Beilby
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
An English “last name as first name”, by way of the Norse Vikings, meaning “Beli’s farm”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bel, Beli, stuff like that?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Beilby Binny, “the mild and genteel curate of the district chapel” who pays his attentions to the widowed Amelia, much to the chagrin of his proud sister, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Guinever
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Guinevere“, the French version of the Welsh “Gwenhwyfar”, meaning “smooth and white” or “white-cheeked”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gaenor, Gaynor, Genevra, Geneva, Ginevra, Guenevere, Guenievre, Guinevere, Gwen, Gwenevere, Gwenhwyfar, Gwenni, Gwennie, Gwenny, Gwenyver, Janelle, Jen, Jena, Jenae, Jenelle, Jenessa, Jeni, Jenifer, Jenna, Jenni, Jennie, Jennifer, Jenny, Jinelle, Jin, Jinessa, Jini, Jinifer, Jinni, Jinnie, Jinny, Yenifer, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Guinever Mango, a little girl whose bout with the measles received far less attention from the local doctor than little Georgy Osborne’s case, a testament to the popularity of their respective mothers, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Gwendoline
August 4, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Gwendolen”, Welsh for “white-browed” or “white ring”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Guendolen, Guendoline, Guendolyn, Gwen, Gwendolen, Gwendolyn, Gwennie, Gwenny, Gwin, Gwinn, Gwinne, Gwinnie, Gwinny, Gwyn, Gwyndolen, Gwydoline, Gwyndolyn, Gwynn, Gwynne, Gwynnie, Wendie, Wendy, Windie, Windy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Gwendoline Mango, a little girl whose bout with the measles received far less attention from the local doctor than little Georgy Osborne’s case, a testament to the popularity of their respective mothers, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
AUTHORS:
– Gwendoline Butler (1922-2013), English novelist.
Ralph
August 4, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From Old Norse by way of Anglo-Saxon, meaning “wolf counsel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Radulf, Rafe, Ralf, Ralphie, Ralphy, Raoul, Raul, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ralph Plantagenet Mango, a little boy whose bout with the measles received far less attention from the local doctor than little Georgy Osborne’s case, a testament to the popularity of their respective mothers, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
AUTHORS:
– Ralph Ellison (1914-1994), American writer and critic.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement.
Genevieve
August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
English / French, possibly meaning “tribe woman”, or (related to “Guinevere“), “white” or “fair”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gene, Geneva, Geneviève, Genevra, Genia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Geneviève is the French maid Becky Sharp hires to look after her son Rawdon so she doesn’t have to, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Bartholomew
August 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From Aramaic via Greek / Hebrew, meaning “son of Talmai (abounding in furrows)”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bart, Barth, Bartie, Bartlett, Bartley, Bartol, Barty, Bertok, Mees, Mies, Tolly, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Bartholomew Irons, an “awakening man” befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
WRITERS:
– Bartholomew of Lucca (also known as “Bartolomeo Fiadóni”, “Tolomeo da Lucca”, or “Ptolemy da Lucca”; c.1236-c.1327), Italian historian and monk.
– Bartholomew Dowling (1823-1863), Irish author, editor, and poet, who sometimes published under the pen names “Masque” or “Southern”.
– Bartholomew MacCarthy (1843-1904), Irish author, chronologist, curate, and scholar.
– Bartholomew Mastrius (also known as “Bartholomaeus” or “Bartolomeo Mastri”; 1602-1673), Italian monk, philosopher, theologian, and writer.
QUOTATIONS:
– The poem “Bartholomew“, written by Norman Rowland Gale in the 1910s, starts: “Bartholomew is very sweet, / From sandy hair to rosy feet. / Bartholomew is six months old, / And dearer far than pearls or gold.”
Luke
August 2, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
English version of the Greek name “Loukas”, meaning “a person from Lucania” (an area in Italy). Often used as a shortened version of “Lucas”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lluc, Luc, Luca, Lucas, Lucky, Luka, Lukas, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Brother Luke, the kind and patient monk who looks after Robin and helps him to grow strong again, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Rev. Luke Waters, a Wesleyan minister befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Saunders
August 2, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Sander”, a Scottish-derived “last name as first name”, meaning “belonging to Alexander“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sander, Sandor, Sandro, Sandy, Xander, Zander, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Saunders McNitre, a “Scotch divine” befriended by Lady Southdown in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Clement
August 2, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
English version of the Latin “Clemens” or “Clementius”, meaning “merciful” or “gentle”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Clem, Clemens, Clemente, Klement, Klemens, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Clement William Sheepshanks, Earl of Southdown, brother to Lady Emily and Lady Jane Sheepshanks in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Sir Clement Willoughby, the insistent rouge (perhaps the original “NiceGuyTM”) who forces his attentions on Miss Anville, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
AUTHORS:
– Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), American theologian and poet.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 