So much lies in a name. It conveys a culture, a history, and a way of looking at the world. And, as centuries of war, immigration, rulers, and religions have changed a country, they have also changed the names of its people. In the first book of its kind, Teresa Norman traces the history of Europe, from the Dark Ages to the present, and shows how names originated and changed throughout the ages.

Whether you are a writer searching for the proper name for your character, or a parent looking for a special name for your child, Names through the Ages is a rich resource of ideas, stories, and histories behind thousands of names.

• alphabetized listings for easy reference
• organized by time period and country
• advice on alternate spellings
• information on origins and meanings
• surname definitions
• histories of names and countries

Names from a turbulent, colorful history including: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and the United States.

It was during the christening ceremony that the child was given the most important symbol of its entry into society and the Church: a name. The child was supposed to be given the same name as the principal godparent of the same sex. However, the names found during this time indicate that this rule was not always followed. Though Christian names were rarely used before this time, by the end of the twelfth century, the growing influence of the Church is reflected in the number of names bestowed that referred to the day of birth, and in the increased use of saint's names. Names referring to a child's day of birth include Christmas, Nowell, Easter, Epiphany. Theophania, Whitsun, Loveday, and Pentecost. In the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, there was probably a larger percentage of spiritual names in use than in any other time period until the twentieth century. Taking biblical saints first, Bartholomew, James, Luke, Michael, Paul, Philip, and Simon are first recorded between 1185 and 1200. Barnabas is first found in 1201, but Mark isn't recorded until 1303.

Some of the more popular Old English names were still in use, though they were now quite rare. A list of 800 jurors and bailiffs from Kent in 1313-1314 illustrates this point, containing only one Aylwyn, two Edmunds, one Edward, and one Hereward. Toward the end of the fourteenth century, Old English names were hardly to be found, and the ones that did survive likely did so because they were the names of saints.

In the fourteenth century, Alice was the most popular female name; Joan was the second most popular. None of the female names dominated to the extent that John did among male names, however. One reason could be the variety of names in use or the interesting trend, which began in the thirteenth century, of bestowing male names upon female children. In order to bring a female child under the protection of a male saint, the child was often given that saint's name.

Female Names

Adela (noble)

Adelaide (nobility)

Agatha (good)

Agnes (chaste, pure)

Alexander (defender of mankind)

Alexandra (defender of mankind)

Alice (nobility)

Amice (friend) Amicia

Ann (grace, full of grace, mercy) Recorded first in 1218.

Annabel (?, perhaps eagle; hearth) Arabel, Orabel, Oriabel

Basil (kingly)

Basilie (kingly)

Male Names

Abel (breath)

Abraham (father of a multitude)

Absalom (father of peace) Absalon

Acelin (tribe of the Gauts) Ascelyn, Asselin

Adam (man of the red earth)

Adrian (man from Hadrianus)

Alan (?, perhaps handsome; rock) Aleyne

Alard (noble and hard)