M | The Art of Literary Nomenclature

Millie

August 7, 2014 § 2 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Milly“, a diminutive of “Mildred”, “Millicent“, “Emilie” / “Emily“, “Camille”, “Amelia“, etc.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mila, Mili, Milla, Milli, Milly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Millie, the little girl Ruth Bowen heroically saves in “Water Lilies” from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

Maud

August 6, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Maude“, diminutive of “Matilda“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Malta, Mat, Mathilda, Matilda, Mattie, Matty, Maude, Maudie, Tilda, Tilde, Tillie, Tilly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Lady Maud, Robin’s mother, who must go away to serve as lady-in-waiting to the Queen, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
– Maud Aplin, a snobbish, bragging girl from a snobbish, bragging family, in “Esther Bodn”, from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Maud Fletcher, Fanny Fletcher’s younger sister and a pupil at the dancing school where Jessie Delano works, in “An Ivy Spray and Ladies’ Slippers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Maud Fleming, Ally’s cousin, who is perhaps too quick to agree, in “Ally”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.
– Maud Hallett, friend of the Gray girls and Berry Joy, in A Little Country Girl (1885), by Susan Coolidge.
– Maud Lorton (called “Maudie” when her youngest sister wants something from her), the soft-hearted middle sister of the Lorton family, in “The Youngest Miss Lorton”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).

WRITERS:
– Maud Hart Lovelace (1892-1980), American author.

QUOTATIONS:
– From the poem “Maud“, written in 1855 by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: “Come into the garden, Maud, / For the black bat, Night, has flown, / Come into the garden, Maud, / I am here at the gate alone”
– “Maud Muller” is a poem written by John Greenleaf Whitter in 1856, which explores the theme of “what might have been!”, begins: “Maud Muller, on a summer’s day, / Raked the meadows sweet with hay. / Beneath her torn hat glowed the wealth / Of simple beauty and rustic health.”

Maggie

August 6, 2014 § 1 Comment

ORIGIN:
Diminutive of “Margaret“, from Greek via Latin, meaning “pearl”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maarit, Madge, Mae, Maisie, Maisy, Maggi, Maggy, Mamie, Maret, Margaux, Marge, Margie, Margit, Margo, Margot, Margy, Marji, May, Meg, Megeen, Megan, Megen, Meggie, Meggy, Midge, Peg, Pegeen, Peggie, Peggy, Peigi, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Maggie, a maidservant in the Hurstwood household in Chicago, in Theodore Dreiser’s Sister Carrie (published in 1900; set 1889-1890s).
– Maggie Bradford, member of the Mayflower Club in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Maggie Evans, a local Moonstone girl, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
– Maggie Rosenfeld, Johnny’s mother, who works as a washerwoman for the ladies who live on the Street, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).
– Maggie Schwitter, Mr. Schwitter’s insane wife, whose continued existence bars her husband and Tillie from being able to wed and find happiness in each other, in K.

Marion

August 6, 2014 § 3 Comments

ORIGIN:
For the masculine version, derived from a French last name. For the feminine version, an alternate spelling of “Marian” or “Marianne“, French diminutive forms of “Marie“. All versions ultimately derived from “Maria“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
For girls: Mairenn, Mairin, Mairwen, Manon, Manya, Mari, Maria, Mariamne, Marian, Mariana, Marianna, Marianne, Marie, Marielle, Mariette, Mariona, Marise, Marjan, Mary, Marya, Maryana, Maryann, Marzena, Maureen, Maurine, Miren, Mirjana, Mirjane, etc.
For boys: Marian, Marianus, Mariano, Marius, Merrian, Merrion, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marion Warren, member of the Mayflower Club in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.

WRITERS:
– Marion Zimmer Bradley (1930-1999), American novelist.
– Marion Cunningham (1922-2012), American food writer.
– Marion Rose Harris (b. 1925), Welsh romance author who publishes under the pen name “Rosie Harris”.
– Marion Richardson (1892-1946), English educator and author.

QUOTATIONS:
– “Oh, Marion“, from Paul Simon’s 1980 album, One Trick Pony: “Oh Marion / I think I’m in trouble here / I should’ve believed you / When I heard you saying it / The only time / That love is an easy game / Is when two other people / Are playing it.”

Max

August 5, 2014 § 5 Comments

ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Maximilian” or “Maxwell”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mac, Mack, Maxie, Maxey, Miksa, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Max, one of Becky’s young bohemian neighbors in Pumpernickel, where Amelia, Dobbin, Jos, and Georgy visit for a while on their Grand Tour, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Dr. Max Wilson, Dr. Ed’s younger brother, a brilliant playboy surgeon who beguiles Sidney Page, in K. by Mary Roberts Rinehart (1914).

AUTHORS:
– Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956), English humorist and writer.

Marianne

August 4, 2014 § 4 Comments

ORIGIN:
French diminutive of “Marie“, from “Maria“. Also a combination of “Marie” / “Mary” and “Anne” / “Ann“, or an alternate spelling of “Marian“.

VARIANTS and NICKNAMES:
Manon, Marian, Mariana, Marie, Marieanne, Marielle, Mariette, Marion, Marise, Mary, Maryann, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Marianne Clarke, scandalously spotted entering the “petits appartements of Lord Steyne” in company with an unnamed Duke in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Marianne Dashwood, the emotionally-wrought, passionately romantic second Dashwood sister, “generous, amiable, interesting: she was every thing but prudent”, in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility (set between 1792-1797, published in 1811).

WRITERS:
– Marianne Moore (1887-1972), American poet and writer.

Macduff

August 4, 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, “Macduff” is a Scottish name meaning “son of the dark man”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Other than Mac? I don’t know.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Macduff McMull, the little son of James McMull and Rhoda Swartz, who “will be Viscount Castletoddy”, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Molly

August 4, 2014 § 7 Comments

ORIGIN:
Like “Polly“, a diminutive of “Mary“.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maille, Malle, Manon, Moll, Molle, Mollie, Pol, Pola, Poll, Pollie, Polly, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Molly, an old serving-woman who works for the Ridd’s, in Lorna Doone, by R.D. Blackmore (written in 1869, set in the 1670s-1680s).
– Molly, the cook in the Crawley-Sharp household, who little Master Rawdon loved because she “crammed him with ghost stories at night, and with good things from the dinner”, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).
– Molly Barnet, “a hospital nurse with a heart”, in The Harvester (1911) by Gene Stratton Porter.
– “Major” Molly Elliston, whose determination to keep a promise helps save a garrison, in “Major Molly’s Christmas Promise” from Nora Perry’s A Flock of Girls and Boys (1895).
– Molly Gair, a resourceful and diligent young lady, in “Molly Gair’s New Dress”, from The Youngest Miss Lorton, and Other Stories by Nora Perry (1889).
– Molly Grue, the “drab” who knows quite a lot about unicorns, in the fantasy novel The Last Unicorn (1968) by Peter S. Beagle.
– Molly Jameson, Ruth’s aunt, who has borne all that she can bear, in The Harvester.
– Molly (Maria) Mirvan, 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.
– Molly (Mary) Porter, a shopgirl Anna Winslow helps in “May Flowers”, from A Garland for Girls, by Louisa May Alcott, 1887.
– Molly Price, one of the guests the Lambert children invite for dinner, in “The Thanksgiving Guest”, from A Flock of Girls and Boys.

WRITERS:
– Molly Childers (1875-1964), Irish activist and writer.
– Molly Holden (1927-1981), English poet.
– Molly Ivins (1944-2007), American writer, political critic, and humorist.
– Molly Kazan (1906-1963), American dramatist and playwright.
– Molly Keane (1904-1996), Irish novelist and playwright.
– Molly Lefebure (1919-2013), English writer.
– Molly Elliot Seawell (1860-1916), American historian and writer.
– Molly Weir (1910-2004), Scottish actress and memoirist.

Minos

August 4, 2014 § Leave a comment

ORIGIN:
Greek, meaning “son of Zeus”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Mannus, Manu, Menes, Meon, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Sir Minos Smith, “the puisne judge”, whose wife famously quarreled with Mrs. Major O’Dowd, in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

Malloy

August 2, 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, “Malloy” was an Irish name meaning either “noble” or “big and soft”.

VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Maloy, Molloy, Mulloy, etc.

REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Malloy Malony was a brother of Mrs. Major O’Dowd in Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray (published in 1847-48, but set in the 1810s-20s).

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