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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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.
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