1840s | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Adele

August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Variation of “Adela“, meaning “noble”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ada, Adalyn, Adalynn, Adel, Adela, Adelia, Adelina, Adeline, Adelita, Adella, Adelle, Adelyn, Alena, Alene, Alina, Aline, Alita, Delia, Della, Delle, Dellie, Delly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Adèle Varens (sometimes called “Adela“), Mr. Rochester’s ward and Jane Eyre’s pupil at Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Leah

August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “weary”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lea, Lee, Leia, Leigh, Leja, Lia, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Leah, a maid-servant at Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Bobby

August 25, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Robert” or “Roberta“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Bobbi, Bobbie, Roberta, Robertina, Robin, Robina, Robyn, Robynne, etc.
For boys: Bob, Bobbie, Dob, Dobbie, Dobby, Rob, Robb, Robbe, Robbi, Robbie, Robby, Robi, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bobby, the boy Sheila briefly went “steady” with while on summer vacation with her family, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– Bobby Leaven, Bessie’s young son, who goes with her when she visits Jane Eyre at Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Mary Ann

August 25, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Marian” or “Marianne“, combining “Mary” with “Ann” / “Anne“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Manon, Marian, Mariana, Marianne, Marie, Marieanne, Marielle, Mariette, Marion, Marise, Mary, Maryann, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mary Ann Wilson, Jane’s shrewd, observant, and witty friend at Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880), English novelist and journalist who wrote under the pen name “George Eliot”.
– Mary Ann O’Malley (1889-1974), English novelist and traveler (also known as “Cottie Sanders”) who published under the pen name “Ann Bridge”.
– Mary Ann Shadd (1823-1893), American activist, editor, journalist, and publisher.

Agnes

August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Latinized version of the Greek “Hagne”, meaning “pure” or “chaste”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aggie, Aggy, Agi, Agnese, Agnessa, Agneta, Agnete, Agnetha, Agneza, Agnieszka, Aigneis, Annice, Annis, Aune, Hagne, Iines, Ines, Inez, Jagna, Janja, Nainsi, Nance, Nancie, Nancy, Nensi, Nes, Neske, Nessie, Nessy, Nest, Nesta, Neysa, Oanez, Ynes, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Dame Agnes, who mends Robin’s clothing in preparation for his journey to Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Agnes Brendan, a fashionable, stuck-up, ill-behaved Boston girl in “That Little Smith Girl” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Agnes Canning, Philip’s mother and the subject of the portrait of the title, in “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant.
– Agnes (later Canning), the young relative of the elder Agnes, in “The Portrait” (1885), from Stories of the Seen and Unseen.
– Agnes Grant, Kitty’s sister in “Esther Bodn”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Agnes Johnstone, a pupil at Lowood Academy, who, along with her sister Catherine, is invited to tea with some friends at Lowton, resulting in Miss Temple being chastised by Mr. Brocklehurst for allowing “two clean tuckers in the week” when “the rules limit them to one”, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Agnes Newton Keith (1901-1982), American author.
– Agnes Smedley (1892-1950), American journalist and writer.
– Agnes Strickland (c. 1797-1874), English historical writer and poet.

Naomi

August 25, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “pleasant”

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Na’omi, Noemi, Noemia, Noémie, Noemin, Nohemi, Nomi, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Naomi Brocklehurst, the lady who built the new part of Lowood Institute, and whose son overlooks and directs the school, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Naomi Alderman (b. 1974), English author.
– Naomi Jacob (1884-1964), English actress, author, and broadcaster.
– Naomi Klein (b. 1970), Canadian activist and author.
– Naomi Lewis (1911-2009), English anthologist, author, critic, essayist, and poet.
– Naomi Mitchison (1897-1999), Scottish novelist and poet.
– Naomi Shihab Nye (b. 1952), Palestinian-American novelist, poet, and songwriter.
– Naomi Ragen (b. 1949), American-Israeli activist, author, and playwright.
– Naomi Wolf (b. 1962), American activist and author.

Broughton

August 25, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
English place name, meaning “brook town”, “fortress town”, or “hill town”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Broctune, Broghtone, Browton, Burghton, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Master Broughton Brocklehurst, oldest son of the formidable and hypocritical supervisor of Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Georgy

August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgie“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgie, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgie, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgy (Georgiana) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

Lizzy

August 25, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Lizzie“, diminutive of “Elizabeth“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Elise, Elissa, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Else, Elsie, Elsje, Elyse, Ilsa, Ilse, Isa, Let, Lettie, Letty, Liana, Libby, Liddy, Lies, Liesl, Liese, Lillie, Lilly, Lily, Lis, Lisa, Lise, Lisette, Liz, Liza, Lizette, Lizy, Lizzie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lizzy (Elizabeth) Bennet, the clever, “fine-eyed” second Bennet daughter, and heroine of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Lizzy (Eliza) Reed, one of Jane’s spoiled, mean-spirited cousins, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Lizzy Ryder, Nelly’s equally spiteful, petty sister, too inclined to assist in playing mean tricks, in “An April Fool”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).

Alexander

August 22, 2014 § 14 Comments

ORIGIN:
Latin version of the Greek “Alexandros”, meaning “defender of men”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ace, Al, Alasdair, Alastair, Alastar, Ale, Alec, Alejandro, Aleks, Aleksander, Aleksandr, Alessandro, Alex, Alexandre, Alexandros, Alexis, Alick, Alisander, Alistair, Alister, Ally, Eskandar, Iskandar, Lexi, Olek, Oleksander, Oleksandr, Sacha, Sander, Sandor, Sandy, Sandro, Sascha, Saunder, Sawney, Sender, Shura, Sikandar, Skender, Xander, Xandinho, Zander, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Middle name of James Alexander Creighton (1849-1852), one of the three young Creighton boys who died of “paralysis” the year Jethro was born, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Alexander Herron, Ruth Jameson’s grandfather, “who made a concession”, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.

WRITERS:
– Alexander Brown (1843-1906), American historian and writer.
– Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1757- 1804), American essayist, economist, and political leader.
– Alexander King (1899-1965), Austrian-American humorist and memoirist.
– Alexander Mollin (b. 1947), pen name of English author Jim Williams, who also publishes as “Richard Hugo”.
– Alexander Pope (1688-1744), English poet.
– Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837), Russian author and poet.
– Alexander Ross (c.1590-1654), Scottish writer.
– Alexander Scott (c.1520-1582/83), Scottish poet.
– Alexander Scott (1920-1989), Scottish poet and scholar.
– Alexander Tayler (1870-1937), British author and historian who published under the pen name of “Alasdair Tayler”, and often published jointly with his sister, Hetty.
– Alexander Wilson (1893-1963), English writer and spy.

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