Baby Names For Dummies (eBook)

Margaret Rose, PhD is a freelance writer and an authority on baby naming practices. She's authored journal articles on the art of historic names and historic name communities.

Introduction 1

Part I: Getting Ready to Name Your Baby! 5

Chapter 1: What's in a Name? 7

Chapter 2: Considering the Factors in Picking Out a Name 11

Chapter 3: Putting the Name Together 23

Part II: Finding Names from Religion and Literature 45

Chapter 4: Searching Scripture: Names from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam 47

Chapter 5: Living the Legends: Names from Myth and Saga 69

Chapter 6: Writing Your Child's Story: Literary Names from Shakespeare and Others 85

Part III: Naming through the Ages 103

Chapter 7: Building Empires: Classical Names 105

Chapter 8: Getting Medieval: The Rise of the "Old Standards" 119

Chapter 9: Naming Revolutions: From the Reformation to the Victorians 143

Chapter 10: Coming Up to Date: Names of the 20th Century 171

Chapter 11: Designing the Future: Created and Constructed Names 191

Part IV: Describing the World: Names of Quality, Character, and Location 211

Chapter 12: Re-using Rubies, Roses, and Robins: Names from the Natural World 213

Chapter 13: Advertising Attributes 225

Chapter 14: Moving In: When Place Names and Natural Features Become First Names 241

Chapter 15: Exploring the World of Names 259

Part V: Seeking the Stars: Names from Popular Culture 269

Chapter 16: Sitcoms, Soaps, and Serials: Names from TV Land 271

Chapter 17: Tuning In to Musical Names 283

Chapter 18: Going Hollywood: Names from Cinema and the Arts 297

Chapter 19: Playing the Field: Names from the Sports World 317

Part VI: The Part of Tens 327

Chapter 20: Ten Practices to Avoid 329

Chapter 21: Ten Types of Resources to Consider 333

General Index 337

Baby Names Index 344