Percival
October 7, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Perceval”, a name created for the poem Perceval, or the Story of the Grail, written in the 12th century by French poet Chrétian de Troyes; possibly influenced by the Old French for “to pierce the valley” or “to perceive the veil (of religious mystery)”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Parsifal, Parzifal, Perce, Perceval, Percevale, Percie, Percy, Percyvelle.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Percival Tweedie, the “eligible bachelor” silversmith who comes to join Lapham as partner after Johnny’s accident, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
WRITERS:
– Percival Everett (b. 1956), American novelist, professor, and short story writer.
– Percival Pickering (1865-1965), pen name of English author Anna Marie Wilhelmina (A.M.W.) Pickering.
– Percival Pollard (1869-1911), American critic, novelist, and short story writer.
– Percival Serle (1871-1951), Australian bibliographer and biographer.
– Percival Spear (1901-1982), English educator, government worker, and historian.
– Percival Stockdale (1736-1811), English poet, reformer, and writer.
– Percival Wilde (1887-1953), American author and playwright.
– Percival Christopher (P.C.) Wren (1875-1941), English author and educator.
Victoria
September 2, 2015 § 6 Comments
ORIGIN:
Latin, from the Roman goddess of victory; feminine form of “Victorius” (which is also, of course, from Latin, meaning “victory”).
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Latoya, Toree, Tori, Toria, Toriana, Torie, Torri, Torrie, Torry, Tory, Toya, Vic, Vicie, Vickey, Vicki, Vickie, Vicky, Victoire, Victoriana, Victorina, Victorine, Victory, Vicy, Vikki, Viktoria, Viktorie, Viktorija, Viktoriya, Vitoria, Vittoria, Wikolia, Wiktoria, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Aunt Victoria, Shad’s aunt in Washington, who works as a nurse during the war, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Victoria Benedictsson (1850-1888), Swedish novelist who published under the pen name “Ernst Ahlgren”.
– Victoria Mary Clarke (b. 1966), Irish journalist and writer.
– Victoria Chang (b. 1970), American poet and writer.
– Victoria Hislop (b. 1959), English novelist and short story writer.
– Victoria Newcomb (b. 1974), American novelist.
– Victoria Ocampo (1890-1979), Argentine intellectual and writer.
– Victoria Strauss (b. 1955), American fantasy author.
– Victoria Williams (b. 1958), American musician, singer, and songwriter.
Lucinda
September 1, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
A variation of “Lucia” / “Lucy“, created by Miguel de Cervantes for his 1605 novel Don Quixote.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cinda, Cinde, Cindi, Cindie, Cindy, Sinda, Sinde, Sindi, Sindie, Sindy, Liucija, Liusaidh, Lleucu, Llucia, Luca, Luce, Lucette, Luci, Lucia, Lucie, Lucija, Lucila, Lucilla, Lucile, Lucille, Lucilla, Lucinde, Lucja, Lucy, Lula, Lulu, Lusinda, Lusinde, Lusia, Lusi, Lusie, Lusy, Luus, Luzia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lucinda Creighton (b. 1834), one of “the twin girls, long since married and moved to Ohio” who are among Jethro’s far-distant older siblings, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Lucinda Coxon (b. 1962), English playwright and screenwriter.
– Lucinda Lambton (b. 1943), English broadcaster, photographer, and writer.
– Lucinda Rosenfeld (b. 1969), American novelist.
– Lucinda Roy (b. 1955), English educator, novelist, and poet.
Ross
August 27, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
From a Scottish and English place name, meaning “headland” or “promontory”; or from the Norman French word for “red”; or from a Germanic word meaning “horse”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Roos, Roose, Ros, Rosce, Rose, Rosse, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ross Milton (called “Red“), “the red-haired editor of the county newspaper”, who takes Jethro under his wing, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
WRITERS:
– Ross Clark (b. 1953), Australian poet.
– Ross Copperman (b. 1982), American singer and songwriter.
– Ross Fitzgerald (b. 1944), Australian academic, historian, and novelist.
– Ross Hassig (b. 1945), American anthropologist and author.
– Ross King (b. 1962), Canadian novelist and writer.
– Ross Leckie (b. 1947), Scottish novelist.
– Ross Lockridge, Jr. (1914-1948), American novelist.
– Ross Macdonald (1915-1983), pen name of Canadian-American crime author Kenneth Millar.
– Ross Parmenter (1912-1999), Canadian author, critic, and editor.
– Ross Rocklynne (1913-1988), pen name of American science fiction author Ross Louis Rocklin.
– Ross Russell (1909-2000), American author and producer.
– Ross Thomas (1926-1995), American crime author who also published under the pen name “Oliver Bleeck”.
– Ross Yockey (1943-2008), American author, journalist, producer, and writer.
Abdul
August 10, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Arabic, meaning “servant of” (usually combined with another name, to mean “servant of the [whatever the other name means]”).
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
None, I don’t think? None that I’ve come across, at any rate.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Abdul Schwartz, one of Uncle Gabe’s two favorite students at his Jewish vocational school, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Jan
August 10, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
For girls, a variant of “Jane” or diminitive of “Janet“, “Janice”, “Janelle”, etc. For boys, a medieval version of “John“, or a variation on “Johannes”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Jana, Janae, Janelle, Janetta, Janet, Janette, Janey, Janie, Janice, Janis, Janith, Janna, Jannah, Jannetta, Jannette, Jayna, Jayne, Jaynie, Jean, Jeanette, Jeanne, Jenae, Jenna, Jennet, Jenni, Jenny, Joan, Joanie, Joanne, Joanna, etc.
For boys: Janek, Jani, Janne, Jannick, Jean, Jens, Jo, Johan, Johannes, John, Johnnie, Johnny, Jon, Jonas, Joni, Jono, Jovan, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jan Foot, the first of Lily’s high school friends to have “done it”, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Stuie
August 10, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of another of those “last name as first names”, in this case “Stuart” / “Stewart”, meaning “steward”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Stu, Stuart, Stew, Stewart, Stewie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Stuie Kriszinski, Sheila’s fitness-obsessed younger brother, the object of Lily’s devotion, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Carey
August 10, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
One of those “last names as first names” that were once a quite popular way for a mother’s maiden name to be passed on to her sons, “Carey” (alternately spelled “Cary”) may be from an English place name, meaning “fort”; or a Welsh place name, meaning “stony island”; or a French place name from Normandy or Burgundy; or an Irish name meaning “descended from Ciardha (the Black)”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Carew, Cary, Carrey, Carye, Ceary, Crey, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Carey Kriszinski, Sheila’s overweight older brother, “forever working the meat slicer”, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Carey Parrish (b. 1967), American author and writer.
– Carey Wilson (1889-1962), American producer, screenwriter, and voice actor.
Sheila
August 10, 2015 § 3 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternative / Anglicized spelling of “Sile”, an Irish variation of “Cecilia” / “Cecily” / “Cicely“; or an alternate spelling of “Sheela” / “Shila”, a Hindu / Sanskrit name meaning “good character” or “good conduct”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cacilia, Cacelie, Caecilia, Cecilia, Cecilie, Cecilija, Cecille, Cecily, Cecylia, Cicely, Cicily, Cila, Cila, Cili, Cilka, Cilla, Cille, Cissi, Cissie, Cissy, Shayla, Shaylah, Shelagh, Sheelagh, Sheelah, Sheilah, Shelia, Shyla, Shylah, Sila, Sile, Sileas, Silja, Silje, Silke, Silla, Sille, Sissi, Sissie, Sissy, Tsetsiliya, Zila, Zile, Zilla, Zillah, Zille, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sheila Kriszinski, Lily’s new best friend in high school, who counts as somewhat “bad company”, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Sheila Baxter (b. 1933), Canadian activist and author.
– Sheila Bhatia (1916-2008), Indian playwright and poet.
– Sheila Burnford (1918-1984), Scottish-Canadian author and traveler.
– Sheila Callaghan (b. 1973), American playwright and screenwriter.
– Sheila Connolly (b. 1950), American mystery author.
– Sheila Cussons (1922-2004), South African painter, poet, and writer.
– Sheila Finch (b. 1935), Anglo-American science fiction author.
– Sheila Fischman (b. 1937), Canadian columnist, editor, and translator.
– Sheila Fitzpatrick (b. 1941), Australian-American author, historian, and professor.
– Sheila Meiring Fugard (b. 1932), South African novelist, playwright, poet, and short story writer.
– Sheila Gordon (1927-2013), South African novelist.
– Sheila Heti (b. 1976), Canadian author and editor.
– Sheila Holland (1937-2000), English romance author who also published under the pen names “Charlotte Lamb”, “Laura Hardy”, “Sheila Coates”, “Sheila Lancaster”, and “Victoria Wolf”.
– Sheila Kaye-Smith (1887-1956), English novelist.
– Sheila K. McCullagh (1920-2014), English author and children’s book writer.
– Sheila E. Murphy (b. 1951), American poet.
– Sheila Nicholls (b. 1970), English singer and songwriter.
– Sheila Nickerson (b. 1942), American poet and writer.
– Sheila Quigley (b. 1947), English suspense and thriller author.
– Sheila Rowbotham (b. 1943), English activist and writer.
– Sheila Stewart (1937-2014), Scottish author, singer, and storyteller.
– Sheila Stuart (1892-1974), pen name of Scottish author and children’s book writer Gladys May Baker.
– Sheila Walsh (1928-2009), English romance author who also published under the pen name “Sophie Leyton”.
– Sheila Watson (1909-1998), Canadian critic, novelist, and teacher.
Ira
August 9, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “watchful”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
I . . . got nothin’.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ira Tourin, Marty’s younger brother, “born a month prematurely, and . . . permanently trying to catch up”, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Ira Aldridge (1807-1867), Anglo-American actor and playwright.
– Ira Berkow (b. 1940), American columnist, reporter, and writer.
– Ira Berkowitz (b. 1939), American crime author.
– Ira Berlin (b. 1941), American author, historian, and professor.
– Ira Cohen (1935-2011), American filmmaker, photographer, poet, and publisher.
– Ira Eisenstein (1906-2001), American author, rabbi, and theologian.
– Ira Lunan Ferguson (1904-1992), American author, essayist, and psychologist.
– Ira Joe Fisher (b. 1947), American broadcaster, educator, and poet.
– Ira Gitler (b. 1928), American historian and journalist.
– Ira Gershwin (1896-1983), American lyricist.
– Ira D. Gruber (b. 1934), American author, bibliographer, and historian.
– Ira B. Harkey, Jr. (1918-2006), American author, editor, professor, and publisher.
– Ira Ishida (b. 1960), Japanese actor, commentator, novelist, and short story writer.
– Ira M. Lapidus (b. 1937), American author, historian, and professor.
– Ira Levin (1929-2007), American dramatist, novelist, and songwriter.
– Ira Lewis (1932-2015), American actor, playwright, and writer.
– Ira Louvin (1924-1965), pen name of American musician, singer, and songwriter Ira Lonnie Loudermilk.
– Ira Sadoff (b. 1945), American critic, novelist, poet, and short story writer.
– Ira Schuster (1889-1945), American songwriter who also published under the pen name “John Siras”.
– Ira Stanphil (1914-1993), American songwriter.
– Ira Wallach (1913-1995), American novelist and screenwriter.
– Ira Wolfert (1908-1997), American reporter and writer.
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 