1870s | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Theodore

August 15, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Theodoros”, meaning “gift of God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedir, Fedor, Fedya, Feodor, Fyodor, Tad, Taddie, Taddy, Ted, Teddie, Teddy, Tedo, Teo, Teodor, Teodoro, Theo, Theodor, Theodoros, Theodorus, Todor, Toshe, Tudor, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Theodore, Ray Kennedy’s deceased chum, in whose honor he nicknames Thea “Thee”, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Theodore Brocklehurst, one of the children of the formidable and hypocritical supervisor of Lowood Institute, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Theodore Ingram (called “Tedo“), Blanche and Mary’s brother, one of the elegant people who make up Mr. Rochester’s social set, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Mr. Theodore Shaffer (known as “Teddy“, and later “Ted“), who found his long-lost ship captain father while working in a paper mill, in “In a Rag-Bag”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

WRITERS:
– Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945), American novelist and journalist.
– Theodore Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), American writer, poet, and cartoonist, most famous for his work under the pen name “Dr. Seuss”.
– Theodore Roethke (1908-1963), American poet.
– Theodore Taylor (1921-2006), American author.
– Theodore H. White (1915-1986), American journalist and historian.

Lucy

August 13, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
English version of “Lucia”, the feminine form of “Lucius”, from the Latin for “light”. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Lucasta”, “Lucille”, “Lucinda”, “Lucretia“, “Louisa” / “Louise”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Luca, Lucasta, Luce, Lucetta, Lucette, Luci, Lucie, Lucia, Lucienne, Lucila, Lucile, Lucilla, Lucille, Lucinda, Lucinde, Lucine, Lucretia, Lulu, Luzia, Louisa, Louise, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Miss Lucy Boler, whose life is saved when her cat, Cora, alerts her to a fire, as told in “The Kit-Kat Club”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Lucy Miles, one of Dolly’s friends, in “Dolly Varden”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
– Mrs. Lucy Mirvan, Lady Howard’s daughter, who carries Evelina into London society as friend and companion to her own daughter, Maria, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– Lucy Steele, a clever, manipulative, and self-serving young woman, whose beauty and shrewdness can’t quite cover for her “want of real elegance and artfulness” for those who are paying attention, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).

WRITERS:
– Lucy M. Boston (1892-1990), English novelist.
– Lucy Clifford (1846-1929), British novelist and journalist (known as “Mrs. W.K. Clifford”).
– Lucy Grealy (1963-2002), American poet and memoirist.
– Lucy Herbert (1669-1743/44), English devotional writer.
– Lucy Beatrice Malleson (1899-1973), English author who wrote under the pen names “Anne Meredith” and “Anthony Gilbert”.
– Lucy Maud (L.M.) Montgomery (1874-1942), Canadian author.
– Lucy Fitch Perkins (1865-1937), American children’s book writer and illustrator.
– Lucy Walker (1907-1987), pen name used by Australian writer Dorothy McClemans (also as “Dorothy Lucy Sanders” and “Shelley Dean”).

Arthur

August 13, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Possibly Celtic, meaning “noble” or “king”, or “bear-hero”, or from Norse, meaning “Thor’s eagle”, or from a Roman last name. No one really knows. Your guess is as good as mine. Unless you are very, very bad at guessing, in which case, mine might be a little bit better.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Art, Artair, Arther, Arthie, Arthy, Artie, Arto, Artur, Arturo, Arty, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Mr. Arthur Villars, guardian to both Evelina and her mother, Caroline, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.

WRITERS:
– Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), English writer, inventor, and explorer.
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish author.
– Arthur Miller (1915-2005), American essayist and playwright.
– Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), English critic and writer.
– Arthur Ransome (1884-1967), English author and journalist.
– Arthur Stone (1931-2015), pen name of American crime author Ann Rule, who also published as “Andy Stack” and “Chris Hansen”.
– Arthur Stringer (1874-1950), Canadian novelist, screenwriter, and poet.

Ned

August 12, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Edward“, “Edmund”, “Edwin“, “Edgar”, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ed, Edd, Eddi, Eddie, Eddy, Nedd, Neddie, Neddy, Ted, Tedd, Teddie, Teddy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ned Hale, Ruth Varnum’s fiancé (and later husband), whose romance fares far better than does Ethan’s, in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome (written in 1911, but set in the 1890s or first few years of the 1900s).
– Ned Hamlyn, the friend and fellow boarder who helps Jim to set right the mess he has impulsively made of his situation, 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).

WRITERS:
– Ned Buntline (1821-1886), pen name of American journalist, publicist, publisher, and writer Edward Zane Carroll (E.Z.C.) Judson, Sr.
– Ned Calmer (1907-1986), American author and journalist.
– Ned Fairchild (b. 1929), pen name of American songwriter Nelda Fairchild.
– Ned Marin (1896-1955), American producer and screenwriter.
– Ned Miller (b. 1925), American singer and songwriter.
– Ned O’Gorman (1929-2014), American author, educator, and poet.
– Ned Rorem (b. 1923), American composer and diarist.
– Ned Sherrin (1931-2007), English author, broadcaster, and director.
– Ned Vizzini (1981-2013), American novelist.
– Ned (Edward) Ward (1667-1731), English publican and satirist.
– Ned Washington (1901-1976), American lyricist.

Gertrude

August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “spear of strength” or “spear-maiden”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gert, Gertie, Gertrud, Gerty, Trudi, Trudie, Trudy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Gertrude Gray, the middle of the Gray girls, prettiest and most popular of the three, but most prone to hardness and snobbishness, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

WRITERS:
– Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), American novelist, poet, and playwright.

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.

Cicely

August 10, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Cecily” or “Cecilia”, feminine versions of “Cecil”, from the Latin, meaning “blind”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cecile, Cecille, Cece, Cecelia, Cecelie, Cecilia, Cecilie, Cecily, Celia, Cili, Cilla, Cille, Cissie, Cissy, Sheila, Silla, Sille, Sissie, Sissy, Zilla, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cicely Carey (called “Cis“), Rosamond’s somewhat frivolous and impatient older cousin, in “Little Button-Rose”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Cicely Hamilton (1872-1952), English activist, actress, journalist, and writer.
– Cicely Saunders (1918-2005), English activist, nurse, physician, social worker, and writer.
– Cicely (C.) Fox Smith (1882-1954), English poet and writer.

QUOTATIONS:
– From “Cicely Bathing” by Norman Rowland Gale: “The brook told the dove / And the dove told me / That Cicely floating on the wave / Woke music in the tree.”

Marie

August 7, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
French and Czech version of “Maria” / “Mary“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Maja, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Maree, Mari, Maria, Marianne, Mariel, Marielle, Marietta, Marika, Marilee, Marilisse, Marilla, Marilyn, Marinda, Marion, Marise, Marita, Maritta, Mary, May, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marie, the flighty French girl Ethel Amory hopes to take along as companion on her trip to Europe, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Marie Corelli (1855-1924), English novelist.
– Marie Manning (1872-1945), American advice columnist and novelist.
– Marie Thérèse Blanc (1840-1907), French essayist, journalist, and novelist who wrote under the pen name “Thérèse Bentzon”.

Ethel

August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “noble”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Adele, Adell, Ethelina, Etheline, Ethelinda, Ethelinde, Ethelyn, Ethelynne, Ethyl, Ethyle, Etta, Ette, Ettie, Etty, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ethel Amory, the somewhat spoiled, impetuous young lady who wastes a trip to Europe on frivolity, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Ethel Curtis, Berry Joy’s friend, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

WRITERS:
– Ethel M. Dell (1881-1939), English novelist and short story writer.
– Ethel Mannin (1900-1984), English novelist and travel writer.
– Ethel Brilliana Tweedie (1867-1940), English journalist and travel writer (as Mrs. Alec Tweedie).
– Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864-1960), Irish novelist and musician.
– Ethel Lina White (1876-1944), English author.

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!”

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