Babies' Names

Compiled by Patrick Hanks, one of the world's leading authorities on names and naming, this brand new edition of Babies' Names provides all the help you'll need to find the right name for your newborn.
Here are over 2,500 names in common use in the English-speaking world--ranging from traditional names from Katherine and Michael to Jane and William, to more recent coinages such as Bryn or Chelsea. Readers will find inspiration from plants ("Azalea," "Olive"), from precious stones ("Amber," "Ruby"), from mythological gods and goddesses ("Irene," "Iris"), from the Bible ("Aaron," "Adam," Miriam," "Naomi"), and much more. Each entry includes the origins and history of the name and, when possible, notable bearers of the name in life and in literature. Some of the entries include pronunciations, so that we learn that Ngaio (a New Zealand name, deriving from the Maori word meaning "clever") is pronounced "nye-oh." The book is filled with curious facts and interesting tales. We learn that "Casey" comes from folk hero Casey Jones, who acquired the nickname from his birthplace, Cayce, Kentucky. "Brock" was originally a nickname for someone resembling a badger. And "Rose" probably doesn't derive from the flower, but from Germanic words for either "horse" (Hros) or "fame" (Hrod).
The Fourth Edition has been revised and updated, and now contains a fascinating article on how to find the right name or create your own. In addition, an appendix includes thematic indexes for many name categories such as Biblical names, names from television and films, names from literature and popular culture, pet forms and nicknames, as well a list of the most popular names by year and by region.