Peoples Names: A Cross-Cultural Reference Guide to the Proper Use of Over 40000personal and Familial Names in Over 100 Cultures
by Holly Ingraham
Category: Family & Relationships

Your organization has just received a $1 million grant--just write Mr. Wong Chun Hoon, head of the foundation in Taiwan, and ask for it. But do you write Mr. Hoon? Or Mr. Chun Hoon? Or maybe you're writing your novel. The setting is Istanbul. How do you come up with the right name for your Turkish hero? This unique reference work is the answer. Using it, you quickly discover that in Chinese areas, the family (last) name is put first as it also is in Japan, Korea, Hungary, and several other countries (and thus, you start you letter Dear Mr. Wong) or that Kir Zeki is the perfect name for your character. Tens of thousands of names from almost every world culture, contemporary and historical, are included, allowing both general and specific name research. For each cultural group's onomasticon, an essay outlines its rules for naming, if different from English, along with its use of family names (if any), gender specific names, and name order. A listing of at least 50 first names for each gender and at least 100 family names is then provided for each culture.