CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY by KAREN CUSHMAN
For my new kidlit book club, I had to choose something in the historical fiction genre. I chose Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman solely by title (and the knowledge it was a Newbery Honor Book). The title told me there would be an interesting name story involved and I was right.
Without giving too much of the story away, I can tell you that 14-year-old Catherine gets her nickname because she loves birds and keeps quite a menagerie in her bedroom. I love the way Cushman uses birds as a metaphor throughout the book. As a girl living in Medieval England, Birdy has very few choices and feels caged by the strict rules of society. Birdy spends the book fighting against what’s expected of her and longs to “fly free” to create a life of her choosing. I won’t spoil the ending, but I think birds are the perfect metaphor for this story. In a clever passage, Birdy describes each of her friends and family members as a different kind of bird. It’s great insight into the characters and left me wondering what kind of bird I am.
From a name perspective, I think it’s an interesting notion to have a nickname that comes from a hobby. I’d love to hear from readers who have a nickname like this or know someone who does – a fisherman who goes by Fish, a rock climber who goes by Rock, a baker who goes by Cookie. You get the idea. Write me!
In addition to Birdy, there were some other notable names in the book. Here are some of Cushman’s picks for this Medieval period piece (with my two cents thrown in):
FEMALE CHARACTER NAMES
AISLINN – quite stylish these days
BERYL – probably not a great choice these days
BIRDY (LITTLE BIRD) – a great nickname
CATHERINE – a timeless classic
ETHELFRITHA – I’m not sure we’ll ever be ready for this one
JOAN– a little out-of-date these days
JOANNA – slightly cooler than Joan
Lady AELIS – quite lovely
MARJORIE Mustard– definitely out-of-date these days
MEG – sweet as a nickname
MORWENNA – definitely not ready for revival
MALE CHARACTER NAMES
BEHRTWALD – no way
COB the Smith – I love the quirky nicknames
CUTHMAN Cook – not one of the better surname-sounding names
EDWARD – a classic
GEOFFREY – I really like the traditional spelling
GEORGE – these vintage-sounding names are on a comeback
GERD – I love the quirky nicknames
HENRY Newhouse – a vintage name that’s chic again
JOHN – a little too common these days
NORBERT – less cool than Behrtwald
RALPH – not ready for a comeback yet
RHYS – stylish and cool
ROGER Moreton – I’ve always sort of enjoyed the name Roger
ROLLO – this is usually short for Roland (I’ve actually met a Rollo before)
THOMAS – another classic
WILLIAM – nickname Will is especially trendy right now
PETS’ NAMES
ANISE
BETONY
BRUTUS
PEPPERCORN
ROSEMARY
RUE
OTHER PEOPLE NAMED BIRD
This book isn’t the only place you’ll find Bird used as a name. Of course, there’s the famous first lady Lady Bird Johnson (born Claudia). Busy Phillips also recently named her daughter Birdie. Know of anyone else named Bird?
PET NAMES
If you don’t know already, I’m a big animal lover. I think pet names are every bit as interesting as people names—and sometimes even more so because people tend to be more creative with pet names. Catherine, Called Birdy had some great choices and I couldn’t leave them out. From this list, I think I love Peppercorn the most – so cute!
READ THE BOOK YOURSELF
Catherine, Called Birdy
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Happy naming,
♥ Amanda
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BABY NAMES MADE EASY: THE COMPLETE REVERSE-DICTIONARY OF BABY NAMES
For inspiration, I reached back into some of my favorite childhood memories and to a few key chapters in BABY NAMES MADE EASY – chiefly, Magic and Animals & Insects. A few of my picks are from the spookier side of Halloween and some of them are from the sweeter side of the day. 
