Names from Agatha Christie: From Ariadne to Septimus

Zoë Wanamaker as Ariadne Oliver and David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

I have a confession to make: I am addicted to Agatha Christie shows. Now I do have plans on reading the novels, as I feel it's a requirement for anyone wanting to write mystery, and specifically historical mystery, just to see where these sort of novels originated. I call them my guilty pleasure simply because I do not particularly like Christie as a person, her racism being just the tip of a very large iceberg. But I have noticed she has some very interesting names in her works and I thought it would be great to take a look at them! Please let me know your favorites, or some I might have missed!

Women: 

Adelaide Jefferson
Adele Fortescue
Ariadne Oliver
Cherry Baker
Cicely Beauclerk
Cora Van Stuyvesant
Dolly Bantry
Elsie Holland
Elvira Blake
Evadne Willett
Florrie
Frankie Derwent
Ginger Corrigan
Griselda Clement
Gwenda Halliday
Gwenda Vaughn
Hester Argyle
Honoria Waynflete
Jolly Bellever
Kanga
Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent
Lavinia Pinkerton
Letitia Blacklock
Lettice Protheroe
Marina Gregg
Maud Dane Calthrop
May Ainsworth
Mitzi Kosinki
Primrose Dixon
Prudence "Tuppence" Beresford
Rowena Waddy
Thomasina Tuckerton
Thyrza Grey


Men:

Amos Perry
Archie Oxley
Augustin Dufosse
Basil Blake
Cardew Pye
Cedric Crackenthorpe
Claude Evans
Conway Jefferson
Hercule Poirot
Leo Argyle
Luther Crackenthorpe
Nevile Strange
Percival Fortescue
Rafiel
Rex Fortescue
Septimus Bligh

Comments

  1. apolla13July 3, 2020 at 9:40 PM

    I love Agatha Christie, ever since I discovered her books in my high school library one day and became addicted to them. I'm not kidding when I say I've read every Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple book and own nearly all of them.

    The shows are great. Although I've seen other adaptations of Poirot (I'm thinking of the 2017 movie with Kenneth Branagh, which was alright but not my favorite), to me David Suchet is the quintessential Poirot I've always envisioned from the books. There were some changes from the books to the screen (but that's true of everything show that adapts its material from literature), most I enjoyed, some I didn't, but overall the show was awesome and I find myself rewatching some episodes from time to time when I'm feeling nostalgic for a good mystery.

    I like the name (and character) of Ariadne Oliver. I think it was the first time I even came across the name Ariadne, and pairing that with Hercule (both names coming from Greek mythology, and both character so different) I thought was clever. Other favorites from this list are Rex Fortescue (did you notice that his children are named after characters from the Arthurian legends? Even his duaghter-in-law has a name connected to it), Gwenda, Thomasina Tuckerton, Basil Blake, Rafiel.

    Some other names I liked but aren't on this list are Lenox, Rosamund, Arlena, Valentine Chantry (I love this combination of the first and last name), Linnet, Jacqueline, Rosalie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BreeJuly 4, 2020 at 11:01 AM

      Thank you so much for your comment! I very much agree that David Suchet is the best Poirot. I love the other names you mentioned, especially Linnet, Rosamund, and Valentine Chantry.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Angourie

Image
Angourie Rice Origin: Aboriginal Gender: Female Meaning: Possibly "tail-feather of a seagull or sea eagle" Pronunciation: ann-GOW-ree Other Forms: N/A I've finally gotten around to watching Kate Winslet's new show on HBO, Mare of Easttown, and I'm really enjoying it so far. It's gritty, and perfectly captures small-town life. Her daughter, Siobhan, is played by Australian actress Angourie Rice (her sister also has an unusual name -- Kalliope). Of course, being name-obsessed as I am, I immediately dove into researching the name! Angourie herself is named after a town in New South Wales where her grandmother lived. Angourie is said to be from an Aboriginal word meaning "tail-feather of a seagull or sea eagle". For many of the indigenous people of Australia, the white-bellied sea eagle is an important figure, seen as guardian of the people and land. The seagull as well is highly regarded, and for some peoples it was common to have a small ceremonial car...
Read more

From Tzeitel to Bielke: The Five Daughters of Tevye

Image
  (From L-R) Rosalind Harris as Tzeitel, Neva Small as Chava and Michele Marsh as Hodel from Fiddler on the Roof When I very first saw Fiddler on the Roof , a 1971 film adaption of the musical based on a series of Yiddish stories written by Sholem Aleicham from 1894 to 1914, I fell in love. History has always been my passion, one my family kept stoked through books and movies. My mother always made sure my sister and I were exposed, especially to films, that would widen our cultural horizons. Ever since then, I've had a love and admiration for the Jewish culture, and of course that love connects to my other passion--names! Combining the two has led to this (very fun for me) post, featuring information about the names of Tevye's five strong-willed daughters. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Here they are, from oldest to youngest: Tzeitel - Origin: Yiddish Gender: Female Pronunciation: SZIGH-tull Meaning: A diminutive of Sarah; "Princess" Other F...
Read more

The Children of Princess Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu

Image
Princess  Ayşe and Nicholas with their children Princess Ayşe Gülnev Osmanoğlu was born to Osman Selaheddin  Osmanoğlu and Athena Joy Hanımefendi . She is married to Nicholas Sutton . Their children are: Maximilian Ali Beyefendi Sutton, " Prince Maximilian Ali " Cosmo Tarik Beyefendi Sutton, " Prince Cosmo Tarik " Lysander Cengiz Beyefendi Sutton, " Prince Lysander Cengiz " Ferdinand Ziya Beyefendi Sutton, " Prince Ferdinand Ziya " Tatyana Aliye Beyefendi Sutton, " Princess Tatyana Aliye "
Read more