Lars
November 15, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Scandinavian version of “Laurence” / “Lawrence“.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Enzo, Larkin, Larrie, Larry, Lasse, Lassi, Laurance, Lauren, Laurence, Laurent, Laurie, Lauritz, Lawrance, Lawrence, Lawrie, Loren, Lorencio, Lorens, Lorenzo, Lorin, Lorrin, Rance, Rens, Renzo, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Rev. Lars Larsen, a friend of Mr. Kronborg’s in Chicago, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Lars Ahlin (1915-1997), Swedish author and philosopher.
– Lars Forssell (1928-2007), Swedish writer.
– Lars Jansson (1926-2000), Finnish author and cartoonist.
Paulina
November 14, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Feminine form of “Paul“, meaning “small” or “humble”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Lien, Lina, Paolina, Paula, Pauleen, Paulene, Paulette, Paulien, Pauline, Pavlina, Pol, Polina, Poll, Polly, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Paulina Kohler, Fritz’s wife, who “lived for her men and her garden”, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Paulina Irby (1831-1911), British activist and travel writer.
Gus
November 6, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
Shortened version of “Augustus”, “Angus”, “Gustave”, etc. Sometimes used as a diminutive of “Constantine”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Guus, Kusti, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Gus Kronborg, Thea’s oldest brother, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Gus Kahn (1886-1941), American lyricist.
– Gus Tyler (1911-2011), American activist, author, and columnist.
Gunner
November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Alternate spelling of “Gunnar”, from Old Norse, meaning “warrior”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Gunnar, Gunnarr, Gunne, Gunter, Gunther, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Gunner Kronborg, one of Thea’s rambunctious younger brothers in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Gunner Berg (1764-1827), Norwegian politician, priest, and writer.
Axel
November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Danish version of “Absalom”, from the Hebrew, meaning “my father is peace”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Acke, Aksel, Akseli, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Axel Kronborg, one of Thea’s rambunctious younger brothers in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Axel Jensen (1932-2003), Norwegian author.
– Axel Munthe (1857-1949), Swedish author, physician, and psychiatrist.
Thor
November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Norse, meaning “thunder”, from the god of strength, war, and thunder.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Tor. And . . . that’s all, really.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Thor Kronborg, Thea’s youngest brother and special charge until she leaves Moonstone for Chicago in order to study music, in The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002), Norwegian adventurer and writer.
Thea
November 6, 2014 § Leave a comment
ORIGIN:
Shortened form of “Althea”, “Dorothea” / “Dorothy“, “Theodora”, etc.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Dora, Dorit, Dosia, Dottie, Dotty, Tea, Teja, Tiia, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Thea Kronborg, the passionate and gifted protagonist of The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (written in 1915 and set in the 1890s).
WRITERS:
– Thea Astley (1925-2004), Australian novelist and short story writer.
– Thea Beckman (1923-2004), Dutch children’s book author.
– Thea Leitner (b. 1921), Austrian author and journalist.
– Thea von Harbou (1888-1954), German actress, director, novelist, and screenwriter.
Piers
October 5, 2014 § 1 Comment
ORIGIN:
Medieval version of “Peter“, meaning “stone” or “rock”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Peer, Pero, Pier, Pierce, Piero, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Piers Nitingale, a minstrel serving at Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
Adam
October 4, 2014 § 2 Comments
ORIGIN:
From Hebrew, meaning “man”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aatami, Adamo, Addy, Adem, Adhamh, Adomas, Akamu, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Adam Bowyer, a guardsman in Sir Peter’s castle, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
Alfred
October 4, 2014 § 7 Comments
ORIGIN:
From the Old English “Aelfraed”, meaning “elf-counsel”.
VARIATIONS and NICKNAMES:
Aelfraed, Al, Alf, Alfie, Alfredo, Avery, Fred, Fredde, Freddie, Freddy, Fredo, etc.
REFERENCES IN LITERATURE:
– Alfred, one of the boys Robin plays with during his stay at St. Mark’s, in The Door in the Wall (written in 1949 and set sometime between 1327-1377), by Marguerite de Angeli.
WRITERS:
– Alfred Andersch (1914-1980), German writer, publisher, and radio editor.
– Alfred Austin (1835-1913), English poet.
– Alfred Bester (1913-1987), American author and writer.
– Alfred de Musset (1810-1857), French dramatist, novelist, and poet.
– Alfred de Vigny (1797-1863), French playwright, poet, and novelist.
– Alfred Döblin (1878-1957), German doctor, essayist, and novelist.
– Alfred Hartmann (1814-1897), Swiss writer.
– Alfred Hayes (1911-1985), English novelist, poet, and screenwriter.
– Alfred Edward (A.E.) Housman (1859-1936), English poet and scholar.
– Alfred Jarry (1873-1907), French writer.
– Alfred Kazin (1915-1998), American critic and writer.
– Alfred Kerr (1867-1948), German-Jewish critic and essayist.
– Alfred Lansing (1921-1975), American journalist and writer.
– Alfred Henry Lewis (1855-1914), American editor, journalist, lawyer, novelist, and short story writer.
– Alfred Lichtenstein (1889-1914), German writer.
– Alfred Masson-Forestier (1852-1912), French writer.
– Alfred Neumann (1895-1952), German writer and translator.
– Alfred Noyes (1880-1958), English playwright, poet, and short story writer.
– Alfred Ollivant (1874-1927), English novelist.
– Alfred Perlès (1897-1990), Austrian writer.
– Alfred Reynolds (1907-1993), Anglo-Hungarian writer.
– Alfred Percy Sinnett (1840-1921), English author, journalist, and Theosophist.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), English poet.
– Alfred Williams (1877-1930), English author and poet.
QUOTATIONS:
– From “Epistle to Earl Harcourt, on his wishing her to spell her name of Catherine with a K“, by an unknown poet (“F—-“), found in A Collection of Poems, Chiefly Manuscript, and from Living Authors (1823), edited by Joanna Baillie: “Alfred, who quell’d th’ unsurping Dane, / And burst, indignant, from his chain; / Who slaves redeemed, to reign o’er men, / Changing the faulchion for the pen, / And outlin’d, with a master’s hand, / Th’ immortal charter of the land; / Alfred, whom yet these realms obey”
The Art of Literary Nomenclature 