1830s | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Mark

August 14, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Marcus“, from a Roman last name derived from Mars, the god of war.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Marc, Marcas, Marco, Marcos, Marcus, Marek, Markie, Marko, Markos, Markus, Marky, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mark Burney, Prescott Burney’s father, an investor in the Good Luck silver mines, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Mark Tourin, Marty’s older brother, who aspires to be just like Howard Cosell, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).

WRITERS:
– Mark O’Brien (1949-1999), American activist, journalist, and poet.
– Mark Rutherford (1831-1913), pen name of English civil servant, translator, and writer William Hale White.
– Mark Twain (1835-1910), pen name of American humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist Samuel Langhorne Clemens.
– Mark Van Doren (1894-1972), American poet, writer, and critic.

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.

Myra

August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Invented by English poet Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke (1554-1628) in the 17th century, possibly from the Latin for “myrrh”, or a variation on the name “Mary“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mayra, Maira, Mira, Myrra, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Myra, the elderly spinster who looks after young orphan Candace, until Cousin Kate Gray and her family invite the girl to stay with them, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Myra, the name of a lost pig advertised in The Observer in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).

WRITERS:
– Myra Bradwell (1831-1893), American activist, lawyer, and publisher.
– Myra Kelly (1875-1910), Irish-American educator and children’s book writer.
– Myra MacPherson (b. c.1935), American activist, author, and journalist.
– Myra Morris (1893-1966), American children’s book author, novelist, and poet.
– Myra Sklarew (b. 1934), American biologist, poet, and teacher.

Henry

August 11, 2014 § 11 Comments

ORIGIN:
From German, meaning “home-ruler” or “leader of the army”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Amerigo, Amery, Anri, Arrigo, Emmerich, Emery, Emory, Enrico, Enrique, Enzo, Hal, Hank, Harald, Harold, Harri, Harry, Heimrich, Heinrich, Heinz, Hennie, Henny, Henri, Hendrik, Hendry, Henning, Henrik, Henryk, Herrold, Herry, Imre, Imrich, Imrus, Ric, Rico, Rik, Rikki, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Uncle Henry, one of the several relatives who always give in to Dolly’s pleading, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Henry Arden, Cannie’s minister father, who lacks the strength for life on a New England farm, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Henry Biltmer, owner of the small ranch Thea visits in Arizona, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Henry Pierre Bowdoin, Esther’s artist father, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Henry Dashwood, father to our heroines Elinor and Marianne, their younger sister Margaret, and their selfish and greedy half-brother John, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– Henry 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.
– Henry Giles, Israel Thomas’ son-in-law, who joins in the watch over the Creighton farm when it’s threatened by Guy Wortman and his gang, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Henry Jameson, “a trader without a heart”, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– Henry Knightley, the oldest of John and Isabella’s children, the heir of Donwell Abbey should Mr. Knightley never wed and have children of his own, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Henry Lynn, one of the Lynn brothers who are members of Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Col. Henry Mortimer, who must solve a ghostly mystery to save his son’s life, in “The Open Door” (1881), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Henry Nathanmeyer, the kindly Jewish businessman whose wife serves as Thea’s patroness in Chicago, in The Song of the Lark.
– Mr. Henry Woodhouse, Isabella and Emma’s father, a “much older man in ways than in years”, in Emma.

WRITERS:
– Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918), American historian and writer.
– Henry Beston (1888-1968), American writer and naturalist.
– Henry Cole (b. 1955), American children’s book writer and illustrator.
– Henry Fielding (1707-1754), English novelist and dramatist.
– Henry Green (1905-1972), pen name of English novelist Henry Vincent Yorke.
– Henry James (1843-1916), Anglo-American novelist.
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), American poet and educator.
– Henry Lucy (1842-1924), English journalist and humorist.
– Henry Louis (H.L.) Mencken (1880-1956), American editor, critic, satirist, and writer.
– Henry Miller (1891-1980), American writer.
– Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American activist, author, poet, and philosopher.

Mamie

August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Mary” / “Marie” / “Maria“, “May“, or “Margaret“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Madge, Maggie, Maggy, Maisie, Maisy, Mame, Marge, Margie, Margy, Mariella, Marietta, Marji, May, Mayme, Maymie, Meg, Meggie, Meggy, Mia, Midge, Mim, Mimi, Mimsie, Mimsy, Moll, Mollie, Molly, etc. etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mamie Parsons, Rosamond Carey’s best friend, with whom she sometimes quarrels, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Mamie (Mary) Dickens (1838-1896), English editor and writer.

Jenny

August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Jane” or “Jennifer”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Jan, Jane, Janey, Janie, Jayna, Jaynie, Jen, Jena, Jeni, Jenn, Jenna, Jenni, Jennie, Jinny, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jenny, a maidservant in Merchant Lyte’s household, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Jenny, the “little Spanish horse” who carries Robin to St. Mark’s, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Jenny, Katy Bennet’s alert, quick-minded cousin, who realizes that little Katy is not ridiculous, after all, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Jenny (Jane) Bassett, the quiet, hard-working young lady who makes the most of her trip to Europe, and reaps the benefits, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Jenny Carver, one of the guests the Lambert children invite for dinner, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Jenny Elizabeth Creighton (b. 1847), Jethro’s pretty sister, clever and strong-willed, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Jenny Smiley, Thea’s best student in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).

QUOTATIONS:
– “Jenny Kiss’d Me” is a short, charming poem written by Leigh Hunt in 1838: “Jenny kiss’d me when we met, / Jumping from the chair she sat in; / Time, you thief, who love to get / Sweets into your list, put that in! / Say I’m weary, say I’m sad, / Say that health and wealth have missed me, / Say I’m growing old, but add, / Jenny kiss’d me.”

Helen

August 7, 2014 § 10 Comments

ORIGIN:
English form of the Greek “Helene”, meaning “torch” or “bright one”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Alaina, Alayna, Alena, Aleena, Alenka, Alyona, Eleanor, Elena, Elene, Eleni, Elin, Ella, Elle, Ellen, Ellie, Elly, Helaine, Helayne, Helena, Helene, Ileana, Iliana, Jelena, Jelica, Jelka, Léan, Leena, Lena, Leni, Lenka, Lina, Nell, Nelle, Nellie, Nelly, Olena, Yelena, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Helen Burns, Jane’s pious, calm, and intelligent friend at Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Helen Warburton, née Harper, who tries to teach valuable lessons to her young guests, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Helen Bannerman (1862-1946), Scottish children’s book writer.
– Helen Diner (1874-1948), pen name of Austrian historian, journalist, and writer Bertha Eckstein-Diener.
– Helen Forrester (1919-2011), pen name of English author June Bhatia.
– Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885), American activist, poet, and writer.
– Helen Keller (1880-1968), American activist and author.
– Helen MacInnes (1907-1985), Scottish author.
– Helen Hooven Santmeyer (1895-1986), American poet and writer.
– Helen Tayler (1869-1951), British author and historian who published under the pen names “Hetty Tayler” and “Henrietta Tayler”, and often published jointly with her brother, Alexander.
– Helen Thomas (1920-2013), American author, columnist, and reporter.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “The First Kiss“, by Norman Rowland Gale: “On Helen’s heart the day were night! / But I may not adventure there: / Here breast is guarded by a right, / And she is true as fair.”
– From “Old Letters“, also by Norman Rowland Gale: “How rough a hill my eager feet / Flung backward when upon its crest / I saw the flutter of the lace / The wind awoke on Helen’s breast!”

Samuel

August 7, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “God has heard” or “name of God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sam, Sami, Sammie, Sammy, Semuel, Shem, Shemuel, Shmuel, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Samuel Warburton, Mrs. Warburton’s husband, a scientist and scholar, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Irish novelist, playwright, and poet.
– Samuel Butler (1613-1680), English poet and satirist.
– Samuel Butler (1835-1902), English writer and iconoclast.
– Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), American author and humorist who wrote under the pen name “Mark Twain”.
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English critic, poet, and philosopher.
– Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English moralist, writer, and lexicographer.
– Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), English diarist.

Alice

August 7, 2014 § 8 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Greek, meaning “truth, or from German via French, meaning “noble”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ada, Adelheid, Adelaide, Adelais, Aileas, Aleece, Aleida, Ali, Alicia, Alida, Alise, Alisha, Alisia, Alison, Alissa, Alix, Aliz, Alli, Allie, Ally, Alyce, Alys, Alyssa, Elicia, Elke, Heidi, Lecia, Lise, Lisa, Lissa, Lyssa, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Alice, a young guest of Mrs. Warburton’s, rather inclined to be bookish, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Alice Bennet, one of Katy’s older sisters, who comes down with the measles, forcing Katy to go and stay with their grandfather, in “That Ridiculous Child”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Alice Fairfax, housekeeper at Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Alice Fleming (called “Ally”), a little orphan girl who can’t seem to find her place in the world, in “Ally”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Alice Frewen, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, youngest of the group of girls next to Cannie and Marian, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Alice King, a girl who could do more good in the world if she were more thoughtful, in “A Little Boarding-School Samaritan”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Alice Lorton, the sensible oldest sister of the Lorton family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Alice Raymond, the wonderful girl Jim Marlowe hopes to marry, in “The Tragedy of the Unexpected”, from Nora Perry’s The Tragedy of the Unexpected and Other Stories (published in 1880, but set in the 1870s).
– Alice Turner, Connie’s older sister, who refuses to sleep in a “haunted” room, in “Old Lady Mary” (1884), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Alice Wood, the girl chosen by Miss Oliver to help Jane with her school, in Jane Eyre.

WRITERS:
See here for a starter list of writers named “Alice”.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “The Children’s Hour” (1859), by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “From my study I see in the lamplight, / Descending the broad hall stair, / Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, / And Edith with golden hair.”

Francis

August 5, 2014 § 6 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Late Latin word “Franciscus” (meaning “Frenchman”), from the Germanic / Old French word for “free”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Chica, Chico, Ferenc, Feri, Fran, Franca, Francesco, Francisco, Franciscus, Franco, Francois, Frank, Franka, Frankie, Franky, Franny, Frans, Franz, Franzi, Paca, Paco, Pancho, Paquita, Paquito, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Francis, William Dobbin’s manservant in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Francis Bowyer, the kindly vicar whose wife befriends Mary Vivian after her godmother’s death, in “Old Lady Mary” (1884), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.

WRITERS:
– Francis Bacon (1561-1626), English writer and statesman.
– Francis Macdonald (F.M.) Cornford (1874-1943), English poet and scholar.
– Francis Scott Key (F. Scott) Fitzgerald (1896-1940), American author.
– Francis Francis (1822-1866), English writer.
– Francis King (1923-2011), English novelist, poet, and writer.
– Francis Marrash (1836-1873), Syrian writer and poet.
– Francis Scott Key (1779-1843), American author and amateur poet.
– Francis Sempill (c.1616-1682), Scottish poet and satirist.
– Francis Wyndham (b. 1923), English author, editor, and journalist.

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