TREASURY OF NAME LORE

Not just a listing of names with ""meanings,"" Elsdon Smith's treasury features the name lore of nations and communities behind the specific. Names were not consciously planned but a result of group thinking, he states, and goes on to inform on such occurrences as acronyms and aliases. As to nationalities, Frisian names are mostly patronyms; Moslem names derive from the immediate members of the prophet's family or from the Koran; Israel encourages its citizens to take a new Hebrew name. More than 75% of movie names are selected for box office appeal both plain and fancy: Kirk Douglas was born Issur Danielovitch: Cyd Charisse, Tula Ellice Finklea; Marilyn Monroe (you guessed it), Norma Jean Dougherty; Cary Grant, Archibald Leach. Then there are pet names for the ladies, from the French endearment, petit chou (little cabbage) to the German Mein Schweinchen (my piglet). As for husbands and wives, the range is from the conservative Dear or Sweet-heart to Poopsie and Snooky-Oookums. Mr. Smith also looks into teknonymy, the custom among many savage tribes whereby the father and mother take the name of the first born child. Altogether very interesting; particularly for those who want to know ""what's in a same.