40,001 Best Baby Names

Overview

The very best baby-naming book ever!

40,001 Best Baby Names is the essential resource you need to name your baby. This one-stop, baby-naming shop includes important sections such as ten steps to naming a baby, real-life stories and 75 lists of suggestions that range from ...

See more details below
Available through our Marketplace sellers.
Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (44) from $1.99   
  • New (4) from $7.59   
  • Used (40) from $1.99   
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Note: Marketplace items are not eligible for any BN.com coupons and promotions
$7.59
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(4025)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

New
New Book. Shipped from UK within 4 to 14 business days. Established seller since 2000.

Ships from: Horcott Rd, Fairford, United Kingdom

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
$15.49
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(16067)

Condition: New
Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.

Ships from: Westminster, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
$15.50
Seller since 2013

Feedback rating:

(2)

Condition: New
009190000X 9780091900007;A121 Dispatched from the famous 'Book Town of Hay-on-Wye, UK' within 2 working days. All international orders are dispatched by 1st class airmail with an ... estimated maximum delivery time of 7 working days. Over 750,000 orders processed. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Powys, United Kingdom

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
$31.58
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(765)

Condition: New
009190000X Brand New. Exact book as advertised. Delivery in 4-14 business days (not calendar days). We are not able to expedite delivery.

Ships from: Romulus, MI

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • Canadian
  • International
  • Standard, 48 States
  • Standard (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by
Sending request ...

Overview

The very best baby-naming book ever!

40,001 Best Baby Names is the essential resource you need to name your baby. This one-stop, baby-naming shop includes important sections such as ten steps to naming a baby, real-life stories and 75 lists of suggestions that range from ethnic names to presidential and bad-to-the-bone names.

Creative lists, indispensable information and thousands of names will help you think about your baby’s name in a new way and give you solid information (and maybe even a chuckle).

Includes:
--Every name you can imagine and thousands more
--Dozens more individualized lists
--A section on how names shape our lives
--Advice on how to change your own name
--And so much more!

Includes 75 great lists to help you choose
--The most popular names for every decade
--15 lists of ethnic names
--Names that spawn difficult nicknames
--Ugly names that are in, pretty names that are out
--Celebrity baby names
--And LOTS MORE!

Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780091900007
  • Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
  • Publication date: 7/28/2004

Read an Excerpt

Tips for Naming Your Baby
What do most people do? Some of the baby-naming approaches frequently used include the following:

--Mesh two names together to form a new one.
--Pick a name you've always loved.
--Find a name that bodes well for a promising career.
--Go with a name that connotes a trait--honesty, friendliness, savoir faire.
--Use the mother's maiden name for the first name.
--Honor a beloved relative by using his name.
--Stick with something time-honored and safe.
--Make up a name, a practice that some people consider tres gauche, and others rate high on the creativity scale.

And while you are dabbling in the name game, be sure to remember these naming taboos:

--Avoid a name that's carrying baggage equivalent to Amtrak, as in Cher, Michael Jackson, Richard Simmons, Billy Joel, or Sting.
--Don't let family members talk you into a "junior" unless you don't mind your child being called "Little John" or "Junior" lifelong. Listen to all the suggestions relatives fling your way, but you make the call.
--Don't be too bothered by existing connotations that you associate with a name ("I knew a Margaret in school, and she was the meanest person in our class," "I sat next to a Stone in college, and he had a million moles," or "I dated a Morgan, and she was the most boring girl I've ever known"). The reason you shouldn't let old associations trip you up is that once you name your child Tasha or Truman, there isn't another person in the world with that name who matters. Trust me on this.

Ten Great Tips for Successful Baby-Naming
A "set of rules" canratchet up your confidence. If you don't really need a framework, just read the following tips as a fun diversion.
Here are ten steps for naming your baby:

1. Consider the sound--does it work with your last name?
When the full name is said aloud, you want something that has a nice ring, not a tongue-twister or a rhyme. You may find that a long last name jibes best with a short first name; by the same token, put a long first name with a short last name, and you may have a winner.
The union of a first name ending in a vowel paired with a last name that starts with a vowel is not the greatest choice. For example: Ava Amazon. It's just hard to say. Puns aren't good omens for a happy life, either. Look at the infamous Ima Hogg name of a Houston philanthropist. If the poor woman wasn't burdened enough, she also had to deal with lifelong rumors of a sister named Ura.

2. Know exactly what happens when you give your baby a crowd-pleaser name.
Give your kid a common name, and she'll probably end up Sarah B. in a classroom with six Sarahs. She may be comfortable with the anonymity that a plain-Jane name lends her--considering it far better than being the class Brunhilda, who gets ridiculed daily. Or, she may ask you every other day of her childhood why you weren't more original in naming her: "Why did you give me the same name fifty million other kids have? Why couldn't you have come up with something better? Why didn't you take more time?"

3. Think seriously about the repercussions of choosing a name that's over-the-top in uniqueness.
You are definitely sticking your neck out by giving your child the name Rusty if your last name is Nail. Sure, he may muster up enough swagger to pull it off, but what if he doesn't? Lots of people with unusual or hard-to-spell last names will purposely opt for a simple first name for their child, just to ease the load of having two names to spell over and over. Some research suggests that kids with odd names get more taunting from peers and are less well socialized. You can be sure that junior-high kids will make fun of a boy named Stone, but later, as an adult, he may enjoy having an unusual name.
Just make sure you don't choose a "fun" name simply because you like the idea of having people praise your creativity--instead, ask yourself how your child will feel about being a Bark or a Lake.

4. Ponder the wisdom of carrying on that family name.
Aunt Priscilla did fine with her name, but how will your tiny tot feel in a classroom full of Ambers and Britneys? Extremely old-fashioned names sometimes make their way back into circulation and do just fine, but sometimes they don't. (Will we really ever see the name Durwood soar again?)

5. Consider the confusion that is spawned by a namesake.
A kid named after a parent won't like being "Junior" or "Little Al." Ask anyone who has been in that position about the amount of confusion it generates in regard to credit cards and other personal I.D. information. You'll spend half your life unraveling the mix-ups.
Psychiatrists (many of them juniors themselves) will tell you that giving a child his very own name is a much better jumpstart than making him a spin-off or a mini-me.
At the same time, we have all run across someone who absolutely loves being Trey or a III because the name represents tradition and history.

6. Make your family/background name an understudy (the middle name).
Let's say you want your baby's name to reflect his heritage or religion, but you strongly prefer more mainstream names. You can fill both bills by using the ancestry name as a middle name.

7. Ponder whether the name's meaning matters to you.
For some people, knowing a name's meaning is extremely important, often much more so than its Greek or German origin. And your child could turn out to be the type who loves investigating such things. So what happens when that offspring of yours finds out that her name Delilah means "whimpering harlot guttersnipe"? She may wish you had taken a longer look at the name's baggage.
8. Look at shortened versions of a name and check out initials.
Don't think your child's schoolmates will fail to notice that his initials spell out S.C.U.M. And, you can be sure that Harrison will become "Harry" or, occasionally, "Hairy." View the teasing as being as much a given as school backpacks, and think twice about whether you want to give your child's peer group something they can really grab onto. Tread lightly. Naming always starts with good intentions, but you can do your kid a favor by considering each name-candidate's bullying potential.

9. After you've narrowed your list, try out each name and see how it feels.
Say, "Barnabus Higgins, get yourself over here!" Or, "Harrison Higgins, have you done your homework?" Or, "Hannibal Higgins, would you like some fava beans?"

10. Once you and your mate have decided on a name, don't broadcast it.
You may want to keep your name choice a secret, otherwise relatives and friends are likely to share all of their issues with the name and a long string of other, "better" options. Another possibility is that people will start calling the unborn baby that name, which will be unfortunate if you happen to find one you like better.
Bottom line: take the Name Game seriously, but don't be afraid to go with the one that just feels right. That precious infant who will change your life dramatically is sure to be the best thing that has ever happened to you--give him or her a name that you will love singing and saying every single day, a million times over.
Baby Ben (Jen), I'm so glad you're mine.

Read More Show Less

Table of Contents

Introduction 1
Part 1 Tips for naming your baby 7
Part 2 How names shape our lives 13
Part 3 Changing your name 19
Part 4 75 fun lists 21
Names that give you a leg up in life 22
Patriotic names 22
Burdensome names 23
Names for children of lesbians and gays 23
Famous mob names 24
Over-the-top names to avoid 25
Androgynous names 25
Names that make you smile 26
Soap opera names 26
Made-up names 27
Alternative spellings for names you can't pronounce 27
Biblical and saintly names 28
Names for future architects 29
Good names for race-car drivers 29
Celebrity names 30
Names celebrities give their babies 30
Cool names for athletes 32
Old-fashioned names that are cute again 32
Names for future doctors 33
Names for future artists 34
Names for future lawyers 34
Good names for mechanics 35
Names from mythology and astrology 35
Scary/creepy names 36
World's strangest names 36
Unforgettable names 37
Names teachers can't pronounce 37
Names for Miss and Mister Perfect 38
Names that will help make your baby popular 38
Comfy names that kids like having 39
Names that sound presidential 40
Season/weather names 40
Exotic names 41
Names of rich Americans 41
Nerd/dork/wallflower names 42
Names that make kids feel weird 42
Names for eccentrics 43
Names for children who are handsome/beautiful 43
Jewish/Hebrew names 44
Arabic/Islamic names 45
Scandinavian names 45
Italian names 46
French names 47
German names 47
Polish names 48
Russian names 49
Irish names 49
Scottish names 50
English names 51
African names 51
Spanish names 52
Greek names 53
Asian names 53
Names that get shortened 54
Names that spawn nasty nicknames 55
Hippie-sounding names 55
Names for smart kids 56
Names for playful personalities 56
Place names 57
Names derived from literature 57
Bad-to-the-bone, death-row names 58
Country-western singer names 59
Wimpy names 59
Girlie-girl names 60
Names that are so over 60
Overpowering names 61
Macho names 61
Sweetie-pie names 62
Powerful names 62
Most popular names of the 1990s 63
Most popular names of the 1980s 65
Most popular names of the 1970s 67
Most popular names of the 1960s 69
Most popular names of the 1950s 71
Most popular names in 2001 73
Part 5 Boys 75
Part 6 Girls 259
Bibliography 473
About the Author 479
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)