1670s | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Nanny

September 12, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Medieval diminutive of “Annis”, or of “Ann” / “Anne” (via “Nan”).

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ann, Anne, Annie, Anny, Nainsi, Nan, Nancie, Nancy, Nana, Nance, Nandag, Nanette, Nanice, Nanine, Nannie, Nanse, Nansi, Nansie, Nansy, Nenci, Nensi, Neske, Nest, Nesta, Nina, Ninette, Ninon, Nona, Nonna, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nanny (Annie) Ridd (sometimes called “Nancy“), John’s favorite sister, a sweet little homemaker, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

Phoebe

September 12, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
From the Greek name “Phoibe”, meaning “bright and pure” or “the shining one”, after a goddess associated with the moon.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Febe, Phebe, Pheobe, Phoibe.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Phoebe, the doddering old woman who serves as a sort of housemother at John Ridd’s school, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

WRITERS:
– Phoebe Cary (1824-1871), American poet.
– Phoebe Gilman (1940-2002), Canadian-American children’s book author and illustrator.
– Phoebe Palmer (1807-1874), American evangelist and writer.
– Phoebe Atwood Taylor (1909-1976), American mystery author who also wrote under the pen names “Freeman Dana” and “Alice Tilton”.

Tim

August 29, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Timothy“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Timmer, Timmie, Timmy, Timo, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Tim, the “prizefighter” Becky Hawkins risks her life to save, in “Becky”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Tim Potter, one of the locals riled up into a mob with the intent of at least arresting, if not shooting, the pardoned and somewhat-reformed highwayman Tom Faggus, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

WRITERS:
– Tim Burton (b. 1958), American artist, director, producer, poet, and writer.
– Tim O’Brien (b. 1946), American novelist.

Rowland

August 22, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Medieval variation of “Roland“, meaning “famous land”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Laurand, Laurant, Laurend, Laurent, Lorend, Lorent, Lorand, Lorant, Roel, Roeland, Rolan, Roland, Rolando, Rolland, Rollie, Rolly, Roly, Rowle, Rowley, Rowlie, Orland, Orlando, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rowland Doone, a member of the murderous Doone clan, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Sir Rowland Nasmyth, who falls in love with Mistress Marian, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Sir Rowland, his son, who marries Lady Anne Lennox, older sister to Lady Dorothy and Lord Humphrey, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales.
– Rowland Rochester, Edward Rochester’s older brother, whose death gives him the ownership of Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Reuben

August 22, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “behold, a son”. Is it just me, or does it seem very amusing to name your son, “behold, a son”?

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ben, Bennie, Benny, Rouben, Rube, Ruben, Rubens, Rubin, Reuven, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Reuben Huckabuck (sometimes called “Ben“), the Ridd’s wealthy, persnickety uncle in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Reuben Puff, a local tinker, who is suggested to (and summarily rejected by) Keren Lemon as a possible husband, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.

WRITERS:
– Reuben Gold Thwaites (1853-1913), American historian and journalist.
– Reuben Archer (R.A.) Torrey (1856-1928), American educator, evangelist, and writer.

Robin

August 22, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Medieval diminutive of “Robert“. For girls, usually a reference to the small, red-breasted songbird.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Bobbie, Robbie, Robbin, Robinett, Robinette, Robena, Robenia, Roberta, Robina, Robyn, etc.
For boys: Bob, Bobbie, Bobby, Rab, Rob, Robbie, Robby, Robert, Roberto, Robi, Rupert, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Robin, the little boy whose illness prevents him from following the path laid out for him, but who manages to find the door in the wall nevertheless, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Robin (Lord Robert of Amhurste), a brave and generous young man, 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.
– Robin (Robert) Racket, a handsome and charming lad who steals the hearts of cousins Keren Lemon and Ruth Visor, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888).
– Robin Snell (called “Bob“), the little schoolboy whose fight with young John Ridd is momentarily disrupted by news of the elder Ridd’s death, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

WRITERS:
– Robin Ddu o Fon (c.1744-1785), Welsh poet also known as “Robert Hughes”.

Bill

August 18, 2014 § 5 Comments

ORIGIN:
Like “Will“, a diminutive of “William“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bil, Billie, Billy, Gwil, Liam, Lyam, Pim, Vila, Vili, Viljo, Ville, Wil, Wilkie, Wilkin, Wilky, Will, Willie, Willis, Willy, Wim, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bill, a little boy who lives on the Street with the Pages and the Wilsons and the rest in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Bill, the bartender at Schwitter’s road-house in K.
– Bill Blacksmith, a friend of John Fry’s in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Bill (William) Creighton (b. 1838), Jethro’s favorite older brother, “a big, silent man who was considered ‘peculiar’ in the neighborhood”, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Bill Dadds, a workman on John Ridd’s farm, in Lorna Doone.
– Bill Oliver, wealthy owner of a needle-factory and iron-foundry near Morton, whose daughter, Rosamond, is in love with St. John Rivers, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Bill James (b. 1929), pen name of Welsh novelist James Tucker, who also publishes as “David Craig” and “Judith Jones”.

QUOTATIONS:
– The 1902 song “(Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey“, written by Hughie Cannon (1877-1912) remains a standard among Dixieland and classic jazz performers: “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey, won’t you come home? / I’ve moaned the whole night long / I’ll do the cookin’, honey, I’ll pay the rent / I know I done you wrong.”
– In Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II’s 1927 musical Show Boat, torch singer Julie (working in a nightclub circa 1903), sings “Bill“, a lament for the less-than-perfect man who stole her heart: “But along came Bill / Who’s not the type at all / You’d meet him on the street / And never notice him / His form and face / His manly grace / Are not the kind that you / Would find in a statue / And I can’t explain / It’s surely not his brain / That makes me thrill / I love him because he’s wonderful / Because he’s just my Bill / . . . He’s just my Bill, an ordinary man / He hasn’t got a thing that I can brag about / . . . I love him, because he’s, I don’t know, / Because he’s just my Bill.”
– From the 1945 Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II musical Carousel, set in 1873 or so, erstwhile barker Billy Bigelow sings a “Soliloquy” about his anticipated son: “Bill, my boy Bill, / I will see that he’s named after me, I will. / My boy Bill! He’ll be tall / And as tough as a tree, will Bill! / Like a tree he’ll grow / With his head held high / And his feet planted firm on the ground. / And you won’t see nobody dare to try / To boss him or toss him around.”
– In the “Wedding Bell Blues” (1969), written by Laura Nyro, the singer laments about a lover who won’t marry her: “Bill, I love you so, I always will / . . . I was on your side, Bill, when you were losing / I’d never scheme or lie, Bill, there’s been no fooling / But kisses and love won’t carry me ’til you marry me, Bill.”

Nancy

August 17, 2014 § 6 Comments

ORIGIN:
Medieval diminutive of “Annis”, or of “Ann” / “Anne” (via “Nan“).

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ann, Anne, Annie, Anny, Nainsi, Nan, Nancie, Nana, Nance, Nandag, Nanette, Nanice, Nanine, Nannie, Nanny, Nanse, Nansi, Nansie, Nansy, Nenci, Nensi, Neske, Nest, Nesta, Nina, Ninette, Ninon, Nona, Nonna, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Nancy, who might be a fallback matron for Hope should something happen to Mrs. Bell, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Nancy Creighton, John’s quiet and withdrawn wife, “amiable, but aloof to the friendly Creightons” in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Nancy (Annie) Ridd (sometimes called “Nanny“), John’s favorite sister, a sweet little homemaker, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Nancy (Anne) Steele, Lucy’s well-intentioned but empty-headed ninny of an older sister, a woman of “vulgar freedom and folly”, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).

WRITERS:
– Nancy Boyd (1892-1950), pen name of American poet and playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay.
– Nancy Cato (1917-2000), Australian activist and writer.
– Nancy A. Collins (b. 1959), American horror novelist.
– Nancy Farmer (b. 1941), American author and children’s book writer.
– Nancy Garden (1938-2014), American author.
– Nancy Holder (b. 1953), American novelist.
– Nancy Huston (b. 1953), Canadian essayist and novelist.
– Nancy Kress (b. 1948), American sci-fi writer.
– Nancy Milford (b. 1938), American biographer.
– Nancy Meyers (b. 1949), American director, producer, and screenwriter.
– Nancy Mitford (1904-1973), English biographer, journalist, and novelist.
– Nancy Oliver (b. 1955), American playwright and screenwriter.
– Nancy Pickard (b. 1945), American crime novelist.
– Nancy Brooker Spain (1917-1964), English broadcaster, columnist, and journalist.
– Nancy Springer (b. 1948), American author.
– Nancy Werlin (b. 1961), American author.
– Nancy Willard (b. 1936), American novelist, poet, and children’s book writer and illustrator.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “Wages“, by Norman Rowland Gale: “Because I bowed / content, I fancy, / He gave me you / for wages, Nancy!”

Timothy

August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Timotheos”, meaning “to honor God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tim, Timmer, Timmie, Timmy, Timo, Timofei, Timofey, Timotei, Timoteo, Timoteus, Timotheos, Timotheus, Timoti, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Uncle Timothy, the little Dunbars’ wealthy, somewhat cantankerous uncle, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Timothy Makeshift, a local farrier who might be competition for the Lemons, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Timothy Pooke, proprietor of the Spit and Gridiron, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).

WRITERS:
– Timothy Findley (1930-2002), Canadian novelist and playwright.
– Timothy Leary (1920-1996), American psychologist and writer.
– Timothy Titcomb (1819-1881), pen name sometimes used by American novelist and poet Josiah Gilbert Holland.

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.

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