Product Description

The 50 million people born between 1965 and 1977, raised on Sesame Street, disco, and video games, whose mission up to now has been establishing a unique identity, are growing up, pairing off, settling down, and having kids. Now, the generation made up of Scotts, Jennifers, and Starrs (with two R's) is faced with the task of finding just the right name for its offspring. In Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma, Joal Ryan's well-honed trend radar helps them get the job done.

In the pages of this funny and indispensable guide, you'll find:

* 10,000 names with origins, definitions, and spelling variations--Annie, Anny, Anni, Annee
* Loads of trivia, including what musicians, movie stars and other celebrities name their babies
* "Crib" sheets for busy parents-to-be--a shortcut to the best, riskiest, and trendiest names under each letter of the alphabet
* Off-the-beaten path sources of inspiration--John Hughes movies, the grunge scene, and much more
* Which names are hot, which names are not, and which names might subject your little one to years of playground torture or sessions with a therapist

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1303466 in Books
• Published on: 1999-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Customer Reviews

Tongue-in-Cheek Advice
First off, in case you see this, Mom, there's no need to get excited. With that out of the way, I have to say that for a baby-name book, Puffy, Xena, Quentin, Uma is a great read: It's hip, sarcastic, snappy, and fun. Much more than a list of names and meanings, Joal Ryan weaves together pop culture references and Generation X sensibilities to highlight the plusses and minuses of traditional and more ... interesting names. It's by no means an encyclopedic reference, but it does a fine job of highlighting well-worn standards, up-and-coming trendy names, and timeless classics.

Throw away your list and buy this book!
That's what my wife and I did while trying to pick a name for our fourth and final child. We had a huge list of more traditional-style names, but had no luck choosing a name we both could agree on. So we threw the list away, got this book, and let our imagination run wild. Two days later, Zoe Piper was born! This book is fun to read and will bring back lots of memories for those of us in the 30-35 age range. Oh, the joys of feeling like a kid again! Joal, thanks for making a difficult task fun.

The Totally Excellent baby book for us! (not our parents)
I was sitting down thumbing through the pages of another book and getting NOWHERE. I was having about as much fun as one has trying to BBQ in a rainstrom.

I needed a book that would work for me. I saw the title of this book a decided that it might be worth a good chuckle to atleast look at. This is the book!!! I love the way she has organized it. The little "Crib Notes" are a great eye-opener and a good chuckle. It saves you time, thought and the ever-so-friendly opinions from family and friends when you might be considering naming your child Elvira or Shaq.

Having grown up during the same time as her audience, Joal is in tune with the reader. She doesn't bother listing some names that haven't been used in 100 years just so she can have a book of 25,000+ names. She is smart and gives names that you might actually consider naming your child.

If you are looking to enjoy naming your baby, I highly recommend this book. If you are just looking for a name (like for the pet goldfish) then the book on the checkout stand (you know, the one by the National Enquirer) will work just fine.