From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names [Paperback]

Daniel Avram Richman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 1993

In addition to numerous cross-references, this treasury of baby names features detailed definitions consisting of origin, meaning, famous namesakes, popularity, nicknames, and unusual spellings.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For parents who are overwhelmed by the many possibilities for naming a baby, From Aaron to Zoe offers a series of cross-referencing browsers and a handful of helpful worksheets. Daniel Avram Richman's introductory sections cover meaning, ethnicity, name popularity by time period and occupation, and are backed up by an extensive section including definitions that reflect and correspond to the earlier categories. (Bob, for instance, is from the English, means "fame bright," and is less popular now than a century ago.) With all this information and 15,000 diverse names, it's nice that the book contains worksheets at the end to help parents trace the family-name tree, pick and match their favorites in every category, and keep track of the history of each possible name.

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1st edition (May 27, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316744441
• ISBN-13: 978-0316744447
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,342,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof that quantity doesn't imply quality, May 10, 2003

By 

Manny Hernandez "@askmanny" (Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names (Paperback)

Before becoming a dad (well, I will be one in October), if you paid to me I would have never guessed I'd be reading a book on this topic today, but you see: here I am, browsing through a handful of books off of the shelves looking for ideas. Here's our case: my wife and I wanted to name our baby with a beautiful name (how original, huh?) that is not repeated anywhere near (family and close friends) and that plays well both ways, in English AND Spanish without anyone needing to twist their mouths to pronounce it.

When I read the title of the book I felt dragged into it: Zoe is the name of the baby girl of one of my friends and a name which I've always considered beautiful (heard it in a song by Lenny Kravitz for the first time), yet not too widespread. I had a chance to check out this book and found it to be one of the two best among books of baby names. What I liked most about it was how complete the description for each of the names was. It included the name, current language (where it comes from), ethnicity, meaning, biblical citation (if any), popularity, nicknames, alternative spellings and more. In the end, it doesn't offer 20 or 30 thousand names like most titles, but "only" 15 thousand. When you read it, it feels like the authors did a quality work in putting them together, proof once again that quantity doesn't necessarily imply quality. Also worth considering is "A World of Baby Names".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource that is broad in subject and deep in insights, November 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names (Paperback)

I found reading through "From Aaron to Zoe" to be refreshing. Finally a baby namer book that makes some sense and allows new parents to know some real background about their child's name.. This is a must for parents and will be a wonderful present.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection but errors made me skeptical, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: From Aaron to Zoe: 15,000 Great Baby Names (Paperback)

This is a great collection to browse through for ideas and related forms of names, in case you are looking for a fresher version of a beloved and overly popular name.

However, I came across several errors in meaning (among names that I happen to know a lot about, those from Wales) that, of course, made me wonder whether I could believe in the ones that I *didn't* know about.

Overall, I think that this is a good book and a really nice source for ideas. However, if you're in love with a name because of its meaning, check it out several other sources to confirm (I'd advise this with any baby name book, actually).

The introductory part of the book is thoughtful and helpful, as well. I have only one bone to pick there - he advises people who don't like Jr to use II instead. This is simply not correct usage, and it irritates me beyond belief. Only royal names are assigned this way; mere commoners have to have a Sr and Jr before a III (after which Jr becomes II).