Percy
May 24, 2015 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From an English last name, derived from a French place name, “Perci”, a small Norman village; or a shortened version of “Percival“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Parsifal, Parzifal, Perce, Perceval, Percevale, Percie, Percival, Percyvelle.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Percy Weil, a New York theatrical agent, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
Marcus
May 24, 2015 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
From a Roman last name derived from Mars, the god of war.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Marc, Marcas, Marco, Marcos, Marek, Mark, Markie, Marko, Markos, Markus, Marky, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marcus Jenks, a New York theatrical agent, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
August
May 24, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Variation of “Augustus”, meaning “great” or “venerable”, or possibly referring to the month of August.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aku, Avgust, Augie, Auggie, Augustas, Auguste, Augusto, Augustus, Aukusti, Gus, Gussie, Gussy, Kusti, Og, Oggi, Oggie, Oggy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mr. August Viele, owner of the New York property which houses the bar Hurstwood regretfully invests in, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
Bart
May 21, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Bartholomew“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Barth, Bartholomew, Bartie, Bartlett, Bartley, Bartol, Barty, Bertok, Mees, Mies, Tolly, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bart Taylor, a young man of Jessica Hurstwood’s acquaintance, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
WRITERS:
– Bart Kennedy (1861-1930), English journalist, memoirist, and novelist.
– Bart Van Lierde (b. 1974), Flemish novelist, playwright, and songwriter.
Sagar
May 12, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Possibly from an Anglo-Saxon last name, meaning “sea-spear”, or a Hindu name meaning “lake” or “ocean”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Saegar, Sager, Sakar, Saker, Seagar, Seager, Seegar, Seeger, Segar, Seger, Sigar, Siger, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sagar Morrison, a friend of Hurstwood and Drouet in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
WRITERS:
– Sagar Sarhadi (b. 1933), Indian director, playwright, producer, screenwriter, and short story writer.
Norman
May 12, 2015 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
An old Germanic name meaning “Northman”, referring to the Vikings who settled Normandy.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Norm, Normand, Normant, Normie
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Dr. Norman McNeill Hale, a well-known figure in Chicago, who buys one of the boxes for the play Drouet’s Elks lodge puts on as a fundraiser, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
WRITERS:
– Norman Bridwell (1928-2014), American children’s book writer and cartoonist.
– Norman Corwin (1910-2011), American essayist, producer, professor, screenwriter, and writer.
– Norman Cousins (1915-1990), American activist, author, editor, journalist, and professor.
– Norman Davies (b. 1939), Anglo-Polish historian and writer.
– Norman Douglas (1868-1952), Scottish-Austrian author and travel writer.
– Norman Finkelstein (b. 1953), American activist, author, professor, and scholar.
– Norman Finkelstein (b. 1954), American critic and poet.
– Norman Rowland Gale (1862-1942), English poet, reviewer, and story-teller.
– Norman Hunter (1899-1995), English children’s book writer.
– Norman Lear (b. 1922), American activist, producer, and screenwriter.
– Norman Lewis (1908-2003), English author and journalist.
– Norman Lewis (1912-2006), American author, etymologist, grammarian, and lexicographer.
– Norman Lindsay (1879-1969), Australian artist, author, cartoonist, and writer.
– Norman Maclean (1902-1990), American author and scholar.
– Norman Mailer (1923-2007), American activist, actor, essayist, filmmaker, journalist, novelist, and playwright.
– Norman Whitfield (1940-2008), American producer and songwriter.
Mac
May 12, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Mack”, a shortened version of various Gaelic or Celtic surnames beginning with “Mc-” or “Mac-“, meaning “son of”, or used as a generic term for “man”. Also sometimes used as a diminutive for “Magnus”, “Malcolm”, “Max“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mack, Mackie, Macky, Max, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Mac Lewis, a fellow Elk in Drouet’s lodge who does “heavy dramatics” and offers to help put together the lodge’s theatrical fundraiser, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
Georgine
May 11, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
French feminine variation of “George“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Geena, Gena, Georgeanne, Georgette, Georgia, Georgiana, Georgie, Georgina, Gigi, Gina, Giorgia, Giorgina, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Georgine Spencer, a friend of Jessica Hurstwood, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
Jessica
May 11, 2015 § 7 Comments
ORIGIN:
Probably invented by William Shakespeare for his 1596 play The Merchant of Venice; possibly inspired by the Hebrew “Ischa” / “Yiskah” / “Jescha”, meaning “to behold” or “Jehovah is watching”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gessica, Iekika, Ischa, Janet, Jean, Jescha, Jess, Jessa, Jesslin, Jessalyn, Jesse, Jessenia, Jessica, Jessika, Jessy, Teasag, Yesika, Yessica, Yiskah, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jessica Hurstwood, George Hurstwood’s frivolous and self-centered daughter, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
Eddie
May 11, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Edward“, “Edgar”, “Edwin“, “Edmund”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ed, Edd, Eddi, Eddy, Ned, Nedd, Neddie, Neddy, Ted, Tedd, Teddie, Teddy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Eddie Fahrway, a friend of the junior George Hurstwood, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Eddie Harris, a beau of one of the other shop girls at the Chicago shoe factory where Carrie first finds employment, in Sister Carrie.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 