A Dictionary Of First Names

A Dictionary of First Names

A Dictionary of First Names

This Dictionary is part of the Oxford Reference Collection: using sustainable print-on-demand technology to make the acclaimed backlist of the Oxford Reference programme perennially available in hardback format. 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. From the traditional to the rare and unconventional, this book will tell you everything you need to know about names.

Dictionary of First Names

Do you love or hate your name? Do you know what it really means? How do you choose the right name for someone? We all have a first name, but how many of us really know its origin and history? This comprehensive dictionary provides a fascinating collection of linguistic, historical, and associated information about some 7,000 names, making it the ideal reference for linguists and family historians, as well as an important source of information for parents choosing a name for a child. It is the ultimate first name handbook, a delightfully informative, comprehensive survey of European and American names. New to this edition are two appendices which give the dictionary an international appeal: Common Names in the Arab World and Common Names of the Indian Subcontinent. These appendices should be especially helpful to linguists and historians interested in these parts of the world. Typical entries provide the linguistic and ethnic root of a name. "Jennifer," for instance, is a Cornish form of "Guinevere." Most entries also include the non-English form or cognate of a name. No other handbook comes close to the wealth of information found here.