First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning. Second Edition [Hardcover]

Yvonne Navarro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2007

This innovative dictionary allows the user to find given names which relate to a specific meaning. Arranged alphabetically by definition, the names are followed by the language of origin, variations (derivatives, diminutives, and nicknames) of the name itself, and the name as interpreted in different languages. Separate sections are included for male and female names. Using the dictionary you could discover that there are over 160 names listed for "flower," from Anthea (Greek) to Zahara (African).

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Circulating copies of baby name books are hard to keep on the shelves, and the ones in reference get heavy use between prospective parents in search of names for their children and writers in search of character names. These books are arranged by name, sometimes with a division by gender. If you want to name your child Adrian, you can find out what the name means easily enough. But what if you want to give your child a name that reflects a particular attribute or you want to be sure a character in your next novel has a name that suggests a certain character trait--or flaw? The First Name Reverse Dictionary can help.

The format is easy to use. Male and female names are in separate sections. The "Index to Entry Names" will help those who have a name and need to be referred back to the meaning or to alternate forms of the name. Entries are in strict alphabetical order. Language of origin is noted parenthetically; pronunciation is not given.

Selection criteria are not given, and some omissions are odd. Faith and Prudence, once-common personal names in their own right, are not entries. Entries for such attributes as "girl" or "brave" cover a column or more. Western European names (Celtic, Germanic, Romance, Greek) predominate. Eastern European and Hebrew names follow, and Sanskrit, African, Asian, and Native American names appear less frequently. African and Native American names are not generally identified by tribal or language group.

The layout of the book is easily readable, with plenty of white space and varied type faces. At 206 pages, there is no way this can be a comprehensive list of names and their meanings, but it is a good start at a different, and helpful, way to select names. The curious browser can enjoy it as well. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

When writers wish to use a name based on its meaning, this book will make their job all the easier --Arba

What if...you want to be sure a character in your next novel has a name that suggests a certain character trait or flaw. [This book] can help --Booklist/RBB

This one runs decidedly against the grain...uniquely suited to identify those names that represent a certain quality, idea, or thing --Wilson Library Bulletin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company; 2nd edition (January 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786429348
• ISBN-13: 978-0786429349
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,011,680 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born back in the early days when black and white photographs were considered normal instead of artsy. As a child I always thought I'd grow up to be an artist, and I was was convinced I'd spend my life doing line drawings of long, leggy models like the ones in the daily newspapers. Life, however, did not cooperate: a foul-up in grammar school resulted in a transfer to a local high school instead of the technical, arts-heavy one I'd planned to attend.

Following that was a move that really made things start winding around. By the time I returned to Chicago for the second time in 1981, I'd worked as a waitress, a nurse's aide, a bookkeeper and gift shop cashier, an accounting clerk, and a secretary in everything from office furniture stores to a hotel to a journalism society. In 1981 I came back to my old job in a Chicago law firm and settled down in the Windy City for awhile. In 1982 I tried to write because my mother said "You could do this." The seed had still been planted, and I sold my first story in 1984. Since then I've written around a hundred stories, most of which have been or are scheduled to be published.

My first novel, AfterAge, was published in 1993 and was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. In 1995 my second solo novel, deadrush, was published, and it also was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award, this time in the category of Superior Achievement in a novel. Final Impact, the third solo novel, was published in 1997, and won both the Chicago Women In Publishing's Award for Excellence in Adult Fiction and the "Unreal Worlds" Award for Best Horror Paperback of 1997 from the Rocky Mountain News. Since then I've published several more solo novels, Red Shadows (a follow-up to Final Impact), DeadTimes, and That's Not My Name, her first suspense novel. That's Not My Name, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Paleo, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Willow Files, Vol. 2 all won at the Illinois State level of the IWPA 2001 Mate E. Palmer Communications contest (two first place and one second place, respectively), plus I somehow swept all three awards of the Short Story category with "Ascension," "Divine Justice," and "Santa Alma." I've also written a number of media tie-in novels, including several Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, Hellboy, Elektra, and Ultraviolet. Full info about all her books can be found on her website along with a lot of free excerpts.

I moved to my beloved Arizona in 2002 and currently work on historic Fort Huachuca. in southern Arizona. Numerically, I'm up to about twenty novels and one non-fiction book, with those never-ending plans for more. I love heat, Godiva chocolates, and Great Danes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a superb reference for writers!, November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning (Hardcover)

this dictionary of first names has become indispensable to me as a writer. it is much easier to find a significant name for a character with this reverse book than it is by slogging through pages of alphabitacal names with their meaning. the book is cross-referenced well and has concise but detailed entries. it's a worthwhile investment!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Writers' Guide to Names and Their Meanings, July 23, 2005

By 

Stephanie Mankins (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning (Hardcover)

If you are a creative writer and have problems assigning names to characters, this may be what you need. The meanings are listed alphabetically, followed by the names connected with those meanings. The index of names in back refers you to all the meanings associated with a paticular name. It's a great reference.

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't recommend it highly enough..., July 2, 2009

By 

The Taminator "There's no going back. You've ... (The People's Republic of Indiana) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: First Name Reverse Dictionary: Given Names Listed by Meaning. Second Edition (Hardcover)

This book is indispensable to creative writers, especially for those who struggle for names. There is a durable, hard cover, plenty of names to choose from, and an index in the back. However, be forewarned that after investing in this reference, you may be stunned at how thin the volume is. Amazon's description says 275 pages, and it is accurate. However while ordering you may find yourself in such a hurry to buy it that when you receive a dictionary that is about the size of an average.... I don't know. You know those 3 for 2 specials they have in bookstores? It might be the size of one of those, if you took the average thickness.

It doesn't even come close to an inch thick with the hard cover. I honestly thought I had gotten the wrong book in the mail this afternoon. In spite of this surprise, there is a lot of well organized information in the book, and you'll probably be able to find it faster than if it was on a computer program some where. I mean think about it-- boot the program, wait for Windows Vista to start it, maybe it crashes, type in a name or key word, maybe you spell it wrong... you get the idea.

Some things are just better on paper, and this is one of them. Packed with names and meanings, light enough to throw in your backpack with your netbook, good clear print, durable cover that will last a lifetime... I don't think there is a more valuable resource out there for creative writers. I'm not sure I'd recommend this alone for baby names, but I don't have experience naming a child, so your mileage may vary in that respect. Bottom line: If you're a creative writer, get it soon, and if you have trouble coming up with character names, get it now. This is going on my shelf of essential creative writing tools, and it should be on yours as well.