Confessions of a Game-Mistress

Given Names Listed By Meaning (McFarland, 1993)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0899507484/sr=8-1/qid=1153208744/ref=sr_1_1/104-7854325-2171141?ie=UTF8

This book caters to my obsession. I am hung up on names. I probably spend too much time on them. This book makes that a less-trying effort, by listing names in alphabetical order by meaning. I’ve spent a lot of time with this simple book, and I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth out of it.

The book lists both male and female given names alphabetically by meaning, and then a brief alphabetical section at the back lists all the names in one big list, so that you can find from the other direction. It lists country of origin for them, or ethnicity where appropriate. Browsing it is a fun game of picking a definition, and finding which names mean your choice.

The down sides are twofold. One, the book has lots of weird omissions, and only gives the simplest of origin info. There is no listing, for example, for the separate tribes of Native American names. There’s also no list by ethnicity, which makes naming a group from a particular culture more difficult. Two, and I find this one more glaring, there is absolutely no source information provided. I would appreciate knowing where the information she imparts came from.

Still, the book does an excellent job at its primary function, giving you wonderful ideas for characters and plots by giving you good names.