Central Kansas Library System

When Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela asks her father why she has so many names, she hears the story of her name and learns about her grandparents.

With his mother's help, Carlos learns to write his name, as some of his friends can do.

When the eldest son fell in the well and most of the time getting help was spent pronouncing the name of the one in trouble, the Chinese, according to legend, decided to give all their children short names.

When her embarrassing middle name is revealed at school, mad scientist Franny K. Stein experiments with time in order to return to the past and give herself a more dignified name.

Angry that everyone bungles her name, Neanderthal Wakawakaloch speaks with her parents and Elder Mooch, who remind her that she was named for a brave, heroic ancestor.

"Sona Sharma's house is full of people who joke often and argue sometimes. Relatives come unannounced, the phone rings frequently and friends drop in all the time. Then one day Amma tells Sona she is going to have a baby. Is that good? Sona isn't sure -- she has always enjoyed being an only child -- and straight away she has a word with her best friend, Elephant. When Sona learns that there will be a baby naming ceremony, she is determined to find...

Names listed separately for boys and girls in creative categories such as Country and western, Exotic traditionals, Mid-century, New classics, Saints, Solid citizens. Also included are 'Name snapshots', compact profiles of names indicating their popularity, style, variants, and additional comments.

The most helpful, complete, and yearly up-to-date name book, and our list of names from around the world keeps growing! Here you'll find more than 100,000 names--complete with origins, meanings, variations, and famous namesakes. You'll find names from major linguistic and ethnic groups of origin, including English (19,000 names), Latin (11,000 names), Greek (11,000 names), American (11,000 names), Hebrew (9,000 names), Hispanic (9,000 names), French...

Relates the tale of Rumpelstiltskin's childhood and youth, explaining why his name is so important, how he is able to spin straw into gold, and why a first-born child is his reward for helping the miller's daughter-turned-queen.