May
August 17, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Name for the hawthorn flower, or referencing the month of May, named after “Maia”, the Roman goddess of spring. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Mary“, “Margaret“, “Mabel”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mabella, Madge, Mae, Maggie, Maggy, Maia, Maisie, Maisy, Malia, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Mara, Maralyn, Maret, Margaux, Marge, Margie, Margo, Margot, Margy, Mari, Mariel, Marilyn, Marilynn, Marinda, Marise, Maja, Marlyn, Marylyn, Maya, Maybell, Maybella, Maybelle, Maybelline, Mayme, Meg, Megeen, Meggie, Meggy, Mele, Meri, Merilyn, Merrilyn, Metta, Mette, Mia, Miep, Mies, Miia, Midge, Moll, Mollie, Molly, My, Mya, Peg, Pegeen, Peggie, Peggy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– May, a married woman who befriends Ruth while she spends the winter with her grandparents in the city, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– May Franklin, a little girl who lives near the Bell’s boarding-house, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Hope
August 17, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
One of the “virtue” names created by the Puritans, meaning, um, “hope”. Clearly.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Not sure there are any, unless we include all of the other “virtue” names (“Faith”, “Charity”, “Patience”, “Perseverance”, etc.).
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Hope Bell, who finds she is not too old to hang up a stocking, after all, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Hope Weymer, Mr. Weymer’s mother, whose ring makes for a wonderful Christmas surprise, in “What Hope Bell Found in Her Stocking”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories.
Eleanor
August 17, 2014 § 8 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Old French version of the name “Aliénor”, meaning “the other Aenor”. Possibly also related to “Helen“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Alianor, Aliénor, Eilionoir, Eilidh, Elea, Eleanora, Eleanore, Elenor, Elenora, Elenore, Eleonor, Elinor, Elinora, Elinore, Ella, Ellanore, Elle, Ellen, Elli, Ellie, Ellinor, Elly, Elnora, Leanora, Leonore, Lenora, Lenore, Leonor, Lore, Lorita, Nell, Nelle, Nellie, Nelly, Nonie, Nony, Noor, Noora, Nora, Norah, Noreen, Norene, Norina, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Eleanor, who teaches Molly the value of beauty, in “Molly Gair’s New Dress”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Elly
August 16, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Ella“, “Eleanor”, “Ellen”, etc., or of names ending in “-ella” or “-elle”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
El, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elsa, Elsie, Elsy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Elly Dunbar (sometimes called “Ella“), a refined girl, somewhat inclined to be priggish, one of the founding members of the children’s society for the prevention of cruelty to cats in “The Kit-Kat Club”, and reluctant participant in the plan to open a shop to sell doll’s clothes, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Timothy
August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Timotheos”, meaning “to honor God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tim, Timmer, Timmie, Timmy, Timo, Timofei, Timofey, Timotei, Timoteo, Timoteus, Timotheos, Timotheus, Timoti, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Uncle Timothy, the little Dunbars’ wealthy, somewhat cantankerous uncle, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Timothy Makeshift, a local farrier who might be competition for the Lemons, in “The Farrier Lass o’ Piping Pebworth” (written in 1887, set circa 1600), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Timothy Pooke, proprietor of the Spit and Gridiron, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
WRITERS:
– Timothy Findley (1930-2002), Canadian novelist and playwright.
– Timothy Leary (1920-1996), American psychologist and writer.
– Timothy Titcomb (1819-1881), pen name sometimes used by American novelist and poet Josiah Gilbert Holland.
Milly
August 16, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Millie“, a diminutive of “Mildred”, “Millicent”, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mila, Mili, Milla, Milli, Millie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Milly, one of the servants at Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
– Milly Rogers, a snobbish girl the Dunbar’s fear will look down on them for their plans to make and sell doll clothes, in “The Little Dunbars, and Their Charming Christmas Plans”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Ursule
August 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
French version of “Ursula”, from Latin, meaning “little she-bear”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Oola, Orsola, Orsolya, Ula, Ursel, Ursela, Ursell, Ursella, Urska, Ursula, Urszula, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ursule, one of the French servants in the Lamonte household in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Ursule Molinaro (1916-2000), French artist, translator, and writer.
Jeannette
August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Jean” / “Jeanne” or “Joan“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Genette, Jana, Janina, Janine, Janna, Jeanette, Jeanine, Jeannine, Nettie, Netty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mademoselle Jeannette is what Adèle Varens sometimes calls her governess, Jane, since she can’t pronounce “Eyre” very well, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Jeannette, one of the French servants in the Lamonte household in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
Sylvia
August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Silvia”, feminine form of the Latin name “Silvius”, meaning “of the forest”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Silva, Silvia, Silvie, Silviya, Silvy, Syl, Sylva, Sylvi, Sylvie, Sylwia, Szilvia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sylvia (Sylvie) Lamonte (called “Syl“), the “little dryad that had slipped from some rose-tree’s bark” who Doctor Tom cures, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
WRITERS:
– Sylvia Plath (1932-1963), American poet, novelist, and short story writer.
– Sylvia Townsend Warner (1893-1978), English novelist and poet.
– Sylvia Wright (1917-1981), American editor, humorist, and writer.
Syl
August 16, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Sylvia“, “Sylvie“, etc. meaning “of the forest”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Silva, Silvia, Silvie, Silviya, Silvy, Sylva, Sylvi, Sylvia, Sylvie, Sylwia, Szilvia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Little Syl (Sylvie) Lamonte, the “little dryad that had slipped from some rose-tree’s bark” who Doctor Tom cures, in “The Story of Little Syl”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 