Name Enthusiast

Thursday, December 29, 2011

My Alphabet Favorites - December 2011

At this end of the year I'll just take a few minutes to review some of my favorite names by playing the alphabet favorites game that I've always enjoyed since I was a girl.

I'd love if all of you would play along and post some of your favorites by alphabet too!

Girls:
A - Amy, Adelaide, Amelia, Anna, Anneliese, Arabella, Aurelia
B - Beatrice, Beatrix
C - Clara, Catherine, Cora, Cassandra
D - Dorothy, Dorothea, Delyth
E - Eleanor, Emma, Ella, Evangeline, Evelyn, Emmeline, Eloise
F - Felicity, Frances, Florence
G - Grace, Gretchen
H - Hope, Helena
I - Irene, Isabella, Isolde
J - Julia, Juliet, Jane, Jocelyn, Juliana, Jeanette
K - Kathryn, Karis
L - Lena, Lydia, Leah, Laura,
M - Mary, Margot, Margaret, Marjorie
N - Niamh, Niobe, Naomi, Nora
O - Olivia, Opal
P - Phoebe, Priscilla, Phyllis
Q - Quinn
R - Rosalie, Rosemary, Ruby
S - Sadie, Sally, Sophia, Susannah
T - Tabitha, Tamara, Tessa
U - Unity, Ursula
V - Violet, Victoria, Vanessa, Verity
W - Willa, Winifred, Wilhelmina
X - Xandra
Y - Yelena, Yvonne
Z - Zoe, Zinnia

Current Top 10 Girls Names: Lena, Amy, Sadie, Eleanor, Clara, Lydia, Emma, Jane, Phoebe, Julia

Boys:

A - Aidan, Alexander, Alec, Alistair, Abel, Asa
B - Brody, Benjamin, Bryce, Bartholomew
C - Callum, Colin, Ciaran, Crispin, Caspian
D - David, Dermot, Declan, Duncan
E - Edmund, Emmett, Ezekiel, Ezra, Ewan, Eamon
F - Finbar, Frederick, Francis "Frank", Fletcher, Finley, Fabian
G - Garrett, Gilbert, Gideon, Gethin
H - Henry, Hugh, Hugo, Harry, Humphrey
I - Ian, Iain, Isaiah, Israel
J - Jack, Jonathan, Jasper, Jubal
K - Kenneth, Kieran, Keegan
L - Laurence, Liam, Luke, Lucius, Levi
M - Matthias, Matthew, Miles, Michael, Maxwell
N - Nathaniel, Nathan, Noah, Noble
O - Owen, Oliver
P - Patrick, Philip, Peter, Pearce
Q - Quinlan, Quincy
R - Roderick, Rhys, Robert
S - Simon, Silas, Sebastian
T - Titus, Theodore, Thomas, Tristan
U - Uriah, Uilliam
V - Vaughn, Vance, Victor
W - Welcome, William, Walter, Willoughby
X - Xander, Xavier
Y - Yoan, Yosef
Z - Zachariah, Zacharias, Zebulon

Current Top 10 Boys Names: Edmund, Simon, Nathaniel, Henry, Colin, Ciaran, Emmett, Aidan, Ian, Jack

Can you think of a favorite name for each letter of the alphabet?
Are any of my favorites your favorites too?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

This or That Game - English Nicknames

With all my posts about English nicknames I decided it would be lovely to give my readers a chance to talk about which nicknames you like best for each name.

I chose the names that had the most nickname options. Copy the lists and tell me which nickname you like best for each (if you like more than one that's okay too). I'll try and post my favorites too.

Girls Nicknames

Anne - Annie, Nan, Nannie or Nancy?
Barbara - Babs, Barbie or Bobbi?
Brigid - Biddy or Birdie?
Caroline - Caro or Carrie?
Catherine - Cat, Cathy, Kate, Kathy, Katie, Kit or Kitty?
Charlotte - Charley or Lottie?
Dolores - Dolly or Lola?
Dorothy - Dodie, Dodo, Dolly, Dorie, Dot or Dottie?
Eleanor - Ella, Ellie, Lena or Nora?
Elizabeth - Bess, Beth, Betsy, Betty, Eliza, Leeza, Libby, Liz, Liza, Lizzie or Tibby?
Ellen - Nell, Nellie or Ellie?
Esther - Essie or Ettie?
Felicity - Fliss or Lissie?
Florence - Flo, Flora, Florrie or Flossie?
Frances - Fanny, Frankie or Frannie?
Georgina - Georgie or Gina?
Henrietta - Etta, Hettie or Hetty?
Isabella - Bella, Belle, Izzy, Nib or Nibbie?
Jane - Janie, Janet or Jenny?
Josephine - Jo, Jodie, Josie or Posy?
Julia - Jewel, Julie or Juley?
Margaret - Daisy Maggie, Margery, Meg, Meggie, Peg or Peggy?
Maria - Mari, Marie or Mary?
Mary - Maidie, Maisie, May, Minnie, Molly or Polly?
Matilda - Maud, Mattie, Matty, Tilda or Tilly?
Philippa - Phil, Pip, Pippa or Pippi?
Sarah - Sadie, Sally or Saro?
Sophia - Sophie, Sophy
Susan - Sue, Sukey, Sukie or Susie?
Teresa - Tess, Tessa, Tessie or Terry?

Boys Nicknames

Albert - Al, Bert or Bertie?
Alexander - Alec, Alex, Lex or Xander?
Andrew - Andy, Dandy or Drew?
Charles - Charlie, Chaz, Chip or Chuck?
Christopher - Chris, Christie or Kit?
David - Dakin, Dave, Davey or Dawkin?
Edward - Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted or Ward?
Francis - Francie, Frank, Frankie or Frankin?
Frederick - Fred, Freddy or Fritz?
Geoffrey - Geffrin, Jeff or Jepp?
Gilbert - Gib, Gibbin, Gibby or Gil?
Harold - Hal or Harry?
Henry - Hal, Hank, Hankin, Harry or Hawkin?
James - Jaime, Jake, Jem, Jim or Jimmy?
John - Jack, Jankin, Jenkin, Jock, Johncock or Johnny?
Joseph - Joe, Joey or Josey?
Laurence - Larkin, Larry or Laurie?
Michael - Mick, Mickey, Mike or Mikey?
Nicholas - Cole, Nick or Nicky?
Oliver - Noll or Ollie?
Philip - Phil, Philkin, Pip or Pippin?
Richard - Dick, Dickin, Hick, Rich or Rick?
Robert - Bob, Bobby, Dob, Hob, Hobkin, Nob, Rabbie, Rob, Robin, Robbie or Robby?
Roger - Dodge, Hodge, Nodge or Rodge?
Simon - Sy, Sim or Simkin?
Theodore - Dorie, Ned, Ted, Teddy or Theo?
Walter - Wally, Walt or Watkin?
William - Bill, Billy, Liam, Wilk, Wilkin, Will, Willie, Wills or Willy?

Which nicknames do you like and why?
Are there any of these names that you think don't need a nickname? or names that definitely need a nickname?

Your Resident Name Enthusiast,
Miss Laurie :)

Saturday, September 17, 2011

English Nicknames in Jane Austen's Day

As promised, here is a list of English Nicknames! Not all of these names were used in Jane Austen's novels but most of these would have been used during her day. As always not everyone would use a nickname and which nickname was used would be the parent's choice. Some of these I've noted as being used in more modern times or by specific nationalities.

Ladies:

Agatha - Ag, Aggie, Tag, Taggie
Ann / Anne - Annie, Nan, Nannie, Nancy
Barbara - Babs, Barbie, Bobbi
Brigid - Biddy, Birdie
Caroline - Caro, Carrie
Cassandra - Callie, Cassie
Catherine / Katherine - Cat, Cathy, Kate, Kathy, Katie, Kit, Kitty
Charlotte - Charley, Lottie
Clara / Clarissa - Clare, Clarey
Dolores - Dolly, Lola
Dorothy - Dodie, Dodo, Dolly, Dorie, Dot, Dottie
Eleanor / Elinor - Ella, Ellie, Nora
Elizabeth - Bess, Bessie, Beth, Bethan (Welsh) Betsey, Betsy, Bette (French), Betty, Elsie (Scottish often used for Elspeth), Eliza, Leeza, Libby, Lise, Lisette (French), Liz, Liza, Lizzie, Lizzy, Tibby
Esther - Essie, Ettie
Felicity - Fliss, Lissie
Florence - Flo, Flora (Scottish), Florrie, Floss, Flossie
Frances - Fanny, Fran, Frannie
Georgiana / Georgina - Georgie, Gina
Harriet - Hattie
Helen / Ellen - Nell, Nellie, Nelly
Henrietta - Etta, Hettie, Hetty
Isabel / Isabella - Bel, Bella, Belle, Izzy (Modern), Nib, Nibbie
Jane - Janie, Janet, Jenny
Josephine - Jo, Jodie, Josie
Julia - Jule, Julie, Juley
Margaret - Daisy (from the French Marguerite), Maggie, Marg, Margery, Margot (French), Meg, Megan (Welsh), Meggie, Peg, Peggy (Scottish), Pegeen (Irish)
Maria - Mari, Marie, Mary
Mary - Maidie, Maisie (Scottish), Malkin, Marion, May (used by royalty), Minnie, Molly, Molly, Polly
Matilda - Mattie, Matty, Tilda, Tilly
Philippa - Pip, Pippa, Pippi
Sarah - Sadie, Sally, Saro (1800's)
Sophia - Sophie, Sophy
Susan / Susana - Sue, Sukey, Sukie, Susie (more modern)
Teresa / Theresa - Tess, Tessa, Tessie, Terry (modern)

Gentlemen:

Adam - Adcock, Adekin, Adkin
Albert - Al, Bert, Bertie
Alexander - Alec (Scottish), Alex, Lex (modern), Xander (foreign)
Andrew - Andy, Dandy, Drew (modern)
Charles - Charlie (often Scottish), Chaz (modern), Chip, Chuck
Christopher - Christ, Christie (often Scottish), Kit
David - Dakin, Dave, Davey, Dawkin
Edward - Ed, Eddie, Ned, Ted, Ward (modern) [some of these nickname also used for Edgar & Edmond / Edmund]
Francis - Francie (1800's Irish), Frank, Frankie, Frankin
Frederic / Frederick - Fred, Freddie, Freddy, Fritz (German)
Geoffrey - Geffrin, Jeff, Jepp
George - Georgie
Gilbert - Gib, Gibbin, Gibby, Gil
Harold - Hal, Harry
Henry - Hal, Hank, Hankin, Harry, Hawkin, Henecok, Henkin
James - Jaime (often Scottish or Irish), Jake (because James is a form of Jacob), Jem, Jim, Jimmy
John - Jack, Jackie, Jankin, Jenkin, Jock (Scottish), Johncock, Johnny
Joseph - Joe, Josey
Lawrence / Laurence - Larkin, Larry (modern), Laurie
Luke - Luckin, Lukin
Matthew - Makin, Matt, Maycock, Maykin
Michael - Mick, Mickey (often Irish), Mike, Mikey
Nicholas - Cole, Colin (Scottish), Nick, Nicky
Oliver - Noll, Ollie
Peter - Parkin, Perkin, Pete (modern), Peterkin
Philip / Phillip - Phil, Philkin, Pip, Pippin
Ralph - Rafe, Rawkin
Richard - Dick, Dickin, Hick, Rich (modern), Rick
Robert - Bob, Bobby, Dob, Hob, Hobkin, Nob, Rabbie (Scottish), Rob, Eobin, Robbie, Robby
Roger - Dodge, Hodge, Hodgkin, Nodge, Rodge, Rodgkin
Samuel - Sam, Sammy
Simon - Sim, Simkin
Theodore - Dorie, Ned, Ted, Teddy, Theo
Thomas - Tam, Tom, Tomkin, Tonk, Tonkin
Walter - Wally (modern), Walt, Watkin
William - Bill, Billy, Liam (Irish), Wilcock, Wilk, Wilkin, Will, Willie, Wills, Willy

While I was searching for some history about Regency names I came across a few websites and articles of interest.

Links:

Regency Home has some interesting pages. They have three pages that track popular names in Regency Caernarvonshire, London and Bedfordshire.
Stuff and Nonsense has several interesting gadgets include a Regency Name Generator, Regency Place Name Generator and a Map of England 1660-1892.
And I enjoyed reading Elena at Risky Regencies' article about the problems historical fiction writers find when naming their characters.
Also a great resource for Jane Austen fans is Pemberley.com's Jane Austen Character Names. I'm also working on putting together a blog/database of my own so check out my Jane Austen Names.

Do any of these nicknames surprise you?

Your Resident Name Enthusiast,

Miss Laurie :)

P.S. I'm still planning on posting about Jane Austen & English Nicknames on Old-Fashioned Charm bit it's going to take me a but to edit it so it's more readable. Thanks for all of your encouragement!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Jane Austen and English Nicknames

This post is sort of a request but I've also been wanting to investigate the theme of English Nicknames for a while now. Back in February I commented on my blogging friend Melody at Regency Delight ~Jane Austen, etc.~ posted Sense and Sensibility: Nancy or Anne? in which she asked why Miss Steele, sister of Lucy Steele in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility is sometimes called Anne and sometimes called Nancy.
The easy answer is that her Christian name is Anne and her nickname is Nancy, but this leads to the question why is Nancy a common nickname for Anne? And for that matter why is Catherine Bennet in Pride and Prejudice always called Kitty and why is Fanny Price of Mansfield Park named after her mother Frances but she's never called Frances in the book?

Those folks in the United Kingdom have always seemed to me to be quite fond of nicknames, shortening and abbreviating. But this leads to the question where did these "common" nicknames actually come from? To answer this question some research on English nicknames and their origins was in order! It took me a while to find a good source but once I did I found more information than I'd ever dreamed of! Reading NameNerds.com's terrific article Where Do Our Nicknames Come From? was an enlightening experience for me, one of those "ah ha!" moments. I highly recommend reading their article but I'll be quoting heavily from them here too.

Nicknames and terms of endearment have been used in almost every culture world wide but common English nicknames we have today have their roots in the Middle Ages.

"Way back in the middle ages, a common way to make diminutives of names is to add -kin, -in, or -cock to the end. Thus, John became Jankin or Jenkin, which eventually became shortened to Jakin, which in turn became Jack. Many of these names today survive in surname form (i.e., Jenkins, Wilkins, Perkins, Tompkins, Wilcox, Johncox, etc.) though there are not many used as first names anymore." - NameNerds.com

Some examples of these -kin / -in / -cock type of nicknames I found interesting:

Francis = Frankin, Frank (Jane Austen's brother Francis "Frank" Austen and Emma character Frank Churchill)
Gilbert = Gibbin
Henry = Hawkin, Henkin, Hankin, Hank, Henecok
John = Jankin, Jenkin, Jakin, Jack, Johncock
Lawrence = Larkin
Nicholas = Colin, Cole (this answers some of my Colin origin questions!)
Robert = Robin, Hobkin (like Robin Hood, Robert of Locksley)
Simon = Simkin
Thomas = Tonkin, Tomkin, Tonk
William = Wilkin, Wilk, Wilcock

Other style of nicknames in the Middle Ages were: "Rhyming names also have been popular diminutive forms of names. For example, Robert spawned not only Rob, but Hob and Dob as well, which in turn became Hobkin and Dobkin." - NameNerds.com

Other examples are:

Andrew = Andy, Dandy

Robert = Rob, Bob, Hob, Dob, Nob

William = Will, Bill

"The Norman Invasion of England in 1066 changed the language as well as the naming pool. The Normans introduced many new sounds into the language that the native populations had difficulty with. The "r" sound was one of these, which led to it being dropped or changed in many diminutive forms of names."

For example:

Barbara = Babs
Dorothy = Dolly
Mary = Moll, Molly, Polly, Maisie, Maidie (Molly Gibson of Mrs. Gaskell's Wives & Daughters is named after her mother Mary)
Margaret = Maggie, Meg, Meggie, Peg, Peggy
Sarah = Sally, Sadie (Answers the conumdrum of Catherine Morland's sister's name in Chapter 2 Northanger Abbey!)
Frances = Fanny
Brigid = Biddy
Teresa = Tess, Tessa, Tessie (like in Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbevilles)

"-ch and -th sounds were pronounced like "k" and "t" in these days as well. Surviving today are the pronunciations of Thomas, Theresa and Anthony (pronounced like Antony in Britain still). Richard was pronounced more like Rickard, thus giving rise to the pet forms Rick, Hick, and Dick."

Some examples:

Dorothy = Dot, Dodie
Elizabeth = Bess, Bessie, Betty (and Betsey like Fanny Price's sister in Mansfield Park and other characters!)
Catherine = Kit, Kitty, Kate (like Kitty Bennet of Pride and Prejudice!)
Christopher = Kit
Theodore = Ted
Theresa = Tess, Tessie

"Another pet name trend was to use "mine" in front of a name. This eventually contracted to add an "n" sound to the beginnings of some names."
For example:

Ann = Nan, Nannie
Edward = Ned
Helen = Nell, Nelly

"Present day finds us adding -ie, -y, -i or other "ee" sounds to a name (or name's syllable) to form the diminutive. This began in Scotland and spread to the rest of England, and then were brought to the USA. In Scotland, Christie was originally a man's name, short for Christopher. Likewise, Josey was short for Joseph (i.e., the Clint Eastwood movie The Outlaw Josey Wales)." - NameNerds.com

Like I said, this article answered so many questions for me!
But there's just a few more questions lurking in the back of my mind.

If there are all these cool nicknames why do some of Jane Austen's characters (especially heroines) have nicknames and some do not?
Similar to today nicknames in Jane Austen's day were entirely up to the individual and the family.
A lot of times the child would be named after a family member and often a nickname would be used for the young child to distinguish one from the other (i.e. Molly Gibson of Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters is said to have been Christened Mary after her mother but was called Molly to tell them apart, when her mother died she kept being called Molly because it suited her). Often parents would Christen their child after a wealthier relative and make them godfather or godmother of the child in the hopes that the wealth relative might favor their namesake with wealth. I believe this is the case with George Wickham in Pride and Prejudice, his godfather the elder Mr. Darcy mentioned Wickham in his will. (This and the fact that his young daughter was named Georgiana leads me to believe that the elder Mr. Darcy's first name was probably George!) In Mansfield Park Fanny's youngest sister Betsey is goddaughter to their Aunt Norris (which leads me to believe they shared the common Christian name Elizabeth) but young Betsey is less fortunate than other godchildren receiving from her stingy aunt only the apologizes of not sending her a prayer book!
Names always tell a story, the naming of a child can tell you volumes about their parent's hopes and dreams for them. I believe Jane Austen knew this and chose the names of her characters very carefully. If you look closely at the sounds, histories and meanings of her character's names you'll find that most of the names suit the character's personality to a tea!

Why are some characters only called by their nicknames? do these characters even have proper Christian names?
Like I said before a lot of children who were named after family members often were given nickname to distinguish them from their relatives. Some children would grow into their full names but some would find that their nickname suited them throughout their lives. (Example: In a letter to a relative soon after Jane Austen's birth her father called his daughters Cassie and Jenny but we find in their teens and early twenties "Jenny" is never in use in family letters to mean Jane but Jane Austen sometimes called her sister "Aunt Cassie" when writing to her nieces and nephews.)
Why is Catherine Bennet called Kitty and Catherine Morland is never called so? Well, perhaps Kitty Bennet was named after her mother and so they always use her nickname to distinguish, or perhaps she's named after her Aunt Phillips. Perhaps Catherine Morland never needed a nickname because she didn't live close to a relative she was named after. Why is Anne Steele usually called Nancy and Anne Elliot is never called by a nickname? Perhaps she is named after a family member but then again their names may tell us more about their stations in life. Nancy Steele is from a humble Devonshire family while Anne Elliot's family is among the nobility of England and Ireland! To Sir Walter Elliot Anne was the name of Queens and royalty so in his eyes it suited his daughter better.
Characters like Fanny Price who are only ever called by the nickname would most certainly have had full Christian names even if they aren't mentioned in the novels. Most of Jane Austen's characters would have had a faith association that required in proper society that a child be Christened otherwise it would be considered that they didn't legally have a name. Among the middle and upper classes that Jane Austen associated with there were definitely names that were considered acceptable as Christian names and those that were not, names have even stricter connotations than they do now. A nickname like Sally, Jack, Fanny or Ned would not have been considered a "proper Christian name". Therefore Fanny would have been legally Christened Frances Price, but her family called her Fanny. It tells volumes of her relative's thoughts about her that when she is taken into their upper class society she is not raised to the rank of a Frances but is kept at the lowly positions of "just Fanny Price". I personally think the nickname suits the meek character better and Jane Austen must have too!

A few other observations:

Few Biblical names were accepted in the upper classes of Jane Austen's day, perhaps because they were still associated with the Puritains, Quakers and other pious religious groups who scoured their Bibles for the names of saints and virtues. Biblical names were often considered plain and used more frequently among the lower classes. Anglicized versions such as Anne (Anna), Elizabeth (Elisabeth), Jane (John and Joanna), Susan (Susana) and Maria (Mary) were more frequently used.
Names were very much linked with their origins so it could be assumed that if you had a "foreign" name that you would probably be a foreigner.
Flower names didn't come into fashion until the late 1800's so it would seem odd for a girl to be named Violet or Lily.
Meanings of names, their histories and associations (social, political, religious) were almost always taken into account when parents named their children. Jane Austen plays on this language of names from time to time in her novels.

I hope this answers some of your questions as it has mine about the whys and wherefores of English nicknames and Jane Austen's usages of them in her novels.

In a few days I'm hoping to post a fuller list of names and their common nicknames so be on the look out for that!

Your Resident Name Enthusiast,

Miss Laurie :)

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Blog Buttons!

Dear Readers, I've long been wanting to make buttons so you could link to me if you wish. It took me a while to come up with images I liked but in the end I decided on these three so you can all pick which one you like best.

I hope you link to me and visit often. Thanks! :)

Letter D - What would you name your daughter?
	Daisy
	Danielle
	Dorothy
	Delaney
	Destiny
	Dagmar
	Desiree
	Danika

pollcode.com free polls

Letter D - What would you name your son?
	Daniel
	David
	Dylan
	Declan
	Douglas
	Donovan
	Demetrius
	Dustin

pollcode.com free polls

Which of these surnames goes best with your first name?
	Blaine
	Breckenridge
	Campbell
	Corrigan
	Darcy
	Devlin
	Elliot
	Fabre
	Gilbert
	Hamilton
	Kelly
	Knightley
	Linton
	Macfarland
	Marsden
	McCallum
	McNeil
	Morland
	Pettigrew
	Roydon
	Steele
	Sullivan
	Tilney
	Tolbert
	Wentworth
	Wickham
	Willoughby

pollcode.com free polls

Letter C - What would you name your daughter?
	Caitlin
	Claire
	Catherine
	Courtney
	Chloe
	Christina
	Constance
	Charity

pollcode.com free polls

Letter C - What would you name your son?
	Caleb
	Colin
	Charles
	Cameron
	Christopher
	Connor
	Craig
	Corbin

pollcode.com free polls

Pages

Thursday, December 29, 2011

My Alphabet Favorites - December 2011

Sunday, November 27, 2011

What Would You Name Your Child? - Letter D

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

What Would You Name Your Child? - Letter C

Monday, October 24, 2011

What Would You Name Your Child? - Letter B

Sunday, October 9, 2011

What Would You Name Your Child? - Letter A