Polly
August 4, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Variant of “Molly“, a diminutive of “Mary“. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Pauline“, “Paulette”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Moll, Mollie, Molly, Paula, Pol, Pola, Poll, Pollie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Polly, 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).
– Polly (Mary) Clapp, daughter of the Sedley’s landlord, who bestows on Dobbin the nickname “Major Sugarplums” owing to his habit of bringing gifts for all at every visit to the house, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Polly Branghton (sometimes called “Poll“), 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.
– Polly Green, the nurse’s daughter passed off as the child of Sir John Belmont, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World.
– Polly Moore, daughter of a chandler’s-shop woman, who Madame Duval uses as an example of how much life in Paris can “improve” a young lady, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World.
– Polly Price, a generous little girl who learns about Valentines in “Polly’s Valentine” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Polly Snowe, one of Farmer Nicholas’ three lively, comely daughters, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Polly Talboys, a village girl who lives near Queen’s Crawley, in Vanity Fair.
QUOTATIONS:
– The nursery rhyme “Polly Put the Kettle On“, published in 1797: “Polly put the kettle on, / We’ll all have tea.”
Hester
August 4, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Latin form of “Esther“, possibly derived from a Persian word for “star”, or from the goddess Ishtar.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Essie, Essy, Ester, Esther, Hettie, Hetty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Hester, a housemaid of Sir Pitt Crawley’s who supports Miss Horrocks in her aspirations to become “My Lady”, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
Emma
August 4, 2014 § 10 Comments
ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “universal”, or “nurse”. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Emily“, “Emilia”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Em, Ema, Emmalyn, Emelina, Emeline, Emmaline, Emmeline, Emmie, Emmy, Ima, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Emma Crawley, one of the Rev. Bute Crawley’s daughters in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Emma Knightley, the youngest of John and Isabella’s two daughters, the baby of the family, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Emma Woodhouse, “handsome, clever, and rich” young match- and mistake-making heroine of Emma.
AUTHORS:
– Emma Goldman (1869-1940), Russian-American activist and writer.
– Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), American poet.
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).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 