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Oxford Dictionary of First Names
The fascinating and informative Dictionary of First Names covers over 6,000 names in common use in English, including the very newest names as well as traditional names. From Alice to Zanna and Adam to Zola this book will answer all your questions: it will tell you the age, origin, and meaning of the name, as well as how it has fared in terms of popularity, and who the famous fictional or historical bearers for the name have been. It covers alternative spellings, short forms and pet forms, and masculine and feminine forms, as well as help with pronunciation. The book includes extensive appendices covering names from languages including Scottish, Irish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, and Chinese names. Tables of the most popular names by year and by region are also included. This is the most comprehensive paperback first names dictionary available. From the traditional to the rare and unconventional, this book will tell you everything you need to know about names.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Patrick Hanks
44 books1 followerPatrick Hanks was an English lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. He edited dictionaries of general language, as well as dictionaries of personal names.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2023
Forget about those baby names books--buy this definitive and billion times more accurate dictionary of first names and give the best name to your son or daughter!
It's also indispensable for giving appropriate and meaningful names to your fiction characters.
It's also indispensable for giving appropriate and meaningful names to your fiction characters.
March 30, 2024
(#20)
Genre & Format: Reference | Print
Title: A Dictionary of First Names
Author or Creator: Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Number of pages: 443
Year of publication/release: 1990
As a writer, I usually browse through books of names (I prefer books to websites). What I like about these dictionaries is that they include the origins of names and meanings. This book shines a spotlight on other countries and groups: names of the Arab world, Indian subcontinent, New Testament, Saint’s names, Aristocratic names, and cults. This book also offers context on the transparency between names and vocabulary. I enjoyed flipping through this book, especially when it comes from the library. I am always afraid to purchase one of these of my own considering new ones are released each year.
Genre & Format: Reference | Print
Title: A Dictionary of First Names
Author or Creator: Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Number of pages: 443
Year of publication/release: 1990
As a writer, I usually browse through books of names (I prefer books to websites). What I like about these dictionaries is that they include the origins of names and meanings. This book shines a spotlight on other countries and groups: names of the Arab world, Indian subcontinent, New Testament, Saint’s names, Aristocratic names, and cults. This book also offers context on the transparency between names and vocabulary. I enjoyed flipping through this book, especially when it comes from the library. I am always afraid to purchase one of these of my own considering new ones are released each year.
September 13, 2020
Quite a Handy little Name Book if I do say so Myself.
November 26, 2022
The meaning behind a name is important to me. This book had a unique approach by giving a robust history of each name. I nerdily enjoyed it!
May 14, 2011
It's fun reading the meanings and origins behind names. The introduction reads academically: this is definitely a reference book. (I'm glad I could check it out from the library, actually!) The book admits that it cannot be comprehensive, especially since there are so many made-up names nowadays. There are a few names with explanations of how they came into being by combining with other names, etc.
Most names are British English; some have notations that they're mainly American. A few say that they've fallen out of use or have become unpopular because of some reason or another, which is actually sort of fascinating in its own right.
The names are usually for the English language, with some from neighboring European lands. A sub-section at the back includes names from India and from the Arabic/Middle East areas.
I was a little disappointed when I searched for my name. Oh, well.
This could be an excellent reference for an author or writer looking for real-world names for characters, especially for those authors who like to have the character's name's meaning mean something about the character.
Most names are British English; some have notations that they're mainly American. A few say that they've fallen out of use or have become unpopular because of some reason or another, which is actually sort of fascinating in its own right.
The names are usually for the English language, with some from neighboring European lands. A sub-section at the back includes names from India and from the Arabic/Middle East areas.
I was a little disappointed when I searched for my name. Oh, well.
This could be an excellent reference for an author or writer looking for real-world names for characters, especially for those authors who like to have the character's name's meaning mean something about the character.
January 26, 2010
Still haven't decided on a definite name for baby, but I at least wrote down my favorite names as I went through this book (not the funnest task in the world to do).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews