Overview

The Oxford Names Companion provides all the information that you will need about place and personal names existing within the British Isles. Divided into three sections on Surnames, First Names, and British Place-Names, they showcase the knowledge and detailed information from leading experts in the names field: A Dictionary of Surnames explains the origin and meaning of nearly 70,000 surnames. It covers all the common surnames, and many other rare ones, in the English-speaking world that are of European derivation. Also giving information about the history and distribution of names where possible and having sourced advice from specialist consultants for particular areas, such as Jewish names and Celtic languages, this reference work is a systematic comparative survey of names that no other work can offer. A Dictionary of First Names is a comprehensive study of first names providing a collection of linguistic, historical, and associated information about some 7,000 names used within the British Isles. Names form part of an individual's cultural identity and say much about our or our family's origins, and this dictionary reflects the long history of cultural diversity within Britain. A Dictionary of British Place-Names contains place-names of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales to form an impressive collection of around 15,000 British place-names, tracing their development from earliest times to the present day. The names are cited in their original spelling and language, such as Celtic, Old English, Old Scandinavian, and the overall effect of this reference work is that it shows that place-names have an incredible capacity for survival.

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This definitive guide to surnames, first names and place names of the British Isles has virtually no rivals: its supremacy in the field is assured. There are many ways in which human beings define their personalities, but our names remain a key indicator. This may be because the very concept of names is indelible, and can act as an extremely effective doorway to the past. The many cultural strands that make up the British Isles may be identified by the names of individuals and place names, and this massive dictionary has collected together leading experts in the field to create intriguing territory for those of us who want to browse as well as an essential adjunct to any research into family or regional history. The three parts of the companion comprise a dictionary of surnames, which provides the etymology and significance of over 70,000 examples, a shorter list of first names and a dictionary of British place names, in which locations in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England are traced from the furthest reaches of history right up to the present. The names range from those that are unlikely to grace a birth certificate these days (such as Ignatius) to those which have, fascinatingly, shifted in their appeal to different social classes (the massively popular Jason is bestowed on many who are unlikely to know that they are named after a hero from Greek classical mythology). A book which is both useful and unputdownable. (Kirkus UK)

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