The Secret Universe of Names: The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny

It is easy to pour scorn on a book like this. Why should the name by which you are known have any bearing on your personality or your chances of success in life? And why, if you are successful, should it affect the way in which success manifests itself? The author suggests that the very letters in your name and the way in which they are said affects people's attitudes. He argues that every word we utter requires us to change the shape of our mouth as we say it, resulting in variations of facial expression. As a result, some names sound softer than others while there are other differences too. The author stresses that people with identical names can have different personalities, but suggests that they can still have some general characteristics in common. After a few short introductory sections (totalling about thirty pages) discussing his theory and the research that supports it, the main part of the book (well over four hundred pages) looks at people's first names in what may be described as approximate alphabetical order. Because names are grouped together according to their basic sound, it isn't possible to stick strictly to alphabetical order, but an index is provided to help you find a name if you have difficulty locating it. The book doesn't cover every possible name but if you are interested in an English-language name that isn`t listed, you can probably work out which group it belongs to by understanding how names are grouped. One thing I don't understand is why the first letter is critical in all cases. Katherine and Catherine sound the same when spoken, yet are listed in different groups. Where names sound similar and have an identical first letter, they are grouped together. I can more easily understand why it is more important to use the name by which you are known than the official name, if they differ. If somebody is generally known by their middle name rather than their first name, that's the one to look up in this book. More commonly, if somebody is known by an abbreviated name, look that up instead of the full name. So Becky and Rebecca are different, although they have some things in common. Even more so, it matters whether Elizabeth is known as Beth, Betty, Liz or by her full name. Those names are in four different groups. Likewise, Katherine and Kate are in different groups. Patricia can be abbreviated to Trish or Tricia and the difference is crucial, according to this book. In my case, some people call me Pete and others call me Peter. I really don't mind, but the r changes the sound so the two names are in different groups. I'm not convinced that either of the detailed explanations really fits me, but I recognize something of myself in each of them. Maybe the lack of a consistent identity explains why I don't fit either description. There may be something in the author's theory, but other factors inevitably influence how people's lives develop. In the years to come, I may be able to come to a firm conclusion about the

This book gives meaning to names based on letter order (essential vowels, and consonant sounds). It gives good reasoning for why a person's name would provoke certain biases or beliefs about a person due to common words with the same consonant or vowel sounds. The book is easy to use and a vast source of information. The book is a great tool, and very different from other books on the market which typically are limited to telling the meaning and origin of names. The only "con" I see in this book is that it only relates to what English speaking people would perceive about your name.

It shows the power of influence that sounds have. This viewpoint of names and how they contribute to a person has been quite astounding. Thinking twice about which name to choose is the lesson I learned. Intriguing.

Speechless. I found it incredibly accurate. It's a wonderful coffee table book! Definately recommend it!

As someone who loves language, this book hooked me. The idea that sounds influences our emotions was really well explored by the author in an interesting and accessible way. The analysis of all my family's names was almost always spot on, and even when not was good grist for conversation. I highly recommend this book. Five stockings to fill. Five books.