Onomastic Variation

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Onomastic Variation

• By Don L. F. Nilsen and
• Alleen Pace Nilsen

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Acronyms, Initialisms and Numbers

• O. J. Simpson ( was known as the juice and was a
  spokesman for Orange Juice).
• Tony Dorset had the initials T.D. meaning
  touchdown.
• Note that Siddhartha Gautama and Jesus of
  Nazareth are known by their rolesBuddha and
  Christ or Savior.
• In Peanuts there are characters named 3, 4, and 5.

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Jesus a.k.a.?
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Aliases (a.k.a.)

• Barry Humphreys, Bruce Banner, Bruce Wayne, Clark
  Kent, Peter Parker, Wolverine ?
• Dame Edna, The Hulk, Batman, Superman, Spiderman
  Wolverines aliases depend on the situation
• Note that Superman has to become Clark Kent to
  keep from being a superhero, while Bruce Wayne
  hides his identity by becoming Batman.
• Prince ? the artist formerly known as Prince. He
  is also known as The Love Symbol.

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The Love Symbol a.k.a. ?
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Hugh Jackman a.k.a. ?
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• Then there are the doppelgangers, like Dr. Jekyll
  and Mr. Hyde, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and
  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
• There are also code names like
• POTUS for Barack Obama
• FLOTUS for Michelle Obama
• Sawhorse for Al Gore
• Angler for Dick Cheney
• Evergreen for Hillary Clinton
• Phoenix for John McCain.

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FLOTUS a.k.a. ?
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Anagrams

• In the Lemony Snicket books, Count Olaf is an
  anagram of
• Al Funcoot
• Foreman Flacutono
• and Dr. O. Lucafont.
• In the Harry Potter books,
• Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram of
• I am Lord Voldemort.

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Aptronyms in John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress

• Christian
• Faithful
• Mr. Brisk
• Mr. Great Heart
• Mr. Honest

• Giant Despair
• Giant Grim
• Madam Bubble
• Mr. Despondency
• Mr. Moneylove
• Mrs. Bats-Eyes

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Foreman Flacutono a.k.a. ?
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Brand NamesBlendings

• Efferdent toothpaste
• Danskin tights
• Allerest allergy medicine
• Slimnastics
• Mylanta antacid medicine

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Associations

• Chevrolet Lumina
• Honda Acura
• Mitsubishi Precis
• Nissan Maxima
• Nissan Altima
• Sentra Car
• Volkswagen Jetta

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• Mexico City Zoo
• Ying Ying
• Washington D.C. Zoo
• Ling Ling
• Hsing-Hsing
• London Zoo
• Chia-Chia

• As a mark of affection, Chinese parents often
  give their children double names.
• Since Pandas are native only to China, Pandas
  also receive double names.

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Misspellings

• Sunkist Oranges
• Jello Dessert
• DieHard Batteries
• Evenflo baby bottles
• Klos kids clothing
• Mop Glo cleaner
• Sew n Vac repairs

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Shortened Phrases
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X-Rated Brands

• Sinex medicine
• Sominex medicine
• Xerox
• Kotex
• Clorox
• Exxon
• Kleenex
• Ford Ranger XLT
• Hyundai Excel

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Character Names

• In Margaret Mitchells Gone with the Wind she had
  a character named Pansy.
• On the advice of her editor she changed the name
  to Scarlett OHara.

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Cryptonyms

• James Bond, Karl Malone?
• 007, The Mailman (because of his number 32, the
  cost of a stamp at that time, and because he
  delivers!)
• In Get Smart Maxwell Smart was Agent 86 and his
  sidekick was Agent 99.

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Karl Malone a.k.a. ?
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Gender Identifications

• Authors like S. E. Hinton and J. K. Rowling use
  initials.
• And Mary Evans ? George Eliot.

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Toward Ethnicity

• Cassius Clay, Daniel Michaeli, David Cornwell,
  Jerry Rivers, Lesane Parish Crooks, Lew Alcindor,
  Susan Weaver ?
• Muhammad Ali, Danny DeVito, John Le Carré,
  Geraldo Rivera, Tupac Amaru Shakur, Kareem Abdul
  Jabar, Sigourney Weaver

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Cassius Clay a.k.a.?
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Away from Ethnicity

• Aaron Chwatt, Avram Chomsky, Bernard Schwartz,
  Carlos Estevez, Carlos Ray, David Kaminsky, Dino
  Crocetti, Doris von Kappelhoff, Enrique Martin
  Morales, Frederick Austerlitz, Gerald Silberman ?
• Red Buttons, Noam Chomsky, Tony Curtis, Charlie
  Sheen, Chuck Norris, Danny Kaye, Dean Martin,
  Doris Day, Ricky Martin, Fred Astaire, Gene Wilder

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Frederick Austerlitz a.k.a. ?
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• Jacob Cohen, Jennifer Anastassakis, Joan
  Molinsky, Jonathan Leibowitz, Joseph Levitch,
  Larry Zeigler, Louise Ciccone Ritchie, Margarita
  Cansino, Melvin Kaminsky, Paul Rubenfeld, Raquel
  Tejada, Salvatore Bono, Winona Horowitz ?
• Rodney Dangerfield, Jennifer Aniston, Joan
  Rivers, Jon Stewart, Jerry Lewis, Larry King,
  Madonna, Rita Hayworth, Mel Brooks, Pee-Wee
  Herman, Raquel Welch, Sonny Bono, Winona Ryder

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Jacob Cohen a.k.a. ?
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Toward Formality

• Andre Young, Dana Owens, Frances Gumm, Gary
  Keillor, James Bumbarner?
• Dr. Dre, Queen Latifah, Judy Garland, Garrison
  Keillor, James Garner
• NOTE We dont normally go in this direction. We
  would prefer to be thought of as informal and
  maybe a bit off beat.

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Frances Gumm a.k.a. ?
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Away from Formality

• Aaron Chwatt, Allen Konigsberg, Caryn Johnson,
  Clerow Wilson, Cordazer Broadus, Dante Smith,
  David Atkins, Gordon Sumner, James Osterberg,
  James Smith, John Sanford, Joseph Keaton?
• Red Buttons, Woody Allen, Whoopi Goldberg, Flip
  Wilson, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Mos Def, Sinbad, Sting,
  Iggy Pop, LL Cool J, Redd Foxx, Buster Keaton
• The rapper Christopher Wallace ? Notorious B.I.G.
  and then ? Biggie Smalls.

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Caryn Johnson a.k.a. ?
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Away from Formality

• Curtis Jackson, Leonard Hackett, Louis Armstrong,
  Marshall Mathers, Marvin Aday, Milton Superman,
  Oshea Jackson, Otha Bates, Phyllis Driver, Robert
  Van Winckle, Salvatore Bono, Scott Thompson,
  Shelton Lee, Stanley Burrell, Tracy Morrow ?
• 50 Cent, Buddy Hacket, Satchmo, Eminem, Meat
  Loaf, Soupy Sales, Ice Cube, Bo Diddley, Phyllis
  Diller (note assonance), Vanilla Ice, Sonny Bono,
  Carrott Top, Spike Lee, M. C. Hammer, Ice-T

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Louis Armstrong a.k.a. ?
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Away from Old Fashioned

• Herbert Gleason, Goldie Studlendgehawn, Malcolm
  Little, Marion Michael Morrison (also away from
  gender ambiguity)?
• Jackie Gleason, Goldie Hawn, Malcolm X, John
  Wayne

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Marion Michael Morrison a.k.a. ?
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Nicknames

• Donald, Edward, Elizabeth, Francis, Gerald,
  Harold, Jacqueline, John, Joseph, Josephine,
  Judith, Leonard, Lucille, Margaret, Marjorie,
  Melvin, Nicholas, Patrick, Richard, Robert,
  Salvatore, Samuel, Susan, Theodore, Thomas,
  William ?
• Don, Ed, Lizzy/Lisa/Beth/Betsy/Elsbeth, Frank,
  Jerry, Harry/Hal, Jackie, Johnny/Jack, Joe, Jo
  (in Little Women), Judy, Leo, Lucy,
  Maj/Margo/Maggie/Meg/ Marge/Peggy/Peg, Mel, Nick
  (this is his nick-name, Pat, Dick, Bob, Sal,
  Sam, Sue/Suzie/Suzie Que, Ted, Tom,
  Will/Bill/Billie

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Patronyms (first names become last names)

• Brian, Casey, Connor, Donald, Gerald, Jack, John,
  Murry, Neil, Owen, Patrick, Reilly, Ryan, Will ?
• OBrian, OCasey, OConnor, McDonald/ODonald,
  Fitzgerald, Jackson, Johnson, McMurry,
  Neilsen/McNeil/ONeil, Bowen (Ap Owen),
  Fitzpatrick, OReilly, ORyan, Wilson

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Pen Names

• Charles Dodgson, Daniel Handler, Richard Bachman,
  Samuel Clemens ?
• Lewis Carroll, Lemony Snicket, Stephen King, Mark
  Twain
• And Theodore Seuss Geisel ? Dr. Seuss, Theo Le
  Seig, and Rosetta Stone

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Samuel Clemens a.k.a. ?
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• In the early 1800s, Louisa May Alcotts father,
  Bronson, changed their family name.
• The name Allcox became Alcott.

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Louisa May Alcott
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• When Ernest Hemingway was in high school
  (1916-1917) he used all of the following pen
  names

• B. S.
• E. H.
• Ernest Hemingway
• Ernest MacNamara Hemingway
• Ernest Michaelowitch Hemingway
• Ernest Miller Hemingway

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Ernest Hemingway
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Pet Names

• These names tend to be mild insults. Please tell
  us the pet names of people you know. For
  example
• I have a cat that I call Dipper Hips.
• Thats my cats pet name.
• My own name is Don Lee Fred Nilsen, so people
  used to call me Dolphin (DLFN). When people call
  me Donald, I correct them by saying, No, Donald
  is the duck. In the army I went to German
  operas, so my buddies called me Fledermaus.

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Fledermaus a.k.a. ?
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Pseudonyms

• Mary ? Maria ? Marianne
• Ave Maria, marionnette
• Note that in the music industry most of the
  Pseudonyms are quite dark or playful, like the
  following
• Alien, Buck Satan, Hypo Luxa, Jello Biafra

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Recycling of Names

• David Copperfield (Dickens Character), Dolly
  Parton (Country Singer), Englebert Humperdink
  (Opera Composer), Yogi Berra (baseball catcher) ?
• David Copperfield (magician, né David Kotkin),
  Dolly (sheep cloned from a mammary gland),
  Englebert Humperdink (singer, né Arnold Dorsey),
  Yogi Bear (cartoon character)
• On Lost, the con-man James Ford takes on the
  alias of Sawyer from another con-man who goes
  by the name of Tom Sawyer. He is part
  capitalist (Ford) and part con-man Sawyer.

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Who is it? A.K.A.?
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The Name Jacques in France

• In France, the non-aristocrats were called La
  Jacquerie. Originally this referred to any
  peasant or non-aristocrat, but later it referred
  to the peasant uprising that marched from
  Marseille to Paris and stormed the Bastille.
• In Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities, three of
  the characters are named Jacques 1, Jacques 2 and
  Jacques 3.

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Stage Names

• In 1920, Alan Bolt became Americas first
  important sexy movie star.
• But first, he had to change his name to Rudolph
  Valentino.

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Rudolph Valentino
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• But he went back to his original name, telling
  his agent,
• They can learn!

• In his first movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger went by
  the name of Arnold Strong.
• His agent told him that Americans would never say
  Schwarzenegger.

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Arnold Schwartzenegger
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Symbolic Names

• Casanova, Don Juan, Sam, St. Patrick ?
• a casanova, Byrons Don Juan, and Mozarts Don
  Giovanni, Uncle Sam, St. Patricks Day
• Note Uncle Sam ? United States.

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United States a.k.a. ?
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Place Names

• When settlers came to Arizona, they invented such
  place names as
• Carefree
• Golden Valley
• Inspiration, Paradise Valley
• Phoenix
• Tucson

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• Booze Crossing
• Contention
• Del Muerto
• Grasshopper Junction
• Hookers Hot Springs
• Tombstone

• But people just passing through Arizona invented
  such names as

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Toponymic Names

• Cody, Montana, Tex, The Virginian
• Chevy Chase, Dakota Fanning, Indiana Jones,
  Minnesota Fats, Rock Hudson Tennessee Williams
• Cornelius Chase, Henry Deutschendorf, Janet
  Rasmussen, River Bottom ?
• Chevy Chase, John Denver, Janet Reno, River
  Phoenix

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Harrison Ford a.k.a. ?
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Names Web Sites

• American Name Society
• http//www.wtsn.binghamton.edu/ANS/
• Baby Names
• http//nameberry.com/
• Nilsen, Alleen Pace, and Don L. F. Nilsen. Names
  and Naming in Young Adult Literature. Lanham, MD
  Scarecrow Press, 2007.
• http//www.scarecrowpress.com/Catalog/SingleBook.s
  html?commandSearchdbDB/CATALOG.dbeqSKUdata08
  10858088