Customer Reviews

The Secret Universe of Names: The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The first thing you'll do upon picking up this book is turn to your name -- in my case, "MTH" names (for Matthew). I read through my description and it was seriously dead on. Intrigued, I looked up my sister Katherine ("KTH" names), and it was again virtually 100% accurate. So I looked up my ex-girlfriend's name, and I was floored as I read an amazing page-long description -- as though the authors had followed her around and wrote about her temperament and beliefs.

I highly recommend you check it out... Don't know if there's any science to it, but it is definitely interesting. You will get a kick out of it!

As someone who loves language, this book hooked me. The idea that sounds influences our emotions was really well explored by the author in an interesting and accessible way. The analysis of all my family's names was almost always spot on, and even when not was good grist for conversation. I highly recommend this book. Five stockings to fill. Five books.

It is easy to pour scorn on a book like this. Why should the name by which you are known have any bearing on your personality or your chances of success in life? And why, if you are successful, should it affect the way in which success manifests itself? The author suggests that the very letters in your name and the way in which they are said affects people's attitudes. He argues that every word we utter requires us to change the shape of our mouth as we say it, resulting in variations of facial expression. As a result, some names sound softer than others while there are other differences too. The author stresses that people with identical names can have different personalities, but suggests that they can still have some general characteristics in common.

After a few short introductory sections (totalling about thirty pages) discussing his theory and the research that supports it, the main part of the book (well over four hundred pages) looks at people's first names in what may be described as approximate alphabetical order. Because names are grouped together according to their basic sound, it isn't possible to stick strictly to alphabetical order, but an index is provided to help you find a name if you have difficulty locating it. The book doesn't cover every possible name but if you are interested in an English-language name that isn`t listed, you can probably work out which group it belongs to by understanding how names are grouped.

One thing I don't understand is why the first letter is critical in all cases. Katherine and Catherine sound the same when spoken, yet are listed in different groups. Where names sound similar and have an identical first letter, they are grouped together. I can more easily understand why it is more important to use the name by which you are known than the official name, if they differ. If somebody is generally known by their middle name rather than their first name, that's the one to look up in this book. More commonly, if somebody is known by an abbreviated name, look that up instead of the full name.

So Becky and Rebecca are different, although they have some things in common. Even more so, it matters whether Elizabeth is known as Beth, Betty, Liz or by her full name. Those names are in four different groups. Likewise, Katherine and Kate are in different groups. Patricia can be abbreviated to Trish or Tricia and the difference is crucial, according to this book.

In my case, some people call me Pete and others call me Peter. I really don't mind, but the r changes the sound so the two names are in different groups. I'm not convinced that either of the detailed explanations really fits me, but I recognize something of myself in each of them. Maybe the lack of a consistent identity explains why I don't fit either description.

There may be something in the author's theory, but other factors inevitably influence how people's lives develop. In the years to come, I may be able to come to a firm conclusion about the credibility or otherwise of this theory, but it is fun to browse whether it has credibility or not.

It shows the power of influence that sounds have. This viewpoint of names and how they contribute to a person has been quite astounding. Thinking twice about which name to choose is the lesson I learned. Intriguing.

When my wife brought this book home, to say the least, I was skeptical. In my way of thinking, to surmise that someone's personality could be some sort of derivative of that person's name, was, well, sort of "out there". I put this right up there with things like numerology, astrology and several other "ologies" that have little or no basis in fact.

But I digress. I must give credit where credit is due, and after searching the names of countless friends and family members, in SECRET UNIVERSE OF NAMES by Roy Feinson, I have to say that this book is about 90% accurate, about 90% of the time. Coincidence? You be the judge.

The layout of the book does leave something to be desired. Names are not listed alphabetically. Well, at least not completely. The names are listed via letter groupings. For example, if your name were Reba, Rob, Robby or Ruby, your name would be found under the letters "rb", but if your name were Robert, Roberta or Roberto, it would be found under "rbrt". Seems a bit discombobulated at first, but you'll soon find the method to the madness and won't have too much trouble navigating your way through the pages. And if you find yourself totally lost, there is a name index at the back that is helpful.

Though I did find the book to be rather accurate, it also leaves a lot of questions unanswered. For example, what happens if your parents named you Charles, but called you Charlie or Chuck, then later in life, you took the more professional and adult sounding given name? And yet, many of your childhood friends and family still call you Chuck? Do you now have multiple personalities? And just how concomitant can your parent's choice of spelling truly be to the development of your personality? Can your personality really be predicated on whether your parents chose to spell your name "Duane" over "Dewayne"? According to the book it is. My skepticism remains somewhat intact. Can the stringing together (or grouping as the author calls it) of varying consonants really have a determining effect on how we mature? Once again, according to Feinson, it will have a definite impact. And once again, you be the judge.

Nonetheless, this is an entertaining read that will enjoy, especially if you're into that sort of thing. And if you are planning a family, this could certainly add fuel to the debate over what to name your children!

I was skeptical when I heard about this book and the next time I stopped at Borders I hunted it down and read it.

Just as everyone has said -- each name description was dead on. I couldn't believe it as I turned to the names of different people I knew and read about their personalities written right there on the page as if the author had known them. I was so thrilled that I went home and bought the book online (its cheaper on Amazon.com than it is in the store, btw, so don't waste your cash -- get it half price!)

And now I can't help but look up a person's name everytime I meet someone knew and see, as I get to know them, if the book is right. It seems so far that our names and the sounds they make really make us who we are.

In psychology it's common knowledge that people act the way they think people expect them to. Therefore, if you keep telling your children that they're bad, they will continue to act bad because that's what they think you expect of them and vice versa. This book will make you think twice about what you want to name your children!

After enjoying looking up myself, family, and friends, I took it to work, and my friends seemed to enjoy the book even more! One disappointment is that there were a few common names that weren't in there, like Lupe. Working in Labor & Delivery, I've had several patients who were thrilled to look at this book as they made last minute decisions on their baby names. Good book for finding out more about what your name can mean for your personality, as well as others. Some of the descriptions are shockingly accurate.

The idea that various sounds trigger emotional responses makes sense. And it also makes sense that spoken languages contain these sounds in order to convey warnings, soothings and other information. I'm not convinced that the sounds in our names percolate deep enough to affect how people view us (or how we view ourselves), but the author's argument about feedback loops is interesting. I would love to see more research on different languages. All in all, an intriguing and novel idea on names and language.

Every name i looked up was right on the mark. i'm telling the truth because my name isn't the most flattering in here. i thought this was cool and picked out my son's name from this book. I would highly recommend it if you are interested in this sort of thing.

Speechless. I found it incredibly accurate. It's a wonderful coffee table book! Definately recommend it!