Historical frequency/popularity of nns...
Does anyone know of a resource where I could find specifics on the historical frequency and popularity of particular nns? I realize this is tricky because nns aren't often officially recorded, but I'm interested in knowing about historical nn'ing trends.For instance, when was Greta a popular nn for Margaret, and when was Maggie, Meg, or so forth the dominant nn? Or when did the use of Bill fall off or Liam take off?Does such a source exist? Or can you think of other creative ways to find this sort of data?___________________________________________
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You can find some information about this question in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names by E.G. Withycombe and The Harrap Book of Boys' and Girls' Names by Charles Johnson and Linwood Sleigh.Both have information about nicknames (popularity, area, age) as part of the entries for the given names.And in http://www.geocities.com/edgarbook/names/other/nicknames.html and http://www.geocities.com/edgarbook/names/names1.html.

This message was edited 12/5/2008, 2:57 PM

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