Bert
August 27, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Albert”, “Herbert“, “Robert“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bertie, Bertil, Berto, Berty, Burt, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bert Purcel, Royal’s kid brother, in “The Egg-Boy” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Bert Rice, Anna Kronborg’s beau, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Bert Schierbeek (1918-1996), Dutch writer.
– Bert Stiles (1920-1944), American short story writer.
– Bert Sugar (1937-2012), American sports historian and writer.
– Bert Leston Taylor (1866-1921), American author, columnist, humorist, and poet.
Elsie
August 27, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Elizabeth“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
El, Elise, Elisheva, Elissa, Eliza, Ella, Elle, Ellie, Elly, Elsa, Else, Elsy, Elsje, Elspet, Elspeth, Elyse, Ilsa, Ilse, Isa, Lies, Liesl, Liese, Lis, Lisa, Lisbeth, Lise, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Elsie Lambert, the oldest daughter of the family, whose generous choice leads to a reconciliation, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Elsie Lloyd, an impetuous girl whose carelessness causes trouble, in “The Egg-Boy” from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
WRITERS:
– Elsie Finnimore Buckley (1882-1959), English writer and translator.
– Elsie Johannson (b. 1931), Swedish writer.
– Elsie Lessa (1912-2000), Brazilian journalist and writer.
– Elsie Locke (1912-2001), New Zealander activist, writer, and historian.
– Elsie J. Oxenham (1880-1960), pen name of English author Elsie Jeanette Dunkerley.
Marge
August 27, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Margaret” or “Margery” / “Marjorie” / “Marjory“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maarit, Madge, Mae, Maisie, Maisy, Maggi, Maggie, Maggy, Mamie, Maret, Margaux, Margie, Margit, Margo, Margot, Margy, Marji, May, Meg, Megeen, Megan, Megen, Meggie, Meggy, Midge, Peg, Pegeen, Peggie, Peggy, Peigi, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marge Lloyd, Elsie’s kind and tender sister, in “The Egg-Boy” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
WRITERS:
– Marge Piercy (b. 1936), American activist, novelist, and poet.
Diana
August 26, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Latin, meaning “divine”, from the Roman goddess of the moon, hunting, forests, and childbirth.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dajana, Dede, Dee, Di, Diahann, Dian, Diane, Dianna, Dianne, Dijana, Kiana, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Diana, a girl at school Lily befriends, one of the other “irregular” children in her grade, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
– Diana Duval, one of Lily’s first friends, “a dirty blonde in every sense”, in Sleeping Arrangements.
– Diana Rivers (later Fitzjames), one of St. John’s sisters, who befriend Jane after she leaves Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Diana Athill (b. 1917), English editor, novelist, and memoirist.
– Diana Gabaldon (b. 1952), American author.
– Diana Gould (b. 1944), American author and screenwriter.
– Diana Hendry (b. 1941), English author and poet.
– Diana Wynne Jones (1934-2011), English writer.
– Diana Mitford, the Hon. Lady Mosley (1910-2003), English socialite and writer.
– Diana Morgan (b. 1913), English novelist.
Bertha
August 26, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “bright” or “famous”, possibly related to the name of a goddess of animals and weaving.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Berchta, Berhta, Berta, Berthe, Bertie, Bertille, Bertina, Birdie, Perchta, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Bertha Antoinetta Mason, Mr. Rochester’s unfortunate wife in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Bertha Behrens (1850-1912), German novelist.
– Bertha Southey Brammall (1878-1957), Australian writer.
– Bertha Henry Buxton (1844-1881), English novelist and children’s book writer.
– Bertha M. Clay (1836-1884), pen name used by English author Charlotte M. Brame.
– Bertha Eckstein-Diener (1874-1948), Austrian historian, journalist, and writer who also wrote under the pen name “Helen Diner”.
– Bertha Frederich (1825-1882), German novelist who wrote under such pen names as “Georg Dannenberg” and “Golo Raimund”.
– Bertha Harris (1937-2005), American novelist.
– Bertha Damon (c. 1883-c. 1976), American author, editor, humorist, and lecturer.
– Bertha Harmer (1885-1934), Canadian educator, nurse, and writer.
– Bertha Runkle (1879-1958), American novelist and playwright.
– Bertha Muzzy Sinclair (1871-1940), American writer who wrote under the pen name “B.M. Bower”.
– Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914), Austrian novelist and pacifist.
Dionysius
August 26, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Latin spelling of “Dionysios”, derived from the name of the Greek god of wine, dance, revelry, and fertility.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Den, Denes, Denis, Denney, Dennis, Denny, Denys, Deon, Deion, Dinis, Diniz, Dion, Dionisie, Dionisio, Dionysios, Dionyz, Tenney, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Dionysius O’Gall of Bitternutt Lodge, Connaught, Ireland, whose family of five daughters Mr. Rochester pretends he his sending Jane to teach, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
WRITERS:
– Dionysius P.A. O’Brien (b. 1934), American singer and songwriter who goes by the pen name “Tom Springfield”.
Virginia
August 24, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Feminine version of a Roman family name, meaning “maid” or “virgin”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Geena, Gena, Gigi, Gina, Ginia, Ginger, Ginnie, Ginny, Jeana, Jeanna, Jinnie, Jinny, Virgee, Virgie, Virgy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Virginia Herrick, the lovely daughter of the overseer of Caryston Hall, in Virginia of Virginia, written by Amélie Rives in 1888.
WRITERS:
– Virginia C. (V.C.) Andrews (1923-1986), pen name of American novelist Cleo Virginia Andrews.
– Virginia Clay-Copton (1825-1915), American memoirist and socialite.
– Virginia Hamilton (1934-2002), American children’s book writer.
– Virginia Henley (b. 1935), English novelist.
– Virginia Rudd Lanier (1930-2003), American mystery writer.
– Virginia Woolf (1882-1941), English writer and modernist.
Herbert
August 22, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “bright army”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bert, Bertie, Berto, Berty, Herb, Herberto, Herbie, Herby, Heribert, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Herbert Crane, one of the snobbish Jessica Hurstwood’s schoolmates, scorned for not being rich, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Herbert Kennedy, who hopes to make Ruth forget about David Langston, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
WRITERS:
– Herbert Agar (1897-1980), American editor, journalist, and historian.
– Herbert S. Scott (1931-2006), American editor and poet.
– Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), English philosopher, scientist, and writer.
– Herbert George (H.G.) Wells (1866-1946), English writer.
David
August 22, 2014 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “beloved”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dai, Daividh, Dauid, Dave, Daveth, Davey, Davide, Davie, Davis, Davit, Davy, Daw, Dawid, Dawud, Dewie, Dewey, Dewydd, Dovid, Taavetti, Taavi, Tavi, Taffy, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Brother David, the stonemason, one of the monks at St. Mark’s in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– David Langston, the titular clean-living “harvester of the forest”, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– David Wyburn, Esther’s cousin, who works as a clerk at Weyman & Co.’s importing-house, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
WRITERS:
– David Craig (b. 1929), pen name of Welsh novelist James Tucker, who also publishes as “Bill James” and “Judith Jones”.
– David Herbert (D.H.) Lawrence (1885-1930), English critic, essayist, novelist, painter, playwright, and poet.
– David Malouf (b. 1934), Australian novelist, playwright, and short story writer.
– David McCullough (b. 1933), American author, historian, and lecturer.
– David Mitchell (b. 1969), English novelist.
– David Sedaris (b. 1956), American author and humorist.
– David Foster Wallace (1962-2008), American essayist, novelist, professor, and short story writer.
– David Walliams (b. 1971), English activist, actor, children’s book writer, and comedian.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 