English | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Sam

August 1, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Samuel“, “Samson”, or “Samantha”. Or “Samwise”, if you’re a Tolkien fan.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sami, Sammi, Sammie, Sammy.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sam, a footman at Thornfield, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Uncle Sam, who arrives in France to escort his niece, Ethel Amory, and her companion, Jane Bassett, home again in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Sam Bowen, Ruth and Sammy Bowen’s brave father in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls.
– Sam Fry, John Fry’s cousin, who is first to bring news of Charles II’s death to the village, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Sam Gardiner, proprietor of one of the two general stores in town, in Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt (1964; set during the American Civil War, 1861-1865).
– Sam Green, who sells Tom a wonderful new kite, in “Susy’s Dragon”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Sam Hicks, a local yeoman in Lorna Doone.
– Sam Miles is a local poacher in the region of Queen’s Crawley in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Sam Turner (called “Sammy“), Ed Turner’s 18-year-old son, who gives Jethro a dog (to help keep him company and to protect his family), and who ends up part of Sherman’s army, in Across Five Aprils.

WRITERS:
– Sam Campbell (1895-1962), American lecturer, photographer, and writer.
– Sam Shepard (b. 1943), American actor, essayist, memoirist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, and Pulitzer Prize-winner.

Rose

August 1, 2014 § 9 Comments

ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning, well, “rose”. Sometimes used as a diminutive for names beginning with “Ros-“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ros, Rosa, Rosabel, Rosaleen, Rosalie, Rosalind, Rosaline, Rosamond, Rosamonde, Rosamund, Rosanne, Roselin, Roselind, Rosella, Roselle, Rosemond, Rosemund, Rosetta, Rosette, Rosie, Rosina, Rosine, Rosita, Roslyn, Rosy, Roz, Roza, Rozelle, Rozie, Rozy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rose Crawley (short for “Rosalind“) is the elder of the two little Crawley girls Becky Sharp is hired to be governess for in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Violet

August 1, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
English, after the small woodland flower, from the Latin “viola”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lette, Lettie, Letty, Vi, Vilet, Vilette, Viola, Violetta, Violette, Vy, Vylet, Vylette, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Violet Crawley is the younger of the two little Crawley girls Becky Sharp is hired to be governess for in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Rawdon

August 1, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Old English place name, meaning “rough hill”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Rawdy, I suppose?

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Capt. (later Col.) Rawdon Crawley, the dashing, profligate soldier who is Sir Pitt’s younger son and Becky’s suitor in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Rawdon Crawley, the son of Capt. Crawley and Becky, unofficially adopted by Pitt Crawley and Lady Jane, in Vanity Fair.

Rosa

August 1, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
Latinized version of “Rose“, meaning, well, “rose”. Sometimes used as a diminutive for names beginning with “Ros-“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ros, Rosabel, Rosaleen, Rosalie, Rosalind, Rosaline, Rosamond, Rosamonde, Rosamund, Rosanne, Rose, Roselin, Roselind, Rosella, Roselle, Rosemond, Rosemund, Rosetta, Rosette, Rosie, Rosina, Rosine, Rosita, Roslyn, Rosy, Roz, Roza, Rozelle, Rozie, Rozy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rosa Bullock, one of Fred and Maria Bullock’s children, cousin to Georgy Osborne, who her mother hopes may one day be a means of recapturing her children’s inheritance, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Rosa Dawson, Lady Crawley, is Sir Pitt Crawley’s second wife and mother of the girls clever little Becky Sharp is hired to be governess for in Vanity Fair.
– Rosa Jemima Todd, the younger sister of Osborne Todd, and the Todd family’s hope of uniting with the Osbornes on the chance that young Georgy might grow up to fall in love with her, in Vanity Fair.

WRITERS:
– Rosa Waldeck (1898-1982), pen name of German-American author Rosie Goldschmidt (R.G.) Waldeck.

Grizzel

August 1, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Grizel”, the Scottish form of “Griselda”, possibly a Germanic name meaning “grey battle-maid”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Grisel, Griselle, Griselda, Grizel, Grizelle, Grizelda, Zelle, Zelda, Zellie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Grizzel Crawley (née Binkie) was the first wife of Sir Pitt Crawley, and mother of Pitt and Rawdon, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Lady Grizzel Macbeth, daughter of Lord Grey of Glowry, one of the “best” society dames to befriend Becky through Lord Steyne’s patronage, in Vanity Fair.

Bute

August 1, 2014 § 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, “Bute” is a Norman name meaning “thick end” or “stump”, or is perhaps derived from an Old English word for a target for archery.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Um…

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– The Rev. Bute Crawley is Sir Pitt Crawley’s brother in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s). Sir Pitt calls him “Buty” or “Buty and the Beast”.

Walpole

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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, “Walpole” is an old English place name meaning either “pool with a wall” or “pool of the Britons / foreigners”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Wally? Poley?

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sir Walpole Crawley, the late first Baronet, was Sir Pitt Crawley’s father in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Emmy

August 1, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Amelia“, “Emma“, “Emilia”, “Emily“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Amy, Amie, Em, Emmie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Family nickname for Amelia Sedley, the naive and gentle heroine of Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

QUOTATIONS:
– From the poem “Emmy” by Arthur Symons (from an 1892 collection of poetry): “Emmy’s laughter rings in my ears, as bright / Fresh and sweet as the voice of a mountain brook”
– The same Arthur Symons, in the same poetry collection, includes “Emmy at the Eldorado“: “Child, child, what will you do, / Emmy, now love has come to you?”

Reginald

August 1, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Variant of “Reynold”; from the Germanic for “powerful ruler”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Raghnall, Ranald, Reg, Reggie, Reggy, Reinhold, Reynold, Reynaldo, Renaud, Reynaud, Reynault, Rheinallt, Rinaldo, Ronald, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Reginald Cuff, the school bully Dobbin saves young George Osborne from in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

WRITERS:
– Reginald Hill (1936-2012), English crime writer.

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