Personal names and types of first names

According to David Crystal`s Encyclopedia  there are many types of personal names and  first names. The  study of personal names, their origin and history is connected with Etymology. It is interesting that many people do not know  from where their names come from. Many names can be considered as different names when they are spelled differently.  For instance, Steven and Stephen are the same names but Christina or Christine are different names. One thing is obvious we like to pronounce our names in short forms. For example, my name is Anna and many people just call me An in Armenian it sounds better. There are three types of Personal names, the first name, surname and middle name. It is interesting that some children have 26 names starting with different letters of the alphabet. Many surnames derive from occupation names, from nicknames or they have relations with their ancestors. I should mention that there are several types of first names.

1.      They are connected with physical characteristics for instance, Charles means man.

2.      they may relate to a time or place of origin like George which means farmer.

3.      in some cases they may express a parent`s feelings or emotions such as Amy which means loved.

4.      In many cases names can be taken from natural objects. For example, Crystal, Holly or Fern.

The most crucial thing which I learned is that many names like Adolf, Judas or Lucifer are avoided in England  and in many countries. I found out that names like Mary, Ann or Elizabeth are the most wide spread names in England and in the USA. Lots of names came from Old Testament and those names are used around the world of course, in Christian countries.