A Concise Dictionary of First Names

by Patrick Hanks (editor), Flavia Hodges (Editor)

Here is the ultimate first name handbook, a delightfully informative, comprehensive survey of over 4,500 European and American names (with two appendices covering the most common Arabic and Indian names). The real charm and value of this reference lies in the wealth of fascinating additional
information the authors provide. Under the entry for "Audrey," for example, we learn of the sixth century saint of that name--who died from a neck tumor, divine punishment for her youthful delight in fine necklaces--from whom the word "tawdry" it referred originally to the cheap jewelry
sold at fairs in her honor (St. Audrey eventually being compressed into "tawdry"). The authors reveal that the name "Colleen," a very popular name among Irish Americans, is in fact never given as a first name in Ireland; that the name "Wendy" didn't exist until J.M. Barrie invented it for Peter Pan ;
that "Algernon" originally meant "moustached" and was a nickname among the predominantly clean-shaven Norman French; and that the "th" in our spelling of "Anthony" comes from an erroneous confusion with the Greek word for flower, anthos .
Perhaps more important, this dictionary is an authoritative reference. Indeed, no other handbook provides a fraction of the information found here. Typical entries provide the linguistic and ethnic root of a name. "Jennifer," for instance, is a Cornish form of "Guinevere," which in turn is
the French version of a Welsh name combining gwen , white, fair, smooth, and hwyfar , smooth, soft. Most entries also include the non-English form or cognate of a name. The name "Geronimo" is an Italian cognate of Jerome, whose Dutch cognate, "Jeroen," the authors point out, was the most popular male
name in Holland in 1981. In addition, entries include diminutives and pet forms.
A companion to the authors' A Dictionary of Surnames , this informative reference offers a goldmine of curious facts to delight browsers of every age as well as a wealth of inspiration for prospective parents. It is an ideal baby shower gift.

Genres: Reference

252 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 1993

About the author

Patrick Hanks was an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names.

Reviews

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book claims to contain the meanings of more than 3000 names, some in a dictionary for the first time. It is extremely formal and British, with every definition containing examples of a name's combined elements in their original language. It uses graphic icons to show whether names are feminine or masculine and focuses on names used in "the English-speaking world," implying Great Britain, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With its references to productive suffixes or words in genitive or accusative cases, it has the aura of a textbook.
The icons in the "Concise Dictionary" might be easier to spot visually, but when the files were converted into Braille, both icons were rendered as asterisks. This was OK for names like Edmund (masculine) or Prunella (feminine), but not for unfamiliar names where the gender was unclear to this reader.
It is also heavily weighted toward Christian names and includes many stories of Biblical characters and saints. The authors also claim that many names became popular because of film stars, politicians, and characters in literature, although many of the books cited were unfamiliar to this reader.
The book is leavened with moments of typically dry British humor. We learn that, "St Barbara has always been one of the most popular saints in the calendar, although there is some doubt whether she ever existed. According to legend, she was imprisoned in a tower and later murdered by her father, who was then struck down by a bolt of lightning; accordingly, she is the patron of architects, stonemasons, and fortifications, and of firework makers, artillerymen, and gunpowder magazines." And elsewhere, "The name Clara was made famous in the 1920s by the silent film actress Clara Bow (1905-65), known as the "it" girl (because, whatever "it" was, she had it)."
Other definitions are altogether amusing or intriguing:
"Phyllis: Name of a minor character in Greek mythology who killed herself for love and was transformed into an almond tree; the Greek word phyllis means foliage, so clearly her name doomed her from the start.
"Senga: Scottish: common in the north-east of Scotland, this name is popularly supposed to represent Agnes spelled backwards (which it undeniably does). However, it is more likely to have originated from the Gaelic vocabulary word seang "slender".
"Tristram: Variant of Tristan. Both forms of the name occur in medieval and later versions of the legend. In Laurence Sterne's comic novel Tristram Shandy (1759-67), the name is bestowed on the narrator through a misunderstanding and is regarded by his father as a great misfortune.
Since the name originally intended for him was
Trismegistus, the degree of misfortune may be taken as somewhat
exaggerated."
Parents seeking more variety and cultural diversity will want to look elsewhere for inspiration, but this book may be helpful for those wondering about the linguistic sources of fairly traditional "English" names.

[Iloivar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really like having all the names sorted alphabetically, not by boy/girl.