What's in a Name?--Everything You Wanted to Know [Paperback]

Leonard R. N. Ashley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2000 | ISBN-10: 0806312610 | ISBN-13: 978-0806312613 | Edition: Revised

Nobody in America knows more about names than Prof. Ashley, and his book is designed for everyone. It will tell you the facts behind the names of persons, places and things; about how names are chosen for business and for success; how they are used for everything from tracing settlement patterns to telling fortunes; how forenames have their fashions; where surnames had their origins; all about names in the U.S. and around the globe. Open the book anywhere and you'll find something that catches your attention: name trends and fashions, name crazes, names in magic and the occult, middle names and nicknames, trick names and married names, place names, street names, good names and bad names, the psychology of names, naming practices around the world, personal factors in naming, tips for giving a child a good name, what names tell us about ourselves . . . you name it, it's here!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A scholar in the field of names, Ashley investigates naming practices worldwide, revealing how and why businesses, streets and people acquire their titles. Middle names, nicknames, trends and the psychology of naming are discussed. (Oct.)was there a PW review?/no/pk
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Not the usual what-to-name-your-baby book, Ashley's volume takes readers "on a lively introductory ramble through the entire field of name studies, succeeding in his stated purpose of entertaining as well as informing the general reader"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 265 pages
• Publisher: Genealogical Publishing Company; Revised edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806312610
• ISBN-13: 978-0806312613
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will be read with enthusiasm from cover to cover, February 13, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What's in a Name?--Everything You Wanted to Know (Paperback)

Now in a newly revised and expanded edition, Leonard Ashley's What's In A Name?: Everything You Wanted To Know continues to be a unique contribution and resource for aspiring genealogists and the non-specialist general reader with an interest for anyone who has ever wondered about the origin and meaning of their name. Ashley divides his informative presentation to sections devoted to Persons (forenames, surnames, nicknames, titles, name changes, aliases and pseudonyms, married names, etc.); Places (American placenames, Amerindian names, local, regional, and global placenames); Things (naming patterns, business names); Names, Language, And Literature (word play, name inflation, names into words, names in literature); Names And The Occult (names in magic, fortunetelling with names); What To Name The Baby (tips for giving a child a good name, the subjective factor in naming). Superbly written and presented, What's In A Name? will be read with enthusiasm from cover to cover, and would serve as an ideal text on onomastics and the nature of names.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ten Stars Would not be Good Enough!, May 22, 2008

By 

S. Henkels (Devon, Pa United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: What's in a Name?--Everything You Wanted to Know (Paperback)

This extremely interesting, entertaining, informative, and amusing book should at be browsed thru by anyone interested in the beginnings and development of just about all the names and title you can think of, and they are not simply English ones either. From the originations of Colonial names, first and last, even middle, to towns and cities, streets, parks. Boys and girls names, including a critique of ones not in vogue or in vogue. Funny mismatched names, some invented by the author, others supposedly real. Literary and magic names, names of saints and Biblical names..Even names of music groups.Palindromes, puzzles..the list and fun practically never end!..So do yourself a great favor, and order a brand new copy of this totally unique and timeless book right now!