A Concise Dictionary of First Names (Oxford paperback reference) (Paperback)

~ (Author), Flavia Hodges (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From reviews of the first edition:
"Fascinating....Fun to browse in and will also answer reference questions."--Booklist

Product Description

Here is the ultimate first name handbook, a delightfully informative, comprehensive survey of over 6,000 names in regular use in the English-speaking world, from the traditional to the newest and unconventional names of the nineties. This Revised Edition also offers new appendices listing common Arabic, Russian, Indian, French, German, Italian, and Spanish first names. An authoritative reference, no other handbook provides a fraction of the information found here.

Typical entries list the linguistic and ethnic root of a name. "Jennifer," for instance, is a Cornish form of "Guinevere," which in turn is the French version of a Welsh name combining gwen, white, fair, smooth, and hwyfar, smooth, soft. However, the real charm and value of this reference lies in the wealth of fascinating additional information the authors provide. Entries discuss the age, origin, and history of individual names, together with any historical or cultural associations, as well as tracing the popularity of names through time. Most listings also include the non-English form or cognate of a name, and diminutives and pet forms. European names which have become established in English are covered and pronunciation guidance is provided for difficult or unusual names.

A Concise Dictionary of First Names, Revised Edition is a highly accessible reference which offers a goldmine of curious facts to delight browsers of every age as well as a wealth of inspiration for prospective parents.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Revised edition (July 10, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198600941
• ISBN-13: 978-0198600947
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,462,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent, Clear, Pithy Book, April 21, 2000

By A Customer

This is a wonderful book, lively and enthusiastic. Unlike other name guides, it focuses on the cultural and linguistic roots of the name, rather than the fluffily mystic (astrological and so forth.) In addition to the original meaning of the name and variations over time, it also lists prominent historical or mythological bearers of the name, such as saints, kings, or heroes. The appendices, with names and their original meanings from Russian, Arabic, French, German, and so forth, are an added bonus. If you like words, or just like to peek at the secret roots of everyday things, buy this book. Great fun.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but why use the reduced version?, September 25, 2001

By	Joost Daalder (South Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Hanks and Hodges are real scholars, who however communicate their information clearly and intelligibly. I cannot see any obvious need for a CONCISE version of their *Dictionary of First Names*, first published by Oxford University Press in 1990 and regularly reprinted. That book is only just over 400 pages, so by no means too long. It is the longer version which I personally regularly use for my research - mostly in Renaissance literature - and I have found it an excellent source of reference. Those looking for names for their children, too, or wanting information about their own names, will rarely be disappointed. You find out readily what a name means, what its derivation is, who have been famous bearers of it, etc. Wonderful for browsing, apart from anything else! I also often use David Pickering's *Penguin Dictionary of First Names*, which is similarly useful, but which Amazon does not appear to supply. (A matter of copyright restrictions?) - Joost Daalder, Professor of English, Flinders University (South Australia)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Onomastic delight!, January 5, 2002

By	C. Reyer (St Paul, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most books on names are written by people with no qualifications other than they can collect lists and reprint them. Not so with this book!

Although the authors are British, and there is a bit of bias towards names used in the U.K. it is well researched. They could have double-checked US sources a little more when commenting on its use as a US name. Yet, this only means that they wrote what they knew to be true rather than making wild uninformed guesses. For instance, they suspect that "Oprah" was a form of Orpah but without being completely sure they only list it as a supposition and attribute it's existance in the US to Oprah Winfrey. Their linguistically inspired guess was correct! Oprah has mentioned in an interview that her name was a typo of Orpah. Not having this obscure information, the authors did the responsible thing.

In fact, they deferred to consultants for the appendices for cultures they were not familiar with.

This book is great for students of onomastics, parents and authors.