Best Baby Name Book Ever. Really a fun and unique approach.

There are A LOT of baby name books out there. This one gets 5 stars because of several features. There is the standard alphabetical listing of names which lists variants and nicknames, but also sibling names (as gathered on the Internet) and group names. The author has grouped names into categories that are helpful when you notice it frequently for names to which you are drawn: antique charm, nicknames, Nordic, etc. Overall it is really well organized and helpful.

i love this baby name book over others for these reasons: has cute descriptions of the names like "Silas is comfortable in jeans working on a laptop..." "Vanessa smooth and silky like and evening gown..." kind of goofy but makes the name search a little more interesting. Also suggests sibling names and has odd catergories like "why not?" and "porch sitters" in addition to "celtic" etc. Not sure if our new name is in here but has been fun reading it.

Who knew a reference manual could be so fun?!? For anyone who has an interest in names -- whether it's understanding your own name or planning your future children's -- this book offers fresh new insight on the subject. My favorite feature: the brother and sister names. Laura Wattenberg's meticulous research = our endless pleasure!

Hands down my favorite baby name book ever. The author's groupings of names by types, and extensive data of name trends over time or sibling names or popularity is very helpful. And it's a nice change from the usual name books with origins, spelling variations, and name meanings...nothing else.

Look no further. This book is all you need to write down a list of names that you like. It’s organized really smart by theme. So there’s a section of Arabic or Celtic names, short names, why not names, saint names you name it haha.

I really liked this book. So far it's been the best name book I've gone through. It gave me a lot of information in one place about each name. And it didn't like all the different spellings of the same name - it would list variants. Since we're not sure what we're having yet, I did actually go through all the names and read over 90% of the book. And it didn't list really random names from other cultures that we wouldn't use in America - that was the hardest thing about looking for names online - it lists names like "Aadf" where I swear someone just hit letters on a keyboard blindfolded! I think if anyone needs a good start for figuring out the type of names you like, this is a great book.

This name book is remarkable in how it groups names into families. A lot of the names we like show up in families. It’s super cool. I love looking at names.

So I didn’t read literally every description of every name, but I did read all the explanations and written paragraphs (and there were a lot!) so I’m counting it as a book read.

I think it is pretty helpful with its discussion of the impact of last name and the helpful groupings of names by style. It helped me see what genres of names I like or (really) don’t like. I also like that the sections for each name tell you about notable figures people will think of when they hear the name.

I’d call this brilliant book The Baby Name Bible. It was just the coolest little book of sorcery ever to land in my hands!
I didn’t come across it until it was time to name my second. Of course I already had a looooong list of names but I immediately flipped to my first child’s name and was amazed to find how acurate the list of suggested sibling names was simply based on your preferences by a name you already like.
If you already have a few children, test it out. It’s sorcery. Haha.
I highly recommend this book for all new parents looking to or struggling with naming a new person you’re bringing into the world!

July 2013
September 2016

As my husband explained it, a book on the ergonomics of names. Wattenberg is spot on with her name categories and with her sibling name suggestions. This was a really helpful name book with some alternative ideas.

Didnt help my name search.