Baby Names Now : From Classic to Cool--The Very Last Word on First Names

See Larger Image	Find Out More Info Written By: Linda Rosenkrantz,Pamela Redmond Satran Average Customer Rating:
Binding: Paperback Format: Bargain Price Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 416 Publication Date: 2001-08-16
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Editorial Reviews: Need the lowdown on first names? Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran, authors of the bestselling Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana and The Last Word on First Names, offer a fresh, illuminating, and indispensable guide to thousands of names from Aaliyah to Zuri. Drawing on years of research and experience, only Baby Names Now can give you insights like these: * Call your daughter Rose, but don't call your son Thorne. * Word names, nature names, and what might be called time names are fashionable now, especially those that haven't been used much in the past. December, in other words, is much cooler than April or June. * Although it sounds desertlike, Zahara is actually a Muslim and Swahili name meaning "flower." In Hebrew, it denotes brightness. * If Cook and Sailor can be used as first names, why not Fisher? * Though it has a hippyish feel, Jupiter has a legitimate history as a first name, used in this country as far back as the eighteenth century-- in fact, Jupiter Hammon was the first African-American poet published here. * Malcolm's in the middle-- of a definite revival. Whether you already have a list of favorite names or are just beginning to look for ideas, Baby Names Now will provide the information and inspiration you need to make the perfect choice.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Good concept, but lacking Comment: I enjoyed Beyond Jennifer and Jason very much, so you can imagine my excitement at seeing another book by the same authors. I like the basic idea of this book--to inform prospective parents about the associations names have (e.g. Ariel is associated with The Little Mermaid). However, I found that some of these were not included. I looked up a few names to test the book, and the authors are apparently not very knowledgeable about children's popular culture. It was written in 1995 (I don't know if new editions have been written or not), so the authors can be forgiven for not mentioning that among children and those who work with children, the name Patrick is associated with Spongebob Squarepants's pink, dim-witted starfish friend. However, under the name Mario, though many famous people named Mario were listed, there was no mention of Super Mario. Super Mario Bros. is one of the most popular video game series in the world! I realize that the authors probably don't know this because video games are primarily a young people's pastime, but if they had done their research, they would have been able to warn parents that children named Mario (unless they live in Latino communities) are likely to be made fun of for bearing the name of a video game character, instead of just relying on their own knowledge of popular culture. Even if they had done their research, this would still be the kind of book that needs to be constantly updated. My other complaint is that they encourage parents to give girls masculine names (e.g. Michael--I swear I am not making this up!), but discourage them from giving boys so-called "feminine names" even if many still consider them masculine or ambisexual (e.g. Robin--many people associate the name with Robin Hood or with Batman's sidekick). Don't they realize that this practice only perpetuates the double standard, rather than solving any problems? I would like it if someone wrote a better version of this book. Customer Rating: Summary: A lot of fun Comment: Those who condemn this book for not being a long, boring list of name origins and meanings, or for stating that their name has gone out of style for today's children, are missing the point. "Baby Names Now" is a fun, readable guide to what people are naming their children in the early 2000s, including famous namesakes (saints, popes, presidents, royalty, music and movie stars) and what some celebrities have named their children. It's also fascinating to read how certain names have gone out of style: for example "Lisa," "Amy," "Susan" and "Dawn" were very popular for babies born in the 60s (and thus, my classmates), but are rarely used today. The book's major flaw is in not recognizing that parents name their children using the last names of people they admire, not just the first names. At one point, it reads "Harrison Ford...is almost certainly the reason for the name Harrison's popularity" - excuse me, ever hear of the Beatles? The entries for the name "Jordan" don't mention Michael Jordan, certainly a major inspiration for that name in this area. The entry for "Jackson" doesn't mention Michael, Janet, or Samuel L. The entry for "Landon" doesn't mention Michael. The entries for "Cassidy" don't mention David and Shaun, so popular in the 70s when many of today's moms were growing up. The entry for "Lucas" - do I have to say it, fellow Star Wars kids grown up and naming their children? And come on, how can you mention the name "Wayne" without acknowledging the popularity of John Wayne? Still, this is a lot of fun, and I give the authors credit for recognizing that "Althea" is from a Grateful Dead song. I look forward to the next edition. Customer Rating: Summary: More fun than the traditional baby name book Comment: What I loved about this book was that the authors actually expressed their opinions on the names. Some many others just list the origin and meaning. The authors provide some clever and often witty commentary about each name as well as some fascinating information about how trends in names have changed over time. No, I didn't always agree with their opinions, but reading the book did help me figure out more about the kind of name I was looking for. Those who haven't yet stumbled onto it should als check out http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ which lists the most popular 1000 names in the U.S. by year from 1880! Customer Rating: Summary: Good For Sheep Only Comment: I was hoping for a book that would illuminate some choices for baby names, while pointing out any unfortunate associations I had not thought of. Only to receive a book that was short on credible information, and long on personal judgement. I was truly disappointed in the seemingly arbitrary way in which the authors claimed some names to be outdated. While I understand that Cherry could be a torment to a young girl, lumping Cheri and Cheryl in with these was absolutely silly. Having grown up in the eighties with that name, I was never once called a name referring the former. Asking two friends - a Cheri, (ten years younger than myself) and a Cheryl, (four years older) if they had ever been teased in that way, they both laughed and said no. Many times the author's reasons for dissuading parents from choosing a name seem to be based only on the author's personal preferences and peccadilloes. I found that many of the names the authors' gave their seal of approval to, were names that were probably most trendy at the moment they were writing. They blithely recommend, good god... California? Not realizing that place names, (like Brooklyn, etc.) are already being ridiculed as tired and silly in magazines. No doubt in a year or two, they'll be recommending Apple and other fruit names, once they too are no longer trendy. The most unfortunately thing is that the author's emphasis on trendy or common names, may warn parents off of some unique and delightful older names. In the end I could have saved myself the price of the book and done the name research on the internet. Customer Rating: Summary: This One's My Favorite Comment: If you're looking for a dictionary of baby names, there are about a zillion other books out there to choose from. But if you've already looked at the typical baby name lists and were left feeling uninspired, check out "Baby Names Now". The authors offer real world wisdom and advice about each name. Each entry is clever and funny. Their descriptions are often completely subjective, but that's what makes this book so much fun. It really gets you thinking about what you do or don't like and why. I recommend it to all expecting mothers and fathers! More Reviews