Names are tricky. Etymology and onomastics are two of my obsessions, so I am always keen on accuracy and detail. It is difficult to find good sources for names on the internet. Most naming sources are impossibly unreliable, both on- and off-line. Naming books and baby-naming websites are rife with errors, and almost all of them should be discounted as useless. There are a few gems, however, and most of them tend to fall through the cracks. I’ve tried to compile a list of mostly-accurate sites, but even still, cross-reference and research in greater detail anything you find.
Title: The Etymology of Last Names
Notes: A rare gem on the internet. An extensive etymological dictionary of surnames, containing meaning and source. Focuses mainly on European names.
Title: Surname Origins Index
Notes: A site that attempts to trace the origins and meaning of surnames from all over the world, but focuses mainly on European names.
Title: Origins and Meaning of Surnames
Notes: Brief overview of how surnames originated, with short articles for languages around the world.
Title: Kate Monk's Onomastikon (Dictionary of Names)
Notes: A huge dictionary of names from a wide variety of sources. Contains very brief meanings of the names, and little else. Anything you find here I would highly recommend cross-referencing, as the reliability of the information is sketchy.
Title: Behind the Name
Notes: A popular pseudo-etymological dictionary of names. Cross-reference
anything you find here, as almost all of this information has simply been taken from other websites or (even worse) name books, and has not been checked for accuracy. I don’t recommend this site in the least. I find the entire site to be sketchy, inaccurate, and incomplete in its "information".
Title: Ancestry.com – Name Meanings
Notes: A bit more accurate than most name websites, I would still recommend cross-referencing anything found here.
Title: Wikipedia - List of Most Common Surnames, sorted by country
Title: Wikipedia - Names in World Cultures
Title: Wikipedia - List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names
Notes: These are the most common names that you will find in scientific animal and plant names.
Title: Medieval Names Archive
Notes: Focuses (obviously) on names from the medieval period. This site strives for accuracy, and they have extensive articles and name lists. Even if your character isn’t medieval, the sources behind these names can be applied to any character.
Title: Irish Names - Traditional, Modern, & In Between
Notes: Compendium of Irish names, sorted into several different lists.
Title: Origin and Meaning of Doukhobor Surnames
Notes: An extensive list of Russian surnames.
Title: South African Names and Meanings
Notes: A small collection of names and their meanings from a variety of languages spoken in South Africa.
Title: Sesotho Names
Notes: A small collection of names and their meanings from the Sesotho language, spoken in Lesotho and South Africa.
Title: Names for Dancers & Other Graceful Souls
Notes: A cute site, with a list of names from a variety of languages, mainly focused on exuding a sense of grace and beauty. Not all of the information is accurate, so cross-referencing is recommended.
Title: About Names - Japanese Names
Notes: An excellent compilation of the most popular Japanese names, their kanji and their meaning.
Title: Everything2 - Japanese Names
Notes: A very informative article on the mechanics of Japanese names. Very useful if you want accurate Japanese names for your characters.
Title: Japanese Proper Names Dictionary Files
Notes: An enormous database of all Japanese proper names (place name, given names, surnames). While it does not include translations or meanings, if you are unsure if your character has a
real Japanese name and not just a Japanese word
for a name, this is the place to check.
Title: Online Etymology Dictionary
Notes: I highly recommend this site for finding the origins of words.
Title: YourDictionary.com
Notes: An extensive link list to translation dictionaries on the web for over 300 languages.
Title: FreeLang Dictionary
Notes: Downloadable dictionaries in over 80 languages. The translations are not always entirely accurate, so some cross-referencing is recommended.
Title: Online English/Japanese Dictionary
Notes: Not a very reliable translation, but popular none-the-less. Whilst I don’t recommend the site, I
would recommend thoroughly cross-referencing any results that you may find from here.
Title: LangMaker - Creating Model Languages
Notes: An indispensable resource for those interested in creating model languages. It’s "Resources" page is also extraordinarily useful for inspiration, world-building, and naming processes.
Title: A Glossary of European Noble, Princely, Royal, and Imperial Titles
Notes: An interesting read on the etymology of European titles of nobility.
Title: A Glossary of Titles in 35 Languages
Notes: A list of European royal titles.
