The Baby Name Survey Book

Rating:
Summary: Very Useful and Concise
Review: I used this book as a reference in fiction writing and found the opinions expressed to be very useful. Although no reference book will agree with my opinions completely, having a third parties view was helpful in naming my characters. I would recommend this book to another writer looking for names that reflect specific characteristics or to avoid obvious stereotypical names. Judging from my recent experiences at a K-12 school parents would do well to take a look at this book before they stick their beloved children with some of the monikers I have seen.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: OK, I personally loved this book. My name, with an unusual speeling, was in it. And for the person who said that the names will be outdated by the time the child grows up should think of this: THIS IS NOW! For those who are upset that their name had bad review, remember that it was just a survey. It was just what a majority of people think of when they hear that name. ...some people just don't appreciate a lively, informative, and opinionated book.

Rating:
Summary: Generalized, will always be outdated, but occasionally fun
Review: The problem with any book that attempts to give a name an "image" is that, while it might be dead-on accurate for the way people think about names today, it'll always be outdated, because by the time the baby you've given a name to grows up, people will have totally different images, simply because of waxing and waning popularity of names. Take, for instance, the name Linda -- one of the most popular names of the last generation. Not surprisingly, the adult respondents of the survey gave it generally positive impressions. However, very few people today are naming their babies Linda, and a Linda born in 2000 will probably be seen as hopelessly old-fashioned, since quite a few babies born today probably have grandmothers named Linda. Another problem is that, in order to integrate a number of survey responses into the writeup of a name, the image often comes out to be overcrowded and sometimes contradictory. There is one fun aspect of the book: looking up your own name and those of friends. It also might be useful for creating names for fictional characters. As a baby-naming book, though, it's not much help.

Rating:
Summary: Generalized, will always be outdated, but occasionally fun
Review: The problem with any book that attempts to give a name an "image" is that, while it might be dead-on accurate for the way people think about names today, it'll always be outdated, because by the time the baby you've given a name to grows up, people will have totally different images, simply because of waxing and waning popularity of names. Take, for instance, the name Linda -- one of the most popular names of the last generation. Not surprisingly, the adult respondents of the survey gave it generally positive impressions. However, very few people today are naming their babies Linda, and a Linda born in 2000 will probably be seen as hopelessly old-fashioned, since quite a few babies born today probably have grandmothers named Linda. Another problem is that, in order to integrate a number of survey responses into the writeup of a name, the image often comes out to be overcrowded and sometimes contradictory. There is one fun aspect of the book: looking up your own name and those of friends. It also might be useful for creating names for fictional characters. As a baby-naming book, though, it's not much help.

Rating:
Summary: Informative and Funny
Review: This book is better than most of the baby books on the market because it not only gives the "meaning" of the name but it give some impressions it gives people. It should not be taken religiously but it does give you an idea of what other people think when they hear the name.

Rating:
Summary: Baby Name Survey Book Fills Important Niche
Review: This book isn't a total baby name sourcebook, nor is it intended to be. With so many baby name lists online (by popularity, meaning, ethnicity, etc.,) this turned out to be the only name book I bought. The Survey Book gave me a reliable "outside" perspective as we considered names during my pregnancy, when I didn't trust my own judgement during the raging hormone storms or even suspected family members of having an agenda! It also gave me a diplomatic way to eliminate some the less appealing suggestions. ("I really LIKE the name Humperdink, but the book says that it suggests 'smelly' and 'effete'.") The list is not complete and some of the names are outdated, but if another expanded edition is published, I will definately purchase it before naming a second child.

Rating:
Summary: Baby Name Survey Book Fills Important Niche
Review: This book isn't a total baby name sourcebook, nor is it intended to be. With so many baby name lists online (by popularity, meaning, ethnicity, etc.,) this turned out to be the only name book I bought. The Survey Book gave me a reliable "outside" perspective as we considered names during my pregnancy, when I didn't trust my own judgement during the raging hormone storms or even suspected family members of having an agenda! It also gave me a diplomatic way to eliminate some the less appealing suggestions. ("I really LIKE the name Humperdink, but the book says that it suggests 'smelly' and 'effete'.") The list is not complete and some of the names are outdated, but if another expanded edition is published, I will definately purchase it before naming a second child.

Rating:
Summary: Gross contradictions & one celebrity descriptions abound.
Review: This is a Renaming/Reprint of their 1990 book similarly titled "The Baby Name Personality Survey". This book is a survey of 30 to 150 respondents for each name on the feelings evoked by the names. This is a prime example of creation by multiple committees. Throughout the book there are numerous dichotomies and trichotomies, such as "an old spinster who is plain, quiet, lackluster, and secretive or sophisticated and sexy." Add to that theatrical characters or celebrities by respondents who appear to cumulatively know only one person (and that a character or celebrity)with the name, such as: "Elvira [a] tramp who is weird, spooky, and sexy" and a typical baby name book and we are left with a short baby name book and a bunch of near useless survey results. If you are after a book to help you choose a name for a child or book character, you can do better than this. And your own very brief survey of friends may be more accurate.

Rating:
Summary: Skip It
Review: What people think of names change. Some of the views of these names are already outdated due to media influences. Also, not uncommon names that I LOVE are not even included in this book. The book is too thin, including only the most popluar and/or outdated names.

Rating:
Summary: Not that great of a baby name book...
Review: Yeah, this book is fun...at first, but then it gets boring. The "cute," "popular" or "trendy" names are the most favored. A name like Ariana is viewed as positive and beautiful, while something like Fern (which I think is cool) is seen as old-fashioned and ugly. There's also not enough names listed. If you're about to have a baby and you're looking for a name, this book isn't the way to go. It's very limited in the options, because for the most part it uses well-known and well-used names, or it goes the other extreme and uses names that you probably wouldn't ever consider. For example, I think names like Adolph and Henrietta are in here. There's no middle ground. In retrospect, I wasn't too thrilled with it.