Five Little Peppers

[dustkitty.livejournal.com]

So, I read Five Little Peppers and How They Grew yesterday, and was highly amused by the children's names. Most of them were fairly normal for the time period the story is set in, but some I'd imagine were less usual even then.

The Peppers:
Ebenezer (Ben or Bensie)
Mary (Polly)
Joel (Joey)
David (Davey)
Sophronia (Phronsie)

Their friends:
Jasper (Jappy)
Percy
Van (Vannie)
Dick (Dickie)

I'm not sure how they got Polly out of Mary, except that Mary was also their mother's name, and thus they'd want a different nickname for the daughter. I rather liked Ben for Ebenezer, though I'd never use it. I like Jasper, but Jappy is awful (and even the Peppers seemed to think so in the story), and Sophronia and even Phronsie are such mouthfuls.

Comments

[schexyschteve.livejournal.com]

Polly is a legitimate nickname for Mary. Maybe it comes from Molly?

I like Joel and David as names for siblings.

[jazzyaimsaru.livejournal.com]

Polly is a legitimate nickname for Mary. Maybe it comes from Molly?

Yep. From babynames.com: [Polly is a] Variation of the name Molly, which comes from Mary. Often used as a nickname for Paula and is considered a name on its own.

[tryyingtoevolve.livejournal.com]

Polly is to Mary/Molly like Peg is to Margaret/Meg. It's weird, but legitimate, haha.

[requiem-morrow.livejournal.com]

I knew a Rachel who went by Polly...never understood how they got there, but she was Polly.

[kitchen-poet.livejournal.com]

I had a cat named Ebenezer. :) I agree that Jasper is neat, but Jappy is awful.

[waitingonsunday.livejournal.com]

There is something very cute about Alexander Pepper.