No, I'm not having a baby. But I've been fascinated with the meaning of first names ever since I discovered they have meanings, and aren't just an arrangement of sounds and letters shared with others. This dictionary gives the histories, meanings, social significance of more than 10,000 names as well as a list of the top names from 1925 to 1983.

For instance, my first name--a very common one:

Lisa (f) Pet form of Elisabeth (Elizabeth) used as a name in its own right. One of the most popular names in all English-speaking countries in the early 1980s, though it was extremely rare until the 1950s. Before that its use was mainly confined to Spain and Germany. Possible that its present popularity was helped by the song Mona Lisa, one of Nat 'King' Cole's great hits. ( )