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ArchivesDisgruntled about poor quality baby name books
Is anyone else here irate at the poor standards of baby names? It seems like any shmoe with an imagination and a computer can make a name book. Some of the definitions are pathetic!
Bruce Lansky's books come to mind first. Surely I am not the only one that feel his books are so innaccurate that the books should be recalled? I figured it up one time, by noting the accurate origin and meaning, then cross-referenced to see what he said it was, and I did this for several names with easily known origins and meanings (Alexander, John, Magdalene, William, Alfred, etc...) and added up a percentage of accuracy and for theses names it was only 66% accurate! (I also included putting the name in the right gender-section) Imagine if I could verify the accuracy of those tribal names that the meanings are hard to pinpoint, which he uses all-throughout.
Baby name books are dictionaries and I feel they should be held to the same stringent level of accuracy and research that they are. If a dictionary was released with the accuracy of some of these baby name book...imagine the result.
With reference materials, we as consumers/researchers, expect a certain level of accuracy. Most of these name books fail to have that level but still parents that don't realize the inaccuracies buy the books en masse and further the mis-knowledge to their youngsters. I watched A Baby Story the other day and the couple named their daughter Ashley because, get this, it means 'A peaceful heart.' Uh...yeah...
That just really irks me...maybe I'm extra irate because my mom always told me my name meant 'from a high tower' when in reality it was 'quince apple.'
I just wish there was something I could do to up the standards of research and accuracy for baby name books.
Am I the only one?
Sorry if this is the wrong place...I just had to vent.
-Mina
Bruce Lansky's books come to mind first. Surely I am not the only one that feel his books are so innaccurate that the books should be recalled? I figured it up one time, by noting the accurate origin and meaning, then cross-referenced to see what he said it was, and I did this for several names with easily known origins and meanings (Alexander, John, Magdalene, William, Alfred, etc...) and added up a percentage of accuracy and for theses names it was only 66% accurate! (I also included putting the name in the right gender-section) Imagine if I could verify the accuracy of those tribal names that the meanings are hard to pinpoint, which he uses all-throughout.
Baby name books are dictionaries and I feel they should be held to the same stringent level of accuracy and research that they are. If a dictionary was released with the accuracy of some of these baby name book...imagine the result.
With reference materials, we as consumers/researchers, expect a certain level of accuracy. Most of these name books fail to have that level but still parents that don't realize the inaccuracies buy the books en masse and further the mis-knowledge to their youngsters. I watched A Baby Story the other day and the couple named their daughter Ashley because, get this, it means 'A peaceful heart.' Uh...yeah...
That just really irks me...maybe I'm extra irate because my mom always told me my name meant 'from a high tower' when in reality it was 'quince apple.'
I just wish there was something I could do to up the standards of research and accuracy for baby name books.
Am I the only one?
Sorry if this is the wrong place...I just had to vent.
-Mina
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