French | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Patrick

August 14, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
From the Latin “Patricius”, meaning “of noble birth”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Paddy, Padraic, Padraig, Padrig, Pat, Pate, Patric, Patrice, Patricius, Patrik, Patrizio, Patryk, Patsy, Patty, Pherick, Rick, Rickie, Ricky, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Patrick, one of the servants in the Lorton household, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

WRITERS:
– Patrick Carman (b. 1966), American writer.
– Patrick Hamilton (1904-1962), English novelist and playwright.
– Patrick F. McManus (b. 1933), American humorist and writer.
– Patrick O. McGuire (1926-2002), pen name of English crime fiction author and screenwriter James Mitchell, who also wrote under the pen name “James Munro”.
– Patrick Robinson (b. 1940), English novelist and columnist.
– Patrick Taylor (b. 1941), Irish novelist.
– Patrick White (1912-1990), Anglo-Australian novelist.

Richard

August 14, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Germanic, meaning “strong ruler” or “brave power”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dickey, Dickie, Dickon, Dickson, Dicky, Dicun, Dix, Dixon, Rhisiart, Ric, Ricard, Ricardo, Rich, Richie, Rick, Rickey, Rickie, Ricky, Rico, Ritchie, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Richard, a cousin of the two Miss Steele’s, who stay with his family in their London home in Bartlett’s Buildings, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).
– Sir Richard Blewitt, a local magistrate in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Richard de Lindsay, one of Sir Peter and Lady Constance’s two sons, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Mr. Richard Lorton, whose failure to teach his youngest daughter to curb her chattering results in much trouble for the whole family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Richard Mason (called “Dick“), Bertha Mason’s brother, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Richard Allen (1922-1993), pen name of Anglo-Canadian pulp novelist James Moffat, who also published under the pen names of “Etienne Aubin” and “Trudi Maxwell”.
– Richard Bach (b. 1936), American writer.
– Richard Cargoe (1911-1983), pen name of Cornish biographer, historian, lecturer, novelist, poet, and professor Robert Payne, who also used the pen names “Howard Horn”, “John Anthony Devon”, “Robert Young”, and “Valentin Tikhonov”.
– Richard Hugo (b. 1947), pen name of English author Jim Williams, who also publishes as “Alexander Mollin”.
– Richard Lovelace (1618-1657), English poet.
– Richard Matheson (1926-2013), American author and screenwriter.
– Richard Price (b. 1949), American novelist and screenwriter.
– Richard Pryor (1940-2005), American actor, comedian, critic, director, and writer.
– Richard Raine (1923-2006), pen name of English author Raymond Sawkins, who also wrote under the pen names “Colin Forbes”, “Harold English”, and “Jay Bernard”.
– Richard Russo (b. 1949), American author and screenwriter.
– Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816), Irish playwright and poet.
– Richard Wilbur (b. 1921), American poet.
– Richard Wright (1908-1960), American writer and poet.

Pierre

August 13, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
French version of “Peter“, from Greek, meaning “stone”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Boutros, Peadar, Pedro, Pejo, Petri, Petruccio, Petruchio, Petrus, Piero, Pierrot, Piers, Piet, Pieter, Pietro, Piotr, Peer, Per, Pere, Pero, Pyotr, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Pierre Baudouin, the art critic and lecturer whose attention makes all the difference in Esther’s life, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Monsieur Pierre Du Bois, Madame Duval’s friend from France, who falls in love with the wrong woman, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.

WRITERS:
– Pierre Barbet (1925-1995), one of several pen names used by French author Claude Avice.
– Pierre Loti (1850-1923), pen name of French novelist and naval officer Julien Viaud.

Arthur

August 13, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Possibly Celtic, meaning “noble” or “king”, or “bear-hero”, or from Norse, meaning “Thor’s eagle”, or from a Roman last name. No one really knows. Your guess is as good as mine. Unless you are very, very bad at guessing, in which case, mine might be a little bit better.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Art, Artair, Arther, Arthie, Arthy, Artie, Arto, Artur, Arturo, Arty, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Mr. Arthur Villars, guardian to both Evelina and her mother, Caroline, in Evelina, or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World (1778), by Fanny Burney.

WRITERS:
– Arthur C. Clarke (1917-2008), English writer, inventor, and explorer.
– Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), Scottish author.
– Arthur Miller (1915-2005), American essayist and playwright.
– Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944), English critic and writer.
– Arthur Ransome (1884-1967), English author and journalist.
– Arthur Stone (1931-2015), pen name of American crime author Ann Rule, who also published as “Andy Stack” and “Chris Hansen”.
– Arthur Stringer (1874-1950), Canadian novelist, screenwriter, and poet.

Denis

August 12, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Dennis“, from the medieval French version of “Dionysios”, derived from the name of the Greek god of wine, dance, revelry, and fertility.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Deion, Den, Denes, Denney, Dennis, Denny, Denys, Deon, Dion, Dionysios, Dionysius, Tenney, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Denis, one of the other pageboys Robin befriends during his stay in Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Denis Eady, the “rich Irish grocer” and one-time suitor of Mattie Silver, in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome (written in 1911, but set in the 1890s or first few years of the 1900s).

WRITERS:
– Denis Bond (b. 1946), English children’s book and television writer.
– Denis Diderot (1713-1784), French critic, philosopher, and writer.
– Denis Johnson (b. 1949), American writer.

Ethan

August 12, 2014 § 5 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “firm” or “enduring”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Eathon, Eitan, Eten, Eth, Ethe, Ethen, Eytan, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Ethan Frome, the luckless, careworn farmer of the title in Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome (written in 1911, but set in the 1890s or first few years of the 1900s).
– Ethan Frome, Sr., who frittered away what little wealth the family had, leaving his wife and son to a hardscrabble existence, in Ethan Frome.

Belle

August 12, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Like “Bella“, a diminutive of “Belinda”, “Beulah”, etc., or names ending in “-ella” (such as “Isabella”, “Annabella”, “Arabella“, etc.), or names ending in “-belle” (such as “Maybelle”, “Dorabelle”, etc.) Possibly from French, meaning “beautiful”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Arabel, Arabella, Arabelle, Amabel, Amabella, Amabelle, Anabel, Anabella, Anabelle, Annabel, Annabella, Annabelle, Bell, Belle, Belina, Belinda, Belinha, Beulah, Elizabeth, Isabel, Isabella, Isabelle, Izabel, Izabella, Izabelle, Sabella, Sabelle, Zabel, Zabella, Zabelle, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Belle Archie (née White), Dr. Archie’s unpleasant wife, “one of those people who are stingy without motive or reason”, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Belle Jeffreys, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.

Frederic

August 11, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
French version of “Frederick“, from the Germanic for “peaceful ruler”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Fedde, Federico, Federigo, Fred, Frederic, Frederik, Freddie, Freddy, Fredo, Fredric, Friedrich, Fritz, Ric, Rick, Ricki, Rickie, Ricky, Rico, Rik, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Frederic, French butler to the Gray family while in Newport, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Sir Frederic Granby, grandfather to the estimable young Mr. Granby who Rosamond Oliver elects to marry, in Jane Eyre, 1847, by Charlotte Bronte.

WRITERS:
– Frederic Raphael (b. 1931), English writer.
– Frédéric Mistral (1830-1914) French poet and author.
– Frédéric Vitoux (b. 1944), French journalist and writer.

Marie

August 7, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
French and Czech version of “Maria” / “Mary“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mae, Maja, Mame, Mamie, Manon, Maree, Mari, Maria, Marianne, Mariel, Marielle, Marietta, Marika, Marilee, Marilisse, Marilla, Marilyn, Marinda, Marion, Marise, Marita, Maritta, Mary, May, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marie, the flighty French girl Ethel Amory hopes to take along as companion on her trip to Europe, in “Poppies and Wheat”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Marie Corelli (1855-1924), English novelist.
– Marie Manning (1872-1945), American advice columnist and novelist.
– Marie Thérèse Blanc (1840-1907), French essayist, journalist, and novelist who wrote under the pen name “Thérèse Bentzon”.

Samuel

August 7, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “God has heard” or “name of God”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Sam, Sami, Sammie, Sammy, Semuel, Shem, Shemuel, Shmuel, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Samuel Warburton, Mrs. Warburton’s husband, a scientist and scholar, in “Pansies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), Irish novelist, playwright, and poet.
– Samuel Butler (1613-1680), English poet and satirist.
– Samuel Butler (1835-1902), English writer and iconoclast.
– Samuel Clemens (1835-1910), American author and humorist who wrote under the pen name “Mark Twain”.
– Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834), English critic, poet, and philosopher.
– Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), English moralist, writer, and lexicographer.
– Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), English diarist.

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