This week in Literary Names I've decided to focus on another favorite book - Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. (Quick shoutout to the author for having a great first and middle combo!)
I'll only be focusing on the four sisters and their three husbands, but there are some other great names in the book - the next generation includes a Daisy, Demi, Josy, Robin, and Teddy.
Shall we?
Margaret "Meg" March..... Marit Damiana
Margaret has seemingly infinite variations, Marit being a Scandinavian form. It strikes me as very neat, elegant and mature, like Meg's character. Damiana is much more feminine, and means "domesticated" - I think it's a great amalgamation of the traits these "little women" were expected to fulfill.
Josephine "Jo" March..... Josefina Constance
To keep with my pattern of homage first names and personality middle names, I chose the Spanish variant of Jo's name, Josefina - also a popular American Girl doll, to continue with the "herstory" theme. Constance refers to the determination of Jo's character, and tempers the feminine first name with an anchored -ance ending.
Elizabeth "Beth" March..... Ellie Sonata
I wanted a name that was soft and musical, sweet and light. Ellie is warm and amiable, like Beth's character. Sonata is a reference to Beth's musical abilities, as well as her love for the piano. This name is less formal than the others, but Beth always stood out from the sisters (at least for me!)
Amy Curtis March..... Esme Sandrine
Amy always struck me as sophisticated and worldly - or at least, she wanted to be that way. Esme, like Amy, means "beloved", but has a more exotic twist. Sandrine is a reference to Amy's European travels, as well as being a diminutive of the strong and defensive "Alexandra" - another nod to her character.
Theodore "Laurie" Laurence..... Theo Lorenzo
Theodore is a great name on its own, but Theo updates it against the old Teddy or Tad nicknames. Lorenzo is grand and attractive, like Laurie's character, and the two ending-in-O names together have a nice ring to them.
John Brooke..... Jack Moses
For Meg's beau, I wanted a friendly, common name that was a little softer than the formal John - Jack fits the bill. With Brooke, I wanted to continue the water theme, so I choses the softer Moses - also the name of a Biblical leader, it's a slight nod to John's work as a tutor.
Friedrich Bhaer..... Pax Oberon
This was more a of a guilty pleasure name, but there are so many options - Friedrich means "peaceful ruler," so I chose another peace name - Pax. Bhaer comes from the German for bear, and Oberon means "bearlike". I also like the literary reference - Oberon is in A Midsummer Night's Dream - which I think works nicely for a professor.
What do you think, readers? Did I nail the names or miss by a mile? Tell me in the comments!
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