A Concise Dictionary of First Names (Oxford Paperback Reference) (Paperback)

~ (Editor), Flavia Hodges (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review

From reviews of the first edition:
"Fascinating....Fun to browse in and will also answer reference questions."--Booklist
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Here is the ultimate first name handbook, a delightfully informative, comprehensive survey of over 4,500 European and American names (with two appendices covering the most common Arabic and Indian names). The real charm and value of this reference lies in the wealth of fascinating additional information the authors provide. Under the entry for "Audrey," for example, we learn of the sixth century saint of that name--who died from a neck tumor, divine punishment for her youthful delight in fine necklaces--from whom the word "tawdry" derives: it referred originally to the cheap jewelry sold at fairs in her honor (St. Audrey eventually being compressed into "tawdry"). The authors reveal that the name "Colleen," a very popular name among Irish Americans, is in fact never given as a first name in Ireland; that the name "Wendy" didn't exist until J.M. Barrie invented it for Peter Pan; that "Algernon" originally meant "moustached" and was a nickname among the predominantly clean-shaven Norman French; and that the "th" in our spelling of "Anthony" comes from an erroneous confusion with the Greek word for flower, anthos.
Perhaps more important, this dictionary is an authoritative reference. Indeed, no other handbook provides a fraction of the information found here. Typical entries provide 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. Most entries also include the non-English form or cognate of a name. The name "Geronimo" is an Italian cognate of Jerome, whose Dutch cognate, "Jeroen," the authors point out, was the most popular male name in Holland in 1981. In addition, entries include diminutives and pet forms.
A companion to the authors' A Dictionary of Surnames, this informative reference offers a goldmine of curious facts to delight browsers of every age as well as a wealth of inspiration for prospective parents. It is an ideal baby shower gift.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (February 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198661908
• ISBN-13: 978-0198661900
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,464,935 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 review is from: A Concise Dictionary of First Names (Oxford paperback reference) (Paperback)

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)

This review is from: A Concise Dictionary of First Names (Oxford paperback reference) (Paperback)

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)

This review is from: A Concise Dictionary of First Names (Oxford paperback reference) (Paperback)

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.