The proprietor of this page is H. Edward Deluzain, Ph.D., the teacher of the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition course. The scientific study of names is a part of linguistics known as onomastics. Onomastics deals primarily with personal names and place names, but there are theoretical considerations of what constitutes a name, when is a name a proper noun, etc. Students who are interested in theoretical aspects of names might start with the article on onomastics in The Oxford Companion to the English Language. The aspects of name study that more people are likely to find interesting, though, relate to names as social institutions.
Names confer identity, help determine personality, and influence behavior.
Additionally, names, and the processes whereby they are bestowed, reflect a particular culture. Cultures include rituals, laws, and religious considerations, and they reflect ethnic identity. All of these factors affect people's names. The following links will connect you with essays that deal with a number of topics related to the study of names. We hope that you will find them interesting and useful as you learn more about this fascinating subject.