Customer Reviews

Dictionary of First Names (Perigee)

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This book is a neglected source for those researching their family history. It isn't just a list of names for parents to choose from when naming their children. It is exactly what it's title states... a dictionary. I have found this book to be most helpful in locating various forms of names, including nick names. For instance, Mobile, Alabama flourished for many years under Spain, France, and Great Britain before becoming part of the Confederate States, and finally a part of the United States. With each transformation the names in the records changed. Your ancestor may have been named William, but may show up in the records as Guillermo, Guillaume, and Guillemot. This book takes each given name and tells you how it was derived, and what the name is in Italian, Dutch, Welsh, French, English, Spanish, German, Irish, Russian, Latin, etc. (It varies by name.) Nick names, surname usage, and contemporary examples are also included. I use this book often and highly recommend it. I've not seen a name book that can compare with this one.

"Dictionary of First Names" contains over 100,000 fe/male first names, most of which are European, though there are a few thrown in from around the world. The masculine names are in the first half; the feminine ones in the second half, both listed in alphabetical order with their origin, meaning, variant spellings, pet names, etc. However, there's no pronunciation, which makes it a little difficult if you've never heard the name before. But, overall, this is a terrific book for any type of use--from choosing names for your baby/pet/what have you (I use it as a writing tool, for creating characters) to common genealogy use.

This book with over ten years since its last edition ranks #1 on my list of books for parents who are looking for names for their babies-on-the-way. It's very intuitively structured: Masculine Names and Feminine Names, ordered alphabetically, with the meaning or origin of the name, variant forms and contemporary examples where they apply. Although the book is been around far longer than most competitors, it has what it takes to be useful: not too fancy, not too cool, not wanting to have tens of thousands of names. Just plain concise, useful and focused on quality over quantity.

Traditional and interesting fun and factual. Holatch is listed in many Bibliographies so he knows meanings.

This book is number one for people who aren't having kids and just want something to look through.