled young lady whose “entrance into the world” is told, through a series of letters, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.

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