The Name Book: Over 10,000 Names--Their Meanings, Origins, and Spiritual Significance Kindle Edition

My mom had the original edition of this book years ago. She would use it to make name certificates for new babies at church, include it with encouraging words to friends, etc.I bought a copy when I was expecting my first baby and it is still something I go back and refer to when getting name meanings for friends. I bought a second Kindle version so I would always have it on hand. (It's also great if you are into Biblical dream interpretation, sometimes a person in your dream is a symbol for something and knowing the meaning of the name is helpful.)Each name is listed with the most prevalent spelling first followed by variations of the name. The cultural or language origin is listed as well as the literal meaning of the name.The next part is where this book stands out from the other name books. The spiritual connotation of the name is then listed along with a verse that the author felt illustrated that characteristic.For example, the name Blaine is a Gaelic name with the variations Blain, Blane, and Blayne listed. The literal meaning is Lean. The author has interpreted the spiritual connotation as "Trusting," one who trusts in God regardless of the circumstances. Isaiah 42:16 NRSV is given as a key verse."I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground . . . I will not forsake them."The original book had an appendix in the back with a listing of men and women's names only. I don't see this in the second edition which I have on Kindle. It does have a listing of Biblical names. In both editions, there is a page listing birthstones and flowers by month, and places to write down your favorite names.The original version of this book had predominantly European and Latin with some Native American names. Comparing my old print version with this latest edition on my Kindle, it appears to have more Asian, Middle Eastern, and African name meanings than the first. Also in this edition that wasn't in the other is an outline for a family tree where you can write down names for four generations on each of the Mother and Father's side. Which is kind of cool.The one thing that is a little difficult is when someone has a name that has a weird spelling or variation of a name. The names are listed alphabetically by the most common spelling, so you have to think which one it would be listed under.Regarding some other comments: You can't look up names by meanings. That is true, but with the Kindle version you can always do a search and find them.The names aren't separated by boy and girl names: Maybe because all three of my girls have names that were originally masculine that are now considered "gender neutral," I don't see it as that big of a deal.I bought three books on names before my first child was born. One was the mega-book of the time. This is the only one out of the three that not only do I still have, but that I still use.

What I loved:-nice sized book-good amount of names without being overwhelming-Bible verse is written out for each name-name meaning and alternative spellings are includedWhat I didn’t love:-Lots of names nobody would everrrr use because they are so old, out there, or unheard of now-very few good “regular” name options, even when people have varying tastes-didn’t include some of my favorite names-not a lot that my husband likes and we got it for the purpose of him getting ideasSomething that may be seen as a pro or con is that the names are not separated by male or female. These seem like Bible heavy names, which I’m not against, however it’s unlikely someone wants to sort through the names “Ishmael” “Issachar” “Obadiah” “Zodak” “Zebulon” or “Zephaniah” of which, all which are included. If that is your naming style, however, this is a gold mine for you! :) My husband may like a few names in it, but ultimately we’ll probably end up getting a more classic/original type to actually find a name for a future baby.

I like the large amount of names. It gives meaning, spiritual meaning and a bible verse that has absolutely nothing to do with the name listed. The names are not organized by gender, which served us well since we were looking for both. And some of the names provided could be either gender.It gives a list of Biblical names but doesn't give meanings for all of these names.Working with hubby, we were able to figure out a potential boy and girl name (since we are waiting to find out).Overall, I found the book useful. And prompt to arrive. Still waiting on the other baby name book I ordered on the same day from a different company.

This physical copy is thinner and lighter than my original copy. It's easy to rip. Not sure why they are different...

An okay baby name book, but the fact that all the names were assigned a Bible verse seemed a little odd to me. Even names that were part of different cultures and heritages and that could’ve had much better information listed about them had an obscure Bible verse assigned to them. Nice for a Christian family I guess. Should be better advertised as a Christian book though, I was expecting spiritual significance from the culture the names actually come from.

All names are lumped together. There is no separation of gender which sucks when you know what you’re having. Lots of traditional or older style names are not listed.

This book is great for deciding names. However, I would point out a few things:1 - ODD ODD NAMES. There are so many names in here that, I don't know who would select them?! There are odd names, in which maybe I'm just very sheltered and unfamiliar, but I wonder where they came up with them?2 - ODD EXCLUSIONS. There have been a few names that I don't think are too odd, that no form or shape is to be found. For example, while this Book includes the name Spring, it doesn't have the name Autumn?! I've never met anyone named Spring, and have met a lot of people named Autumn.3 - ORIGIN / SPIRITUAL MEANINGS are DEBATABLE - The author states at the beginning that the spiritual meaning / connotation of each name is distant and indirect. I dare say. There are some names out there that I see no connection whatsoever to their meaning, nor could I even back it up?! Furthermore, some of the original meanings of names I wonder if they are true or where the author gets her information? I have found with minimal research on the computer that no such origin may exist.--Don't let these 3 critiques stop you though. It's still a good book to look through if you're trying to look for baby names. If and when you find a name in this book, don't be too quick to assume that it's giving you the right information on the name origin and meaning though.

This book has a significant amount of beautiful names for a boy or girl!

There are lots of name books out there but this one was recommended to me on a training course. The book is quite comprehensive and also gives the spiritual meaning of the name. I find people are really interested to find out what their particular name means and this book gives more detail than I have found in other books.

Names are so much more than a surface identification. This book digs a lot deeper than that, while being brief and to the point, thus making meaning an enjoyable and graspable concept for each name. There is a Judeo-Christian orientation, and biblical allusions and contexts are provided for each name with multiple phonetic resonances provided, which are flexible, so if you're looking for a particular name, the book engages creative faculties by giving a pointer to the grammatical root of the name, without being overtly scientific or systematic in approach. A good, inspiring energy.

What can I say there are so many name books ... there are literally hundreds on Amazon so why this one?I choose it because of the large number of names and a positive review ... and I have not been disappointed. This book delivered for us, it gave a lot of choices, references, the meaning of names. We did not need any other book or the internet to help us in our choice.If you are not sure, you can confidentally choose this book. You will not be disappointed.

Lots of names but all fairly basic a d traditional. The quotes given for each name dont have much relevance to the name itself.

The origins section is interesting but there are lots of missing obvious names