A Word On Etymology and Onomastics...

For the purposes of this posting, I thought I would discuss the words behind the names - etymology and onomastics.

Etymology refers to the study of the origins of words. The etymology of names, therefore, is the study of the literal meanings of names. This means that every name you read on this blog has most probably been derived from ordinary words. For example, the name 'Phoebe' (pronounced FEE-bee) is said to come from the Ancient Greek word 'Phoibus' which means bright and pure.

Onomastics (or onomatology) takes this idea one step further. While looking at the etymology of given names, onomasticians also look at how names are used in various cultures, and try to answer why some names are chosen more often than others. Hence, onomasticians may argue that names are not necessarily chosen just for their meanings, but are also influenced by the social climate of a particular time in history. For example, the name 'Maureen' peaked in popularity in the 1950s but has since declined. Onomasticians may seek to explain why this is the case.

Hopefully as you peruse through many of the other name blogs and websites out there, you will now know the slight difference between etymology and onomastics!

Love,
The Name Dame