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Ever find yourself wondering where a specific name comes from? Even if you're not ready to do a genealogical search, there is a great website that can help narrow it down. The World Names Profiler is an extensive database of 8 million surnames and 5 million given names. You can search for a specific name to find out the top countries where it is found and the origin. Try it with your own name.
http://www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames/Main.aspx
photo credit: Pardeshi |
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How do you say your name? |
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We had some friends over last weekend and the subject of this website came up in our conversation. Soon enough, we were all telling funny stories about mispronounced names. One shared how his name Buba (pronounced Boo-buh) is often addressed in the U.S. as Bubba (buh-buh, as in Bubba Gump). That one had me rolling, but maybe because I've long known how to pronounce his name and because my image of someone with the name Bubba doesn't remind me of our friend.
There was also Modou (mo-doo) who hears "Muh-dew" and Bala (bah-lah) who gets "bay-lay."
Of course, I wonder if we all hear our names mispronounced every once in awhile. I used to live with a four year old who called me "Wizzbiff" (instead of Elizabeth).
What about you - do you have any funny mispronunciation stories? I'd love to hear them and with permission, share them on the blog!
email me:
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What's New? Turkish Names! |
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 Turkish names are the latest addition to our database. Here is a small sampling:
Gülçin (Gulcin) (f)
Meriç (Meric) (m or f)
Orçun (Orcun) (m)
Özge (Ozge) (f)
photo credit: Tomas Maltby
These entries all contain the Turkish spelling, along with the English spelling. The Turkish alphabet consists of 29 letters, including ü, ö and ç. There is no q, w or x. The names above are all given (first) names. The "m" designates masculine/male/boy and "f" feminine/female/girl. Unisex names are listed as "m or f."
Find more Turkish names here. You can find Turkish surnames there, too, or click here.
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President Obama Cares about Name Pronunciation. Do You? |
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One of my favorite things about creating this website is compiling and learning about the names you'll find here. I am just beginning to add Arabic names to the site. Female names are here and male names are here. Surnames and notable figures will be added in the future as well.
Some tidbits about Arabic names:
Abdul means "Servant of (Allah)," 
Abdul-Aziz means "Servant of the Powerful One" and
Abdul-Jabbar means "Servant of the Mighty."
Many Arabic names carry meaning about character and morality, including:
Adiba (cultured, polite),
Akil (intelligent) and
Amin (faithful, trustworthy).
Arabic names originate from countries whose official language is Arabic (most of Northern Africa and part of the Middle East). Interested in learning more? There is a list of Arab countries here, along with a brief description of the distinction between Arab and Muslim.
photo credit: Wikimedia Commons. Arabic script of the word "Arabic."
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