Discovering First Names

Book excerpt: This popular and handy guide includes some two thousand three hundred first names in use in Britain today, set out in alphabetical order. It gives, whenever possible, the meaning of each name with its derivation and language of origin. In cases of unusual names, mention is made of the famous people who have borne them. This book will be a valuable source of reference for perplexed parents-to-be, as well as for people interested in the whys and wherefores of names in general and their own in particular. The late Stan Jarvis, librarian and museum curator, was born in Winchester in 1926. A flow of articles in newspapers and magazines culminated in the broadcast of his own scripts, and a growing interest in local history and genealogy was reflected in his writings.