Surnames have always provided key links in historical research. This groundbreaking new work shows that first names can also be highly significant for those tracing genealogies or studying communities. Standard works on first names have always concentrated on etymology. George Redmonds goes much further: he believes that every name has a precise origin and history of expansion, which can be regional or even local; up to c. 1700 it may even have centred on one family. This text fully explores the implications of this belief for local and family history, and challenges many published assumptions on the historical frequency of first names.

"History of Christian names" by Charlotte M. Yonge. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1884 Edition.

A Christian or a 'given' name is the first name of an individual, usually issued during their Christian baptism. Originating as a Hebrew practice, the issuing of names on dates of religious significance is intended to symbolize induction into religious society or acceptance of religious dogma. Historically, Christian names were only those of religious origin, however after the Dark Ages, names were reflective of culture, literature, art, and various other outlets in addition to religion. Charlotte Mary Yonge's History of Christian Names Vol. 2 is exactly as it sounds, a comprehensive examination of different given names including origin, lore, and meanings. In particular, Yonge explores names by culture and historical significance, making a point to include "Keltic," "Gadhelic," "Cymric," "Teutonic," "Mythological," "Karling," "Slavonic," and "Modern" names. In the "Cymric" chapter, Yonge investigates the roots of the legendary name 'Arthur', "Most people imagine it to be a bear, and connect it with Arctus...Arth does indeed mean a bear in British; but this seems to have been the Latin word assimilated" instead, she argues for a Celtic root of the name, Ard, that denotes 'royalty', making King Arthur mean King King. This book is a treasure trove of knowledge on ancient civilizations, untold legends, syntax and language, and cultural heritage. Yonge's grasp of the nuances of linguistics and phonetics lead her to new unexplored territory. This book is perfect for someone who is looking for unusual and meaningful names, who is interested in the history of names, who enjoys learning about language and culture, or who wants to explore linguistics and the roots of language more thoroughly. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.