About

I first became interested in names because of my own. It was an odd thing, uncommon enough to be unusual. My parents didn't have any motivation in choosing my name except that it sounded satisfactory to them. I began looking in name books, primarily those infamous baby ones, and discovered that there were a whole slew of other names, even more unusual. Or if they were usual, they had unusual meanings.

Most people take their names for granted. It's a label, of course, but also (combined with middle and last names) unique. Just how many people realize what their name means? More importantly, do they know the context in which they were given? Where was the name found in the first place? A book, a list, a relative, something in the media? Sometimes it seems almost laughably obvious that the name influences the person just as the person influences the name.

Why another name page when there are already numerous ones on the web already? For one thing, the formats of other pages are all the same--lists. Sure, they're helpful for people who are just curious about the meanings of their names or looking for one for their new baby but they usually don't go any further than that. The Archive of Names will be a little different. History, links, and other assorted trivia will be added to round out the significance of a name. It will be less encyclopedic and more food for thought.