First Names

A fully revised, expanded and updated edition of the Collins Guide to First Names, now in the handy B format.


This book is designed to help you choose a name for your baby. Even parents who know what they want to call their child may well want to look at some of the possible forms the name can take, and find out something about its history and meaning, so the book contains as many names and variants as possible, from the top 10 names this year in England - Jack, Joshua, Thomas, James, Danile, Benjamin, William, Samuel, Jospeh, Oliver; Chloe, Emily, Jessica, Ellie, Sophie, Megan, Charlotte, Lucy, Hannah, Olivia to the rather less common Kai, Bethany, Claudia, Finn, Joel, Brett and Skye. Variations in names have been fully cross-referenced, unless they would fall next to the entry in which they can be found, so if you cannot find the name you want in the book, look for the nearest spelling and read the entry there.