Reference Sources
General Name Resources | Multicultural Name Resources | Geographic Name Resources
Terms to Know
| General Name Resources | |
| American Given Names | Ref CS 2375 U6 S74 |
| Baptismal Names | Ref CS 2367 W4 1968 |
| Dictionary of American Family Names | Ref CS 2485 D53 2003 (3 vols.) |
| A Dictionary of English Surnames | Ref CS 2502 R39 1991 |
| A Dictionary of Surnames | Ref CS 2385 H27 1988 |
| Encyclopedia of American Family Names | Ref CS 2485 R6 1995 |
| First Name Reverse Dictionary | Ref CS 2377 N37 1993 |
| From Aaron to Zoe | Ref CS 2377 R5 1993 |
| Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedic Dictionary (Masculine, Feminine Names Supplements) | Ref PE 1625 F8 1968 |
| Hidden Truth of Your Name: A Complete Guide to First Names and What they Say About the Real You (The Nomenology Project.) | Ref CS 2377 H53 1999 |
| People's Names | Ref CS 2305 I54 1997 |
| The Perfect Name for the Perfect Baby | Ref CS 2377 W56 1993 |
| Pronouncing Dictionary of Proper Names | Ref PE 1137 P82 1993 |
| 20,001 Names for Baby | Ref CS 2377 W34 1992 |
| Multicultural Name Resources | |
| African Names | Ref CS 2375 A33 S74 1993 |
| Baby Names from Around the World | Ref CS 2377 F5 1985 |
| The Book of African Names | Ref CS 2375 A33 A8 1991 |
| Chinese American Names: Tradition and Transition | Ref CS 2990 L68 1998 |
| A Dictionary of Jewish Names and their History | Ref CS 3010 K28 |
| Jewish Family Names and Their Origins: An Etymological Dictionary | Ref CS 3010 G84 1992 |
| Master Book of Irish Surnames: Locations, Ethnicity, Spellings & Sources | Ref CS 2415 O43 1993 |
| Geographic Name Resources | |
| Columbia Gazetteer of the World | Ref G 103.5 .C645 1998 (3 vols.) |
| Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | Ref E 155 .G19 1902. |
| The Cambridge Gazetteer of the United States and Canada | Ref E 154 .C36 1995 |
| Placenames of the World | Ref G 105 .R66 1997 |
| Illustrated Dictionary of Place Names : United States and Canada | Ref E .155 H57 |
| Chambers World Gazetteer | Ref G 103.5 .C444 1988 |
Gazetteer - A dictionary of geographic place names and physical/cultural features. Sometimes the entries are accompanied by brief descriptions and longitudes and latitudes.
Onamastics - The study of the origins of proper names.
Surname -Â In general, a person's last name.
Christian Name - A name given at baptism.
Given Name -Â A name given at birth.
Proper Name -Â
Pseudonym -Â A fictitious name used by an author. Samuel Langhorn Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain. Also called a "pen name."