40,001 Best Baby Names

by Diane Stafford

The most complete, up-to-date baby-naming book on the market. The very best baby-naming book ever! 40,001 Best Baby Names is the essential resource you need to name your baby. This one-stop, baby-naming shop includes important sections such as ten steps to naming a baby, real-life stories and 75 lists of suggestions that range from ethnic names to presidential and bad-to-the-bone names. Creative lists, indispensable information and thousands of names will help you think about your baby's name in a new way and give you solid information (and maybe even a chuckle).
--Every name you can imagine and thousands more
--Dozens more individualized lists
--A section on how names shape our lives
--Advice on how to change your own name
--And so much more! Includes 75 great lists to help you choose
--The most popular names for every decade
--15 lists of ethnic names
--Names that spawn difficult nicknames
--Ugly names that are in, pretty names that are out
--Celebrity baby names
--And LOTS MORE!

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference

464 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Diane Stafford is an award-winning writer and editor who is known for her lively, upbeat writing style. She has been featured in dozens of articles and broadcasts nationwide. With a two-year bestseller (50,001 Best Baby Names, Sourcebooks), Stafford has fourteen published books and has sold more than a million books.
Stafford lives near the Pacific Ocean in Newport Beach, California, with her husband, Gregory Munoz, an Orange County superior court judge. Stafford has one daughter, three stepdaughters, and two stepsons.
Some of Stafford's published books include: Migraines For Dummies, Potty Training For Dummies, The Encyclopedia of STDs, No More Panic Attacks, 40,001 Best Baby Names, 50,001 Best Baby Names, 1000 Best Job-Hunting Secrets, Parent's Success Guide to Parenting, The Ultimate Baby Name Book, The Big Book of 60,001 Baby Names, and The Vitamin D Cure (with James E. Dowd, M.D.). Four of these books were co-authored with Stafford's daughter; her job-hunting book co-author was Moritza Day.

Reviews

[Kayt O'Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the dumbest, most ridiculous things I have ever read. I pity any child whose parents even glance at this in seriousness. For example:

*Included are 70+ lists in the beginning, in case you wanted your child to have "Bad to the bone death row names." If that doesn't work, how about "Names that make girls feel weird"? (Charm, Delite, Michelin, Oceana, Panther, True...) Or "Names for children of lesbians and gays"? (Caleb, Ethan, Marco, Yale; Annabelle, Celeste, Jessica, Molly...)

*Included are a metric ton of names whose origins are given as "American." Like:
Kemper ("high-minded")
Dearon ("dear one")
Poogie/Pookie ("snuggly")
Mitten ("cuddly")
Roynale ("motivated")

And then there are the names listed as "invented" or "origin unknown." Like Moon Unit (did you know it means "universal appeal"?).

*Not included: how to pronounce anything. Although the author helpfully lists "alternative spellings for names you can't pronounce" in the front. So if you like a name but just can't figure out how to pronounce Luca (Lukah), try:
Klev (Cleve)
Makale (Mikhail)
Sonteeahgo (Santiago)
Duhnelle (Danelle)
Kamela (Camilla)
Q-malee (Cumale)

It goes on and on. It's just mind-boggling. On the other hand, it's like a train wreck: you can't look away.

[Janelle Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

good variety of names and spelling variations.

[Sean Evans]

40,001 Best Baby Names by Diane Stafford (2003)