2003
Library Journal Best Reference Source
2003
Booklist Editors' Choice
Edited by Patrick Hanks
Over 70,000 entries
The
Dictionary of American Family Names contains more than 70,000 of the most commonly occurring surnames in the United States, giving their comparative frequencies, linguistic and historical explanations, selected associated forenames, and occasional genealogical notes. The product of a ten-year research project gathering the contributions of thirty linguistic consultants led by Editor in Chief Patrick Hanks, it explains the meanings—some intuitive, some amusing, and some quite surprising—of the family names for more than 90 percent of the U.S. population.
Patrick Hanks is an internationally renowned lexicographer and names researcher affiliated with Brandeis University. He is also editor of the
Dictionary of Surnames and the Dictionary of First Names.
e-reference edition ISBN: 0195188411
Print edition ISBN: 0195081374
Print edition publication date: March 2003
Publishing history: First published in 2003
Copyright: © 2006 Patrick Hanks
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