What does the name David actually mean? When did Kylie become a popular girl's name? Which famous literary and historical figures have shared the name Diana? Is Rick a shortened form of Richard, Derek, Frederick - or perhaps all three? This fascinating dictionary answers all these and many other questions, explaining the meaning of more than 2000 names and showing where they come from, whether they are currently in fashion, and how their popularity has risen and fallen over the years. It also provides intriguing information about people, both fictional and real-life, who have shared particular names, and whose fame has sometimes helped to popularise them. Wide in scope, it covers not only traditional names (Mary, John, Peter) but also such unusual names as Almira, Festus and Lalange.