Which baby name book is the best?

zarapipe · December 2009

And go......!

princessjenney · December 2009

Honestly there are so many name websites that you can use for free, I wouldn't spend money on a name book but that's just me.

vhcoleman09 · December 2009

I went to the library and checked out a couple, "Beyond Ava and Aiden" and another new one I can't remember the title of. That way we had 2 weeks to look through them and I doubt we would've ever looked at them after the initial time.

ChristinaD09 · December 2009

I love love "Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana" by Linda Rosenkrantz & Pamela Redmond Satran. I had another, much larger book and it was totally intimidating (as I find websites to be)--too many names, in incoherent lists. This book has great little lists and some cool history. Lots of modern, European-inspired names (lists of the most popular names in various countries in Europe) that I love. Only one "100 most popular names in the US" list (which I like to see, but I don't feel the need to see all of them from 1890 on, so that's great for me)

ChristinaD09 · December 2009

Oh here is the review & its location on amazon. By the way, mine is an older edition.

For expectant parents, it's part of the tradition to pore endlessly over baby-name books searching for the perfect moniker. Names carry stereotypes, vary in perceived attractiveness (a blond bombshell named Gertrude?), and help influence how we see ourselves. As Sigmund Freud once said, "A human being's name is a principal component in her person, perhaps a piece of his soul." In Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana, name experts Linda Rosenkrantz and Pamela Redmond Satran present a baby-name book that goes far beyond the usual name lists and definitions. Satran and Rosenkrantz provide a thorough history of American naming traditions, discuss the psychological and sociological impact of names, and, yes, include list after list after list of possibilities organized into categories: popular names, old-fashioned names, comfy names, yuppie names, African-American names, androgynous names, Shakespearean names, unpopular names, creative names, mythological names, effective and ineffective middle names, classical names... and so on. Annotated with humorous notes, descriptions, quotes, and name-derivation definitions, the book is a fun and fascinating read even for those not debating between Gravity and Jane or Mason and Hendrick.

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Jennifer-Jason-Madison-Montana/dp/0312940955/ref=pd_sim_b_4

jarbatz · December 2009

A friend recommended The Baby Name Wizard and I LOVE it! There are interesting articles in the beginning about naming your child and then the names each give origin, when that named "peaked", where it is now in terms of popularity, and then gives suggestions for similar girl names or boy names....this was nice b/c there were names that I liked that DH didn't....but then he'd like one of the similar names.

Oh and it also groups names by genre, origin, etc.

It was $12 new but you could probably get it off Amazon used for less $$.

laurasue · December 2009

princessjenney:
Honestly there are so many name websites that you can use for free, I wouldn't spend money on a name book but that's just me.

I'll second this. A friend gave us her baby name book and we've flipped through and lauged at names we would never use, but it hasn't been that inspiring. Don't forget you can check out the Social Security Administration's website to view name popularity over the past 100-ish years for free:

https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/

cherylnicole · December 2009

I have that one name book, "60,000 Baby Names". Honestly, it was just okay for me. They had SO many names that were just out there (super out there!) I really didn't use it all that much (it was one of DH's bathroom books, lol) I looked online a lot though and found that MUCH nicer!

sblaisure · December 2009

I agree free websites are the way to go. But if you really want a book. I have 50,000+ best Baby names by Diane Stafford.

I like it because it has lists that are quite funny as well as a HUGE list of names. Some of the lists are like "Names Celebrities Give Their Babies" or "Names for Vegetarians" or "Make Your Baby Popular".