How did Behind The Name become the naming authority?
mmaassen
member
I am just wondering how the Behind The Name website got so much credibility with the name board mamas. I've found it useful a few times, but with any name site I have some skepticism about how valid it really is. However, I see people posting links and telling others to look there to see what a name really means. It even seems like people feel that database is the authority, so if a name doesn't show up there, then it isn't considered a legit name.
So I'm thinking you all might know something I don't. Is this website run by some official source in names? Or maybe just some guy sitting in his underwear eating cheese doodles? I'm really just asking here, because I'd love to know what it has on other sites and how accurate it really is.
Thanks!
Re: How did Behind The Name become the naming authority?
It's compiled by a man named Mike Campbell. https://www.behindthename.com/mike/
Whether or not he's a cheese doodle freak, I don't know.
ETA: Aesthetically, his site makes me cringe, but I do think that it's a good etymology source. I don't know that I would trust it exclusively, but grouped with some other sites (nameberry for example) it can offer great information.
I don't consider BTN to be "the official" source on names. There are many, many legitimate names that aren't even in the BTN database. The French variant of an archaic German name we love is not listed on BTN, though the German variant which is largely unused today is listed, to cite one example.
I don't recommend anyone use only one source to research a name's background and especially not its meaning. Because of the varied history of names, meanings can be interpreted very differently (without either source being necessarily wrong) and with the evolution of language through time the spellings and pronunciations of names have changed dramatically, which can also be easily misinterpreted.
That said, there are reasons to consider BTN a valid source. For one thing, the site owner makes a concerted effort to list each and every source of his information on a readily accessible page--here. And, if you note, he hasn't listed exclusively other name books, either, but encyclopedias of etymology, mythology and dictionaries and foreign language dictionaries--that very much commends the site in my eyes.
There is another site I look to for meanings: thinkbabynames.com and I really like and trust their database. They're usually in agreement with BTN, though not always, and though they list some "invented" modern names, they're sure to describe them in that way.
I also use BabyNameWizard for searching and lists--their Name Voyager is amazing. I like searching on NameBerry, especially for trendy names, as I find their archaic database to be rather poor. I also use the SSA lists, Appellation Mountain, and Nancy's Names for research. And some fun sites like Nymbler and BabyNameGenie for entertainment.
No one source is an authority yet, but there are certainly sites that are more reliable than others and they've proven that through the quality of names they list and the detailed information they give and/or the lack of "concrete" information they provide--I always try to take into account that many sites post information that is actually just speculation, and so I'm wary of sites that provide too much information, too.
Yeah, me too. Which makes me question the validity a little more because if so little effort is put into to make the site look legit, then how much effort is put into making the info legit? Of course, the two are not necessarily connected, but that is how my mind works I guess.
Thanks to you both for the info.
Well, if that is the case, I don't have a legit name. My first name is Licia and I dont think its a fake name or anything!
Pretty much what strangebird said, but also...I remember someone listing Behind the Name and when I clicked on it the first time, I remember being impressed that it wasn't geared towards parents or parents-to-be, but towards people who love etymology. That word alone caught my eye. And then I read the About Page. This isn't a site geared toward or influenced by commercial interests or driven by pop culture. I sometimes feel that Name Berry tries to hard to please everyone by including ridiculous, made up names just so it can be a reference and draw people in. It's content-driven...it's about the information, not the lastest layouts.
What also sets in apart for me is that uses more than just the term, variation...there are so many ways in which names relate to one another and this site uses the words to reflect that: form, diminutive, pet form etc.
He sites sources...
https://www.behindthename.com/references.php
and Mike, the creator, acknowledges that he doesn't have every name, but he does make an effort to research a name before posting it. And people are welcomed to send him names to research and add.
I also really like this site for replying to people because you can put more than one name in the search function....and people can click on it without being annoyed by a ton of ads or distracting side bars.
It breaks down the name like a word...the parts and meanings or translations are given. I've recently started using the Family Tree and the Popularity features. When someone is looking for an alternative to Evelyn, I can find a related name in a snap. When I need to know where it is on SSA, I can click on that without the extra web page.
I also, and this is just me personally, consider it an excellent source of what truly is unisex. It's slow to change and that works for me...some days there are a zillion 'Elliot for a girl' posts, but that doens't make it unisex...it's still a boys name on a girl.
Other sites I use are: Name Berry - they have decent message boards and a great blog, but they're names aren't always reliable, Appellation Mountain - the articles use as many existing references as possible and the history of the name, which I like. Then there's Name Nerds, which I love but don't find as user-friendly as BTN, Nancy's Name Blog and You Can't Call It It and a zillion other ones. Many are geared towards parents-to-be and are very commercial, but I take them all with a grain of salt. If anything, there's good old Google. Like Wikipedia, most name sites are a jumping off point.
Heavens to Murgatroyd Blog
Unofficial Baby Names Sticky Note: New and Old| Local Bumpie Website
Off topic, does your avatar have basenji's in it?
BFP #1- 11/7/10 ~EDD 7/20/11 ~M/C (bo) 12/6/10 @ 8wks ~Missing my Little Firework
BFP #2- 9/11/11 ~EDD 5/25/12 ~M/C (mmc10w)11/4/11 @ 11wks ~Missing my May Flower
BFP #3- 02/21/12 ~EDD 11/1/12 Audrey Lee Born 11/4/2012
BFP #4 ~EDD 6/20/14 stick baby stick!
Well, it is a painting of my dogs, but yes, we are pretty sure the white one on the right is a basenji mix. She is a total mutt, but has that basenji yodel down pat!
Everything Strangebird and BraveAngel said, plus:
You can find name popularity of the U.S., Austria, Belgium, British Columbia, Catalonia, Chile, Croatia, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, The Netherlands, New South Wales, Norway, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden AND EVEN Renaissance Italy, all in one website! You can even search for a particular name, and it will tell you in which countries and years that name was popular!
An example of the difference between Nameberry and Behind the Name:
Nameberry has fun articles like "Royal Names: Beyond Elizabeth and William", which lists about 80 boy and girl names that have been carried by monarchs throughout history around the world. The problem is that it's a bit random. You don't know which name ruled over which country, and they are not even in alphabetical order!
But Behind the Name has complete lists of rulers, broken down by country/empire, and will either list them either alphabetically, chronologically, by frequency of name! It even gives a brief overview of how the royal lines came to exist, and how much power they hold today!
PS: Has anyone spent a lot of time on the "Behind the Surname"? I just discovered it. It's our same beloved purple website, in GREEN!
https://surnames.behindthename.com/ <-- clicky
If it's new, maybe it's just incomplete as of yet. Seems that Reilly would be common enough to be included.
It has my married name but didn't have my maiden name, Bartlett, which really surprised me. Perhaps it's still a work-in-progress???
Very cool painting!
The right one sure looks like a B to me
Just had to give a shout out to another Basenji owner!
BFP #1- 11/7/10 ~EDD 7/20/11 ~M/C (bo) 12/6/10 @ 8wks ~Missing my Little Firework
BFP #2- 9/11/11 ~EDD 5/25/12 ~M/C (mmc10w)11/4/11 @ 11wks ~Missing my May Flower
BFP #3- 02/21/12 ~EDD 11/1/12 Audrey Lee Born 11/4/2012
BFP #4 ~EDD 6/20/14 stick baby stick!
And no, I did not just say that I want to have BTN Mike's baby.
BFP 1- EDD 2/09/11 Missed MC DX @11 weeks D&C- 7/25/10 BFP 2- EDD 12/22/11 Natural MC @ 5w 2d BFP 3- EDD 1/25/12 DD Josephine born 1/16/12