The Collins English Dictionary

Reference

Hanks, Patrick

Dictionaries & Thesauruses

William Collins Sons & Co.

The Collins Concise Dictionary

HarperCollins, Publishers

The Collins Concise Dictionary: Thumb-indexed

About the Author\nDr. Patrick Hanks is a lexicographer, corpus linguist, and onomastician. For ten years (1990-2000) he was chief editor of current English Dictionaries at Oxford University Press. More recently, he has held research posts and taught linguistics and lexicology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Britain, America, and the Czech Republic. He is currently a visiting professor at the Research Institute of Information and Language Processing (RIILP, University of Wolverhampton, England). He is a frequent invited plenary speaker at international conferences on lexicography, corpus linguistics, figurative language, and onomastics.\nSimon Lenarčič is a lexicographer and self-educated onomastician and orthographer from Slovenia. He is the author or editor of several Slovenian encyclopedias, name dictionaries, and books on orthography.\nDr Peter McClure is Honorary Professor of Name-Studies at the Institute for Name-Studies, University of Nottingham, England, and is the leading authority on English surname origins and the author of numerous articles on English names of all types. He was formerly Senior Lecturer in English Language and Literature, University of Hull, England (1965-90), specializing in Middle English and early Modern English. He was the founding editor of the onomastic journal Nomina (1977-85), is a past President of the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland, and is currently Vice-President of the English Place-Name Society (since 2013) and onomastic consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary (since 2007).\nThis revised and expanded second edition of Dictionary of American Family Names contains more than 80,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States, reflecting better than ever the unique diversity of the American population. All surnames with more than 300 bearers in the 2010 US Census are now included, increasing the number of names discussed by over 10,000 and widening the representation of languages and cultures from North and South America, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia, many of which were absent from the first edition. Native American and African American surnames have been given particular attention, though much research still remains to be done in these important areas of American family history and naming practices. The product of a seventeen-year research project, gathering the contributions of over thirty linguistic consultants from all over the world, the dictionary explains the meanings-some intuitive, some amusing, and 
some quite surprising-of the family names for more than 90 percent of the US population, giving their comparative frequencies, linguistic and historical explanations, selected associated forenames, and occasional genealogical notes. The edition includes tens of thousands of new and corrected or improved etymologies, origins, and name histories, as well as authoritative introductory essays, many of them new or revised, describing naming customs across the globe.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd Edition: 5-Volume Set

Lenarčič, Simon

Oxford University Press

A unique reference work, this international dictionary is a systematic, comparative survey of the origins and meanings of some 100,000 currently used surnames of European origin, as they are presently found throughout the world. With the help of consultant editors in specific areas--particularly for Jewish, Spanish, and Gaelic names--the authors present information about the language or region in which the surname originated, major events in the history of noted names, the original meaning, peculiarites of regional distribution, and in some cases the form, date, and location of early instances of the name. Uniquely organized to allow comparison between names that share the same etymology, the dictionary groups together within a single entry many different cognate and variant forms, including diminutives and patronymics. A comprehensive alphabetical index allows easy cross-referencing. Summarizing a wealth of historical and etymological information in a clear and concise manner, the dictionary will be interesting and accessible to the general reader, and an essential reference tool for historians, genealogists, philologists, and local family history societies.

A Dictionary of Surnames

Hodges, Flavia

A guide for parents faced with the enjoyable, but often difficult, task of choosing a suitable name for their child. Covering the meaning and origin of some 2500 first names in common use in the English-speaking world, the book also records variations in spelling, masculine and feminine forms, diminutives, and foreign language equivalents. In addition, there are entertaining and informative notes on the famous bearers of names - both real and fictional - who have influenced their popularity. It includes many recent coinages:, such as Keanu, Cressa, Cayleigh, Jewel and Jetta. * Simple pronunciation guidance for unfamiliar names (such as the Gaelic names Aoife, Cian, and Danhnait) This book is intended for the ideal book for parents-to-be; it will also fascinate anyone interested in the social history or origins of names.

Naming Your Baby (Oxford Minireference)

Genealogy

Oxford Univ. Pr.

Here is the ultimate first name handbook, a delightfully informative, comprehensive survey of over 6,000 names in regular use in the English-speaking world, from the traditional to the newest and unconventional names of the nineties. This Revised Edition also offers new appendices listing common Arabic, Russian, Indian, French, German, Italian, and Spanish first names. An authoritative reference, no other handbook provides a fraction of the information found here. Typical entries list the linguistic and ethnic root of a name. "Jennifer," for instance, is a Cornish form of "Guinevere," which in turn is the French version of a Welsh name combining gwen, white, fair, smooth, and hwyfar, smooth, soft. However, the real charm and value of this reference lies in the wealth of fascinating additional information the authors provide. Entries discuss the age, origin, and history of individual names, together with any historical or cultural associations, as well as tracing the popularity of names through time. Most listings also include the non-English form or cognate of a name, and diminutives and pet forms. European names which have become established in English are covered and pronunciation guidance is provided for difficult or unusual names. A Concise Dictionary of First Names, Revised Edition is a highly accessible reference which offers a goldmine of curious facts to delight browsers of every age as well as a wealth of inspiration for prospective parents.

A Concise Dictionary of First Names

Parenting & Relationships

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.

The Oxford Names Companion

ROOM, ADRIAN

Mills, A.D.

This brand new edition of the fascinating and informative Dictionary of First Names covers over 6,000 names in common use in English, including newly created names and traditional names that have been newly discovered. From Alice to Zanna and Adam to Zola this book will answer all your questions: it will tell you the age, origin, and meaning of the name, as well as how it has fared in terms of popularity, and notes famous bearers (both historical and fictional). It covers alternative spellings, short forms and pet forms, and masculine and feminine forms, as well as help with pronunciation. The edition featured fully updated appendices covering names in other languages, including Scottish, French, German, Italian, Arabic, and Chinese. New to this edition are appendices of Irish and Welsh names, and tables showing the most popular names by year and region. This is the most comprehensive paperback first names dictionary available. From the traditional to the rare and unconventional, this book will tell you everything you need to know about names.

A Dictionary of First Names (Oxford Quick Reference)

Kate, Hardcastle

A new guide to the origin and meaning of over 1,500 first names in common use in the English-speaking world.

The Oxford Minidictionary of First Names

History

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hanks, Patrick. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hanks, Patrick