This dictionary reveals the origins of familiar names from personal names to place names, brand names to astronomical names. It includes a broad selection of names of animals, mythological and literary characters, sports teams, languages, nationalities, political parties and pop and rock groups. It takes in the name of holidays and festivals, of schools and colleges, of battles and revolutions, and of well-known individual buildings such as clubs, hospitals, country houses, museums and theatres. It includes the origins of the names of famous individuals from Caesar to Sophocles, Homer to Ho chi Min. Names of famous fictional characters are also represented, such as Shakespeare's Desdemona and Hamlet as well as Kipling's Mowgli and A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh. Equally present are the titles of literary works and musical compositions such as Lavengro and Lohengrin. It includes an introduction providing background to different aspects of name studies and research and includes a guide to nearly 100 languages used in the dictionary from Afrikaans to Zyrian with notes on accents and alphabets.