First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning

by Yvonne Navarro

"This innovative dictionary allows the user to find given names which relate to a specific meaning. Arranged alphabetically by definition, the names are followed by the language of origin, variations (derivatives, diminutives, and nicknames) of the name itself, and the name as interpreted in different languages. Separate sections are included for male and female names"--Provided by publisher.

Genres: Reference

240 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

About the author

Yvonne Navarro is the author of Concrete Savior, Highborn, AfterAge, deadrush, Final Impact, Mirror Me and a bunch of other books, plus Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels and tie-in novels for Hellboy, Elektra, and others."

Reviews

[Douglas Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A reference book about first or given names, the book is presented in two sections. The first section is a list of descriptive and cultural meanings and then lists the names (and their cultural context or nationality) that carry that meaning. For example, under the entry "beautiful" are the names Belle (french), Bella, Ilona (Hungarian), Calantha (Greek) and so on. Another example - the descriptor "bold" has the names Tracy (Latin), Germaine (Old German) and others. The first section is sub-divided giving female names first followed by male names.

Section two is simply an index of names listed alphabetically. Each entry here is followed an f or m indicating female or male and a few words that describe its historical or cultural meaning.

This is an indispensible book for expectant parents and its especially good in its clarifying the meaning behind names. It's refreshing to have a source that puts names into a context. Though I am past the baby naming stage, I still occasionally turn to this book and discover new names and new meaning for old names.

A definite asset.

I just read through the 2nd edition, published in 2007. It has about 60 additional pages over the first edition and comes in both hardback and ebook formats with the ebook format coming out in 2015. The introduction to the 2nd edition is clearer and well composed offering examples of who might enjoy this book. Also the 2nd edition has additional names and meanings not found in the first edition.
I still rate this 5 stars.

[Melina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it's a unique addition to a name book collection or for a writer or role-player to name a character. I had to take away a star however, as it was in sore need of further editing. There were numerous spelling errors and typos.