- Lots of information on many names.
- Discussions of popularity as well as other factors.
- Handy lists of names broken down, in addition to other formats.
- Requires getting used to the information format.
- A handy index of all the names and their variations located in the back of the book.
- Popularity iinformation for not only recent history but the last 100 years.
- More than 40 lists of names broken down by culture, religion, geography and other issues.
- Five simple rules for naming your baby.
- Companion website for those names not listed in the book.
The unique format of the book is that in addition to common factors like name and history, it does include a global look at style, nicknames, variants and even sibling names to go with that particular name. Add a handy graph to show the US popularity of a name for the past 100 years and you've got a picture to either help you avoid or choose a name based on popularity.
The companion website is free. It was actually what I found first. I wondered how this neat website would translate into a book, I feared not well. I'm actually quite pleased with the format and layout of the book. If a name you want to know about is not listed in the book, feel free to look it up on the website - though with less information. (Odd switch, no?)
For those of us who simply love having lots of information at our finger tips, this is a great book. If you're easily confused, skip the listings by name and head for the over 40 lists in the back of the book! There is really something for everyone here.





