I thought it might be helpful if we all shared good sources of name info. Obviously, we all love Nameberry! But beyond this site, what sources/apps/sites do you use to find new name ideas, research names, or delve into the statistics/social issues surrounding names?
To start, I’ll say that one of my favorite name apps is called Nametrix. You can select a name and get a cool map that shows its changing popularity since 1960 (US only, though maybe there are other versions), it will give you the most common professions for people with that name, the meaning, and even break down the political affiliations (based on donations) of people with that name. It’s a well-designed app and tons of fun!
Of course, we all know to check the social security list for name popularity. My state has a state-specific popularity search as well.
There’s a website called HowManyOfMe where you can type in a first and last name and discover how many people already have that name. Too bad it doesn’t tell you whether they are under 5!
Finally, a resource question - which site do you think gives the most reliable name meanings? I’ve noticed that different sites often give different meanings, and it’s sometimes hard to know which is right. In some cases, it’s a matter of a name having a tradition of usage in more than one language/culture, but in other cases, two sites will actually list the Latin meaning for a name as totally different things. Any favorites?
I visit Think [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names and [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Name [name_m]Wizard[/name_m]. After questioning about meanings of names, someone suggested Behind the Name. I now find Behind the Name my go to spot beside Nameberry.
I will need to check out [name_m]How[/name_m] Many of Me.
I am a huge fan of BehindtheName.com. Probably my favorite after Nameberry. It has info on meaning and origin, and you can look at related names in a sort of family tree-like chart which shows the root name. Very informative.
I also like Nymbler.com - you can choose up to 6 names you like and then it give you suggestions of names that are similar. More fun than informative.
Does anyone know if there is a website or app that lets you type in name choices and will build combinations with all of the names that you input? I’m almost sure that I used to have something that did this but I may have lost it in a computer upgrade.
My most trusted place to go for meanings is behindthename.com It’s pretty much the only site I go to when searching for names or for name meanings/origins.
The sites I use have already been mentioned, but I’ll remention them. Behindthename & nymbler are my go to sites. Behindthename seems to be really reliable when it comes to etymology and history and nymbler is excellent when you’re looking for names of the similar style.
I like British [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names because it has lots of interesting lists but otherwise I just stick here because I am a creature of habit and like to stick with what I know. Although, I could possibly count [name_f]Pam[/name_f] and [name_f]Linda[/name_f]'s baby name books as another resource.
Definitely Behind the Name. I use the ancestry thing on Wikipedia as well (particularly the ones on articles on royalty, you’ll find a lot of great names there).
Behind the Name has received so many votes! I just checked it out and loved that there is a list at the bottom of the name’s popularity in other countries and also offers a map of the name’s popularity changes in the US states.
Before nameberry I frequented babynames.com pretty frequently. It has less of a selection than nameberry, but is good when you’re looking for a specific name rather than looking for names you’ve never heard of. I’ve also used Wikipedia; just type a name in the search bar and it’ll give you all the notable people/characters, etc… that that name is associated with. I’ve found [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] both have extremely fascinating histories.
My top 3 are:
Behind the Name
Nymbler
Think [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names - it’s got really great lists, a great search engine, and a wonderful layout (super helpful)
Then if I still can’t find what I’m looking for I google it! I’ve found really helpful information everywhere from wikipedia to yahoo answers to various random baby name sites to historical record sites to literary name generators.
Though, honestly, my first ‘go to’ resource is my own excel document where I keep various lists: SS top 1000, favorites, GP’s, [name_m]Harry[/name_m] [name_m]Potter[/name_m] names, Biblical names, names from different cultures, the SS combined spelling list (shows variant spellings of the same name), pet names, one syllable names, names I hate, eccentric names, etc.
I do the excel doc too I keep all our favorites, things we’re thinking about, names of people I’ve met that I thought were interesting, girls names I’ve seen on boys, my friends kids so I can remember them ( ), all sorts of things. At least I’m not the only person who does that
My go to resources other than Nameberry are behindthename, British [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names and [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Names From Yesteryear (its been a long time since it was updated though).
I also use The [name_m]Saint[/name_m] [name_m]Gabriel[/name_m] Medieval Names Archive quite frequently now.
I’ve also used Wikipedia; just type a name in the search bar and it’ll give you all the notable people/characters, etc… that that name is associated with. I’ve found [name_f]Tatiana[/name_f] and [name_f]Beatrice[/name_f] both have extremely fascinating histories.
I keep all our favorites, things we’re thinking about, names of people I’ve met that I thought were interesting, girls names I’ve seen on boys, my friends kids so I can remember them ( 