Anne
July 28, 2014 § 10 Comments
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Ann“, this is a French variant of “Anna“, from “Hannah” (as used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament), a version of the Hebrew name “Channah”, meaning “favor” or “grace”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Ana, Anabel, Anabelle, Anabella, Anais, Andie, Andy, Aneta, Ani, Anica, Anika, Anita, Anitra, Anka, Anke, Anna, Annabel, Annabella, Annabelle, Anne, Anneke, Annetta, Annette, Annick, Annicka, Annie, Annika, Anniken, Annis, Anouk, Antje, Anya, Hanna, Hannah, Hanne, Nan, Nancy, Nanette, Nannie, Nina, Ninon, Ona, Onna, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Anne (b. 1905), the eldest of the dozen Gilbreth children whose upbringing is related in Cheaper By the Dozen (1948) and Belles on Their Toes (1950), written by Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey.
– Anne Cox, one of Mr. Cox’s sisters, who Emma Woodhouse calls “the two most vulgar girls in Highbury”, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
– Lady Anne Darcy, Mr. Darcy’s late mother and Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s sister, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Lady Anne de Bourgh, Lady Catherine’s daughter and Mr. Darcy’s sickly cousin, in Pride and Prejudice.
– Lady Anne Lennox, older sister to Lady Dorothy and Lord Humphrey, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Miss Anne Steele (sometimes called “Nancy“), Lucy’s well-intentioned but empty-headed ninny of an older sister, a woman of “vulgar freedom and folly”, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
WRITERS:
– Anne Dudley (née Seymour), Countess of Warwick (1538-1588), English writer.
– Anne Ker (1766-1821), English novelist.
– Anne Lamott (b. 1954), American activist and writer.
– Anne Logan (b. 1947), pen name of American mystery and romance author Barbara Colley.
– Anne Meredith (1899-1978), one of the pen names of American writer Lucy Beatrice Malleson.
– Anne Rice (b. 1941), American novelist.
Charles
July 28, 2014 § 10 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the German “Karl”, meaning “man”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Carl, Carlos, Carroll, Charlie, Charley, Chas, Chaz, Chick, Chip, Chuck, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Charles Bingley, the amiable young gentleman whose pending residence at Netherfield Park kicks off the events of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Charles Stuart “Barebones” Crawley was a twig on the Crawley family tree in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Charles H. Drouet (sometimes called “Charlie“), the traveling salesman who first offers Carrie a way out of her poverty, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Charles Lambert, who encourages his children in the lovely tradition of inviting someone in need to join them for Thanksgiving dinner every year, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Lord Charles Radnor, Lady Elizabeth’s brother, who leaves her the care of his son, Ernie, to be raised with her daughters, in “Nurse Crumpet Tells the Story” (written in 1887, set circa 1630s-1669), from A Brother to Dragons, and Other Old Time Tales (1888), by Amélie Rives.
– Mr. Charles Raggles, the former butler to Miss Crawley who later becomes Rawdon and Becky’s landlord, much to his disadvantage, in Vanity Fair.
– Charles Raggles is also the name of Mr. Raggles’ son, sent to boarding school on the strength of his father’s presumed prosperity as landlord, in Vanity Fair.
WRITERS:
– Charles Bukowski (1920-1944), German-American novelist, poet, and short story writer.
– Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English writer and social critic.
– Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832-1898), English writer, poet, mathematician, logician, deacon, and photographer who wrote under the pen name “Lewis Carroll”.
– Charles Frazier (b. 1950), American historical novelist.
– Charles Hamilton (1876-1961), English writer.
– Charles R. Jackson (1903-1968), American author.
– Charles Johnson (1679-1748), English playwright and tavern keeper.
– Charles Lamb (1775-1834), English essayist and writer.
– Charles Morris (1833-1922), American journalist, novelist, and historical author.
– Charles Reade (1814-1884), English novelist and dramatist.
– Charles Shaw (1900-1955), Australian journalist and novelist.
– Charles Burr Todd (1849-1928), American historian.
– Charles Williams (1886-1945), English critic, novelist, playwright, poet, and theologian.
– Charles Williams (1909-1975), American crime writer.
– Charles Norris (C.N.) Williamson (1859-1920), British author who often collaborated with his wife, Alice Muriel Williamson.
Caroline
July 28, 2014 § 9 Comments
ORIGIN:
The French feminine version of the Latin “Carolus”. Like “Charlotte,” a feminine version of “Charles.”
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Cady, Caddie, Caddy, Calleigh, Callie, Cari, Carla, Carrie, Carry, Carlyn, Carol, Carola, Carolina, Carolyn, Carrie, Caryl, Charlize, Coraline, Kaja, Kaia, Kallie, Karla, Karolina, Karrie, Karry, Kaya, Keri, Kerri, Kerrie, Kerry, Lili, Line, Lina, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Caroline Belmont, née Evelyn, Mme. Duval’s daughter (by her first husband), Evelina’s mother, and Sir John Belmont’s spurned and forsaken wife, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– Caroline Bingley, Mr. Bingley’s proud and spiteful sister with designs on Darcy, in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Caroline Lambert, who encourages her children in the lovely tradition of inviting someone in need to join them for Thanksgiving dinner every year, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Caroline Meeber (usually called “Carrie“, sometimes “Cad”; “Miss Madenda” in her acting career), the titular self-interested dreamer of Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Miss Caroline Otway, a member of the Otway clan, guests at Mr. and Mrs. Weston’s ball, in Jane Austen’s Emma (1815).
WRITERS:
– Caroline Courtney (1946-2011), pen name of English romance author Penelope Halsall, who also published under the pen names “Annie Groves”, “Lydia Hitchcock”, “Melinda Wright”, and “Penny Jordan”.
QUOTATIONS:
– From “Dainty June and Her Farmboys” from the 1959 Broadway musical Gypsy, by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents: “I have a moo cow / a new cow / a true cow / named Caroline / she’s an extra-special friend of mine / I like everything about her fine”
Charlotte
July 28, 2014 § 10 Comments
ORIGIN:
French feminine version of “Charles“, from the German name “Karl”, meaning “man”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Carla, Carlota, Carlotta, Carola, Carole, Carolina, Caroline, Charla, Charlene, Charline, Charlize, Charlotta, Karla, Karola, Karolina, Let, Lettie, Letty, Lotta, Lotte, Lottie, Lotty, Séarlait, Tot, Tottie, Totty, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet’s plain, sensible best friend in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Charlotte Palmer, Mrs. Jennings’ rather gossipy and silly, but good-natured and kind-hearted daughter, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility(set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
WRITERS:
– Charlotte M. Brame (1836-1884), English author who wrote under the pen name “Bertha M. Clay”.
– Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), English novelist and poet.
– Charlotte Lamb (1937-2000), pen name of English romance author Sheila Holland, who also published as “Laura Hardy”, “Sheila Coates”, “Sheila Lancaster”, and “Victoria Wolf”.
– Charlotte Turner Smith (1749-1806), English novelist and poet.
– Charlotte Mary Yonge (1823-1901), English novelist.
Maria
July 28, 2014 § 11 Comments
ORIGIN:
Pronounced either “ma REE’ a” or “ma RYE’ a”, this is the Latin form of Mary.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maia, Maike, Maja, Malia, Mara, Mairen, Mari, Mariah, Marie, Mariele, Mariella, Marietta, Marijeke, Marika, Mariska, Marita, Mary, Maureen, Maya, Mia, Mimi, Mirele, Moira, Reena, Reeta, Ria, Riele, Riella, Rina, Rita, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Maria, maid-of-all-work for Maggie Bradford’s family in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Maria Johnson, the farmer’s wife in The Song of the Cardinal, by Gene Stratton Porter (1903).
– Maria Lucas, the younger sister of Lizzie Bennet’s best friend Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (written in 1797, published in 1813).
– Maria Mirvan (called “Molly” or “Moll” by her father), Evelina’s dearest friend, with whom she enters into London society, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.
– Maria Frances Osborne, the younger of George Osborne’s sisters in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Maria Porter (called “Ria“), a shopgirl Anna Winslow helps in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls.
– Miss Maria Temple, head teacher and superintendent of Lowood Institute, whose kindness to Jane encourages and consoles her, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.
– Maria Todd, Miss Osborne’s goddaughter and sister to Osborne Todd, Georgy Osborne’s friend, in Vanity Fair.
QUOTATIONS:
– “They Call The Wind Maria” is a song from the 1951 musical Paint Your Wagon by Alan J. Lerner and Frederick Loewe: “Away out here they got a name / For rain and wind and fire / The rain is Tess, the fire Joe / And they call the wind Maria”. (Obviously, you have to go with the “ma RYE’ a” pronunciation for this song, or it doesn’t really rhyme. Also, I have serious doubts about anyone actually calling fire “Joe”.)
– “Maria” is a song from the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim: “The most beautiful sound I ever heard. / Maria! . . . Say it loud and there’s music playing, / Say it soft and it’s almost like praying.”
– “(How Do You Solve a Problem Like) Maria” is a song from the 1959 musical The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: “How do you solve a problem like Maria? / How do you catch a cloud and pin it down? / How do you find a word that means Maria? / A flibbertigibbet! A will-o’-the-wisp! A clown! / Many a thing you know you’d like to tell her / Many a thing she ought to understand / But how do you make her stay / And listen to all you say / How do you keep a wave upon the sand? / How do you solve a problem like Maria? / How do you hold a moonbeam in your hand?”
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 