Cilla
September 9, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Cecilia”, “Lucille”, “Priscilla“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cece, Celia, Cila, Cili, Cilke, Cille, Cissy, Luca, Luce, Luci, Lucia, Lucie, Lucja, Lucy, Lula, Lulu, Luus, Luzia, Pris, Prisca, Priska, Prissie, Prissy, Scilla, Sileas, Silja, Silje, Silke, Sile, Sille, Sisi, Sissie, Sissy, Zilla, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Cilla (Priscilla) Lapham, Mrs. Lapham’s devoted, reliable, practical teenaged daughter, who remains a true friend to Johnny through all the turmoil of Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
WRITERS:
– Cilla McQueen (b. 1949), English poet.
Jonathan
September 9, 2015 § 4 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Hebrew “Yehonatan” or “Yonatan”, meaning “Jehovah has given” or “gift of God”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gionata, Ionathan, Johnathan, Johnathon, Johnnie, Johnny, Jon, Jonatas, Jonathon, Jonatan, Jonaton, Jon-jon, Jonni, Jonnie, Jonny, Jontie, Jonty, Nat, Nate, Nathan, Nattie, Natty, Yehonatan, Yonatan, Yoni, Yonni, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Jonathan Lyte, the sly and selfish wealthy merchant who was Johnny’s great-uncle, though he refused to acknowledge the connection, in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Jonathan Lyte Tremain (called “Johnny“), the gifted and proud teenaged hero of Johnny Tremain.
WRITERS:
– Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Irish author, cleric, essayist, poet, and satirist.
A Selection of Heel Goed Dutch Baby Names
September 7, 2015 § 1 Comment
If you follow the link, you’ll be able to find out a little bit more about these fantastic Dutch names (although a pronunciation guide is not always included; you may have to look that up yourself!):
“20 Dutch Baby Names You’ll Want to Steal Immediately”
(Click here to find the French version.)
For girls: Adrie, Anouk, Danique, Evi, Fay / Faye, Lina, Marit, Noa, Tess
For boys: Bas / Bastiaan, Bram, Cas / Casper, Coen / Coenraad, Everhart, Hans, Joost, Lars, Pim, Sander, Schuyler / Skylar
Rob
August 23, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Robert“, “Robin“, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Bob, Bobbie, Bobby, Brecht, Hob, Hopcyn, Hopkin, Pertti, Rab, Rabbie, Robbe, Robbie, Robby, Robi, Robin, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rob Nelson, pretty young Mary Creighton’s beau on that fateful night in 1859, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
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).
Trudy
August 4, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Gertrude“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Geltrude, Geretrudis, Gerta, Gertha, Gerthe, Gerti, Gertie, Gertraud, Gertrud, Gertruda, Gertrude, Gertrudes, Gertrudis, Gerty, Gurda, Gurde, Gurt, Kerttu, Tru, Truda, Trude, Trudi, Trudie, True, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Trudy Leffer, Nina’s librarian mother, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
WRITERS:
– Trudy Dittmar (b. 1944), American essayist and nature writer.
– Trudy Larkin Förster (c.1935-2005), American novelist.
Nina
August 4, 2015 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Usually, a diminutive of names ending in “-nina”, such as “Antonina” or “Giannina”, or a variation of “Ann” / “Anne“. Possibly referring to the Spanish word, meaning “little girl”; or from the Native American (Quechua) word, meaning “fire”; or the Russian feminine version of “Nino”; or to the name of a Babylonian and Assyrian fertility goddess.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ani, Ann, Anne, Anni, Annie, Anny, Antonina, Giannina, Nainsi, Nan, Nana, Nance, Nanci, Nancie, Nancy, Nandag, Nanette, Nanice, Nanine, Nannie, Nanny, Nanse, Nansi, Nansie, Nansy, Neena, Neenah, Nena, Nenci, Nensi, Neske, Nest, Nesta, Nina, Ninette, Ninon, Nona, Nonna, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Nina Leffer, the sophisticated girl who becomes Lily’s first new friend after moving to a new neighborhood and a new school, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Sandra
August 4, 2015 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Alexandra” / “Alessandra”, the feminine version of “Alexander“; popularized by George Meredith in his novel Emilia in England (1864; republished in 1887 as Sandra Belloni).
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Alastriona, Ale, Alejandra, Aleksandra, Aleksandrina, Alessa, Alessandra, Alexandra, Alexia, Alexis, Ali, Alix, Alley, Alli, Allie, Ally, Andra, Lesya, Ola, Oleksandra, Ondra, Sandi, Sandie, Sandy, Sandrina, Sandrine, Sasha, Saundra, Shandra, Shondra, Shura, Sondra, Szandra, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sandra, a schoolmate of Lily’s, who is afraid of Lily’s pet cocker spaniel, Bonny, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Linda
July 22, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Meaning “soft” or “tender”, a diminutive of names ending with “-linda” or “-linde”: e.g., “Belinda”, “Melinda”, “Rosalinda”, “Sieglinda”, etc. Also associated with the Spanish word, meaning “pretty”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lin, Lindall, Lindell, Lindie, Lindsay, Lindsey, Lindsie, Lindy, Linette, Linn, Linne, Linnet, Linnette, Linnie, Linsay, Linsey, Linsie, Lyn, Lyndee, Lyndi, Lyndie, Lyndsay, Lyndsey, Lyndsie, Lynette, Lynn, Lynna, Lynne, Lynnette, Linza, Lynda, Lynzee, Lynzie, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Linda, one of the Lexington girls clamoring to partner with Rab at the Silsbee country dance in Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (written in 1943; set during the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, 1773-1775).
– Linda, one of the other “irregular” children at Lily’s school, so deemed because of her pink plastic prosthetic arm, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
Steven
July 21, 2015 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Medieval English version of “Stephen”, or a Dutch variant of “Stefan”, both from the Greek name “Stephanos”, meaning “crown.”
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Esteban, Estebe, Estavan, Esteve, Estevo, Estevon, Estienne, Etienne, Eztebe, Fane, Istvan, Pista, Pisti, Staffan, Stavros, Ste, Steafan, Steaphan, Steenie, Stefan, Stefano, Stefanos, Stefans, Stefanus, Steffen, Stefon, Step, Stepan, Stepane, Steph, Stephan, Stephanas, Stephane, Stephanos, Stephanus, Stephen, Stephenson, Stesha, Steponas, Stevan, Steve, Stevenson, Stevie, Stevo, Stevon, Stevyn, Stipan, Stipe, Stipo, Stiofan, Stjepan, Tapani, Tahvo, Teppo, Tipene, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Steven, one of the other “irregular” children at Lily’s school, so deemed due to an accidental sterilization causing him to grow increasingly effeminate, in Sleeping Arrangements, by Laura Cunningham (published 1989, set in the 1950s).
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 