Customer Reviews

40,001 Best Baby Names

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Because I can't imagine anyone seriously recommending that people use these names, or honestly expecting us to believe that these names mean what the author claims.
I knew I had made a mistake in purchasing this book when I saw the list of "Alternative Spellings for Girl Names you Can't Pronounce". Are we seriously expected to name our daughters "Afrodytee"? If you don't know how to pronounce "Aphrodite" then perhaps that is not the name for you. Perhaps we should not give our children names that will forever announce to the rest of the world that her parents are culturally and intellectually illiterate. "Salowmee" instead of "Salome", "Dafnee" instead of "Daphne", the list is endless, and endlessly insulting to potential parents with at least a 6th grade education.

As is the rest of the book. "Jaylo"? It's apparently an American name, a combination of Jennifer and Lopez (duh) and the best part is, the author has decided it means "Charismatic." Uh-huh. I thought it meant, "I'll name my child after a singer/actress's nickname." Guess I was wrong.

And "Jaylo" is only one of the fabulous names the author wants us to consider inflicting on an innocent child. (...)I honestly cannot believe that this author did not just sit down one day with a bottle of vodka and put this book together. The huge number of names that appear on both lists (good to know that "Velvet" is a unisex name), the seven or eight versions of the same name that appear with different spellings, or variations on the theme that appear as different names (someone else already mentioned the page worth of "Billie Christine Billichristine Billikristine Billikris Billie Kris etc. etc.") and the made-up or regular object words as names with invented meanings (I'll name my baby "Couch." It means "lover of life". Because I said so.) make this a book I cannot recommend to anyone.
Please, buy a proper baby name book. This is a waste of money for anyone with the slightest conscience about what we name our children.

i gave this book two stars because, yes, it has a bazillion names in it but whether or not they're the "best" is up for discussion. some memorable names include schmoopie, chubby, dijonnaise, and flirt.

my family and i got a kick out of it but we'll be using another books for name ideas!

As has been stated in other reviews, it is hard to take a book seriously when it features lists such as "soap opera names" or "cool names for athletes" (how biased is that??). As well, why even mention names such as "Bulldog" or "Money"? "Milagros" features under boys' names (as does "Citronella"!!), whereas it's a girl's name. Additionally, some names are in actuality non-existent - like the supposedly Scandinavian "Ikea" and "Jenz". Being Scandinavian, I can verify that only a furniture chain goes by the first name, and the latter name would correctly be Jensine. The French "Jamais" is described as meaning "ever", whereas the word actually means "never" (a very different meaning). It might be a fun book for those who love - and have time to spare for - reading endless lists, but for the serious ones, you'd be better off with a shorter, more accurate book.

My first child is on the way in October, and although we have a first name in mind, we wanted some ideas for middle names. If you are thinking about this book, don't do it based on the following names I found in the book: celery and dijonnaise. Were they just trying to reach 40,000 and 40,001 name so they could call it a day?

I have purchased several copies of 40,001 BEST BABY NAMES to give to expectant parents. I very much like the presentation of the book. The history of each name encourages new parents to consider the seriousness of naming their new, little one. There are certainly sufficient names included in the lists to offer some ideas for all parents-to-be. Also, the secion "How names shape our lives" adds a great, personal touch to the book.

This book is truly wonderful! We have such a great time looking up family and friends names to find out their meanings. We keep it on the coffee table so everyone can enjoy looking! We have our first child (a girl)due this March and it was a joy to see that her name's meaning (a combo of her great grandmother's names) will fit her perfectly! Another aspect of this book which sets it apart from other baby name books is the section that interviews different men and women about where their names originated from. It gives you a great perspective of how much thought can go into choosing your child's name.
With its fun categories of names to its easy to read format, this book is a definite must for expecting parents!

Wonderful book of names for babies. Diane did great job of writing this book and making it reader friendly when choosing a name for the new baby. I really enjoyed reading the book. It should prove to be very helpful to anyone trying to choose a name for their child. They won't have to use the same old worn out names that most of us were 'blessed' with.

waste of money no pronunciation of names, only a jumbled mess
of letters, anybody can write a book like this, save your money
this book is not worth anything

We thought this was a fun baby name book. Lots of choices and imaginative ideas. Particularly enjoyed the lists and the steps for picking the best baby name. Good resource and a fun, fast read.

We found this book very helpful, among other features it lists the origin of a name (German, Hebrew, American...) as well as the meaning and other similar spellings. The 75 Fun Lists was very interesting, Names for future Doctors, Names for girls that are beautiful, Names teachers can't pronounce, Names that spawn nasty nicknames, Most popular names of the 70's, 80's, 90's... 5 Stars!