Rating: 
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: A guide to individual names, this book goes FAR beyond the standard baby-naming dictionaries to include the kind of inside information on names even your best friends won't tell you -- whether they're stylish or overused, cool or nerdy. You get a thorough history of each name and also an analysis of what it means in contemporary life. I used this book, along with Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana, to name both my children, and give it to all my friends. Especially for first-time parents, IT'S A MUST!!!
Rating: 
Summary: List of girl names, list of boy names, a bit superficial
Review: Before becoming a dad (well, I will be one in October), I would have never dreamt of reading a book on this topic, but you see: here I am today, browsing through a handful of books off of the shelves looking for ideas. Here's our case: my wife and I wanted to name our baby with a beautiful name (how original, huh?) that is not repeated anywhere near (family and close friends) and that plays well both ways, in English AND Spanish without anyone needing to twist their mouths to pronounce it.I had a chance to check out this title and didn't find it useful enough for what I had in mind. What it provided was an alphabetized list of names for girls, and another one for boys, without much regard for any particulars (geography, language, etc.) Also, if you are interested in how your favorite celebrity named his/her baby, this book lists them under each particular name. So, not only was it not useful enough, but also a bit superficial. Not my favorite pick for this category. I recommend "A World of Baby Names" or "From Aaron to Zoe".
Rating:
Summary: Okay if you really can't come up with a name on your own
Review: Expecting our second child in a few weeks, my husband and I still cannot agree on a name. Since we are expecting another girl, its more difficult because we obviously used our first choice name on our first born, and now have to come up with another traditional, yet not old fashioned name. We bought this book thinking that surely we would be able to come up with a name that we could agree on, and that isn't on the list of the 10 most popular but also not to unusual. We found that a good percentage of names listed are not what most parents would really consider. It lists names such as "California" and "America", which frankly I think would cause a child nothing but ridicule and embarassment. There are many "trendy" celebrity and television character names (such as Lorelie/Rory from "Gilmore Girls")which are in danger of being extremely dated. There are many good names listed, and they try to give you the origin and meaning of the name as best they can, although sometimes they are merely guessing. I could have done without the personal commentary on certain names. For the author to recommend "California" and then say that "Debbi" is the name for a "cheerleader from the 60's" is not warrented and it is insulting to those of us with a beloved Debbi in our families. This book is "okay" but not great.
Rating: 
Summary: Not their best effort, but still better than most
Review: For years now, Rosenkrantz and Satran have been the only real baby name book *authors*. There are a ton of books that compile name lists, but these two are actually good writers and not afraid to inject opinion and analysis. I gave this volume 4 stars simply by comparison to most of the lackluster alternatives out there -- but I was honestly rather disappointed. Some reasons: - This is NOT a new book, simply a new edition! Despite the fresh title and design, "Baby Names Now" is just an updated version of "The Last Word on First Names." I find this rather deceptive; if you have the earlier book, save your money. - Where were the copy editors? This is a surprisingly sloppy book, with lots of little factual errors that should have been cleaned up along the way. Hercules was not a Greek god, as one of the entries claimed. And Jabot is not a character on "The Young and the Restless" -- it's the name of a company! That's like saying General Motors is a popular baby name in Detroit. - Prominent uses of a name in the media are highly relevant. What low-level celebrities choose to name their own children is thoroughly irrelevant. I was frustrated by the significant percentage of this book devoted to informing me that, e.g., a CNN weatherman chose such-and-such a name for his third daughter. - Again in the wasted space category: far too many entries of names nobody would ever consider, just to say "don't consider this." Was there really a risk of thousands of little girls named "Sesame"? Yes, this is a fun book to read, and if you don't have the authors' previous books it's a fine choice. But I'm looking forward to something fresher in this category.
Rating:
Summary: MERITS MUCH MORE THAN A GLANCE!
Review: I bought this new book from these authors when I named my last baby and I found lots of new and updated material in it. Every parent needs both this one and Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana! Not every word in the updated editions is new but name trends and cultural references change so fast that I was glad I bought the updates for naming each new baby (I have three, spread out over ten years.) And by the way, Jaden is NOT a biblical name and Alexandria IS the correct name of Keith Richards daughter!
Rating:
Summary: MERITS MUCH MORE THAN A GLANCE!
Review: I bought this new book from these authors when I named my last baby and I found lots of new and updated material in it. Every parent needs both this one and Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana! Not every word in the updated editions is new but name trends and cultural references change so fast that I was glad I bought the updates for naming each new baby (I have three, spread out over ten years.) And by the way, Jaden is NOT a biblical name and Alexandria IS the correct name of Keith Richards daughter!
Rating:
Summary: this book is a rehash of the authors' previous edition
Review: I glanced at the new edition of Baby Names Now and I discovered the entry for the name Alexandria which states that Keith Richards and Patti Hansen gave that name to their second daughter. That is incorrect-the correct name should have been Alexandra. If the authors had done their research, they should have made the correction in the new edition. I agree with the other reviewer that Jaden is a biblical name and not the invention of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith. I wouldn't waste my money buying this book--choose "The Oxford Dictionary of First Names" or "Everyman's Book of First Names".
Rating:
Summary: For those who love making lists...
Review: I have all of the books by these authors, and although I found the format of the first (Beyond Jennifer and Jason) much easier to keep up with, the information, insights, and lists of names in this book is truly excellent. You will want this book for the latest trends in baby naming, a great number of names that are unique, original, and beautiful, and help in making the final choice. You will not agree with some of the classifications for names (for example Thorn was recently reported as the #4 name for two counties in my area, so obviously parents if not these authors feel that the name is appropriate for their baby boys).
Rating:
Summary: I wish I hadn't bought it, but it's okay
Review: I liked most of the choices in this book. I found that there were good names that most people would probably consider, and I liked that they made it clear that certain names are just way too popular right now, and that they had positive things to say about lesser used names such as "Lisette" and "Rosamond." I didn't like all the celebrity references or all the place-name references. I saw those entries as part of a new baby-naming trend and I'm not into trends, so those names didn't impress me. If you're searching for a name, then this book is good, because there are reasonable suggestions in it. I would just have to say don't pay too much attention to the comments.
Rating:
Summary: Getting a bit tired
Review: I love Rosenkrantz and Satran's books -- even though I have no intention of having more kids I buy them all the second they are released. I have to say, however, that their latest feels a bit stale. Somehow, the authors have lost their enthusiasm and cutting-edge sense of humor and style. Most of the entries are reprinted directly from the 1995 edition of "The Last Word On First Names," in which the authors' sheer exuberance about their subject matter made perusing the entries a joy. If you don't have that book, you'll enjoy this one. By contrast, the new entries seem jaded and forced. What's the point, for example, of including separate entries for "Sesame," "Brown," or "Marquis"? The new entries focus primarily on word, surname, and place names, which make the selections seem random. The descriptions themselves are flat-footed -- instead of their usual dash and spirit, they have descriptions like this one for Wylie: "Wylie is, like Carter and Carson, another surname occasionally used by namers of girls, one of whom is Richard Dean Anderson." Ho hum. My advice would be to seek out a copy of the earlier edition -- with its jaunty pink and blue pages -- and hope that someone with a fresh sense of style comes in to fill the gap. (To give them credit, Rosencrantz and Satran have been doing this for over 15 years now, and have had a major impact on baby naming trends. After that much time, it's no big surprise that they've run out of things to say about, what is after all, a rather limited topic.) All that being said, they are still by far the best in the baby-naming industry.
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