Marian
August 11, 2014 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
An alternate spelling of “Marion” or “Marianne“, French diminutive forms of “Marie”, ultimately derived from “Maria“. Sometimes used as a masculine form of “Maria“, or as a version of “Marianus”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Mairenn, Mairin, Mairwen, Manon, Manya, Mari, Maria, Mariamne, Mariana, Marianna, Marianne, Marie, Marielle, Mariette, Marion, Mariona, Marise, Marjan, Mary, Marya, Maryana, Maryann, Marzena, Maureen, Maurine, Miren, Mirjana, Mirjane, etc.
For boys: Marianus, Marion, Mariano, Marius, Merrian, Merrion, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marian Butter, Anthony Butter’s sturdy and strong-willed wife, who nursed Lady Margaret from childhood, in “A Brother to Dragons” (written in 1886, set in 1586), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Mistress Marian Every, Lady Elizabeth’s adopted daughter, who grows up with Lady Patience and Lord Ernie, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales.
– Marian Gray, the youngest of the Gray girls, fun-loving and strong-willed, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Marian Selwyn, a well-bred young lady who is a good role-model for the girls around her, in “An April Fool”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
WRITERS:
– Marian Engel (1933-1985), Canadian novelist.
– Marian Keyes (b. 1965), Irish author.
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.
Georgie
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Georgy“. Diminutive of “Georgia”, “Georgina“, “Georgiana“, “Georgette”, etc. Or, diminutive of “George“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Geena, Gena, Geordie, Georgeanna, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgina, Georgine, Georgette, Georgy, Gigi, Gina, etc.
For boys: Gino, Giorgio, Giorgino, Geordie, Georg, George, Georges, Georgios, Georgi, Georgy, Jordi, Jordy, Jorge, Jorgen, Jorgie, Jorgy, Jori, Jory, Jurgen, Yorgos, Yuri, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgie Gray, the oldest of the Gray girls, a bit dreamy and weak and too easily led astray, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Berry
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Berenice“, “Bernice”, “Beryl”, etc., or simply referring to the fruit. As a masculine name, an alternate spelling of “Barry“, from Irish, meaning “fair hair” or “spear”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Barrie, Berenice, Bernelle, Bernice, Berri, Beryl, Bunnie, Bunny, Vernice, Veronica, Veronika, Veronique, etc.
For boys: Bairre, Barrie, Barry, Berach, Finbar, Finbarr, Finnbar, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Berry (Berenice) Joy, Georgie Gray’s friend, who is not a good influence, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
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.
Courtenay
August 11, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternately spelled “Courtney”, an English last name from a French place name, meaning “short” or “short nose”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cort, Cortnay, Cortney, Court, Courtnay, Courtney, Kort, Kortnay, Kortney, Kourt, Kourtenay, Kourtnay, Kourtney, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. Courtenay Gray (called “Court” by his wife), the father of the clan which, after some trials, adopts Candace Arden, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Peleg
August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Hebrew, meaning “division” or “channel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
. . . Pel?
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Captain Peleg King, captain of the steamer Eolus, which carries Candace Arden to her cousins’ home in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
Candace
August 11, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Greek “Kandake”, meaning “queen mother”, the title and name of the hereditary Queens of Ethiopia.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Candice, Candis, Candi, Candie, Candy, Candyce, Kandace, Kandice, Kandis, Kandi, Kandie, Kandy, Kandyce, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Candace Arden (called “Cannie“), the “little country girl” of the title, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Candace Van Vliet, Cannie’s mother and Kate’s cousin, who married Henry Arden and settled down in New England for too short a while, in A Little Country Girl.
WRITERS:
– Candace Bushnell (b. 1958), American novelist and producer.
– Candace Camp (b. 1949), American romance novelist.
– Candace Fleming (b. 1962), American writer of children’s books.
– Candace Stevenson (1883-1968), American poet.
Moses
August 10, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “saved” or “son”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mo, Moe, Moey, Moises, Moishe, Moisey, Mose, Moshe, Moss, Musa, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Moses Pennel, Becky Moore’s country suitor in “Mountain-Laurel and Maiden-Hair”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.