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The etymology and history of first names.
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A useful list of first, a.k.a. given names, and their version as spelled in many different languages. This is a very comprehensive 114 page fully searchable pdf containing thousands of first names. Languages included are English, Czech, French, German, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, Yiddish, and more.
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To aid you in researching when all you know is the first name of a person. Focuses on unusual first names and women's first names when maiden names are unknown.
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Genealogy Magazine - Beware of 18th-Century Middle Names
“Middle names are a modern innovation,” observed The Vermont Record and Farmer in 1873. “Not one person in a hundred in New England a century ago had more than two names. Now eighty-four percent of the persons under twenty have three or more names.”
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Genealogy.com - Twigs & Trees with Rhonda: Naming Patterns May Hold a Clue
Article by Rhonda R. McClure.
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Listing of the ten most popular male and female given names from 1900 to 1977 in order of popularity. Derived from Michigan state driver's licenses.
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Names, Names and More Names Links
What they mean, where they came from, nicknames, naming patterns.
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Namespedia - Names Meaning and Origins
A free names encyclopedia where visitors can search or contribute.
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Definitions & world-wide naming customs from Wikpedia.
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ProGenealogists - Coats of Arms, Family Crests, and Surname Origins
An article explaining some of the misconceptions surrounding these topics.
[The original link is broken. This link points to an archived copy on the Wayback Machine] -
Shows the 200 most popular given names for male and female babies born during 1880 - 1889. From the United States Social Security Administration.
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Learn everything you need to know about naming laws by state —including which names are illegal for birth certificates where you live.
