Hello, My Name Is.: The Remarkable Story of Personal Names

Using examples from Anglo-Saxon kings to today's celebrities, this book charts the history and importance of personal names - given names, surnames, name titles, and professional names. Not long ago, one in two boys was named William, John, or Thomas. Today, only one in 20 have the three most popular names as parents aim to give their children distinctive names. There are still more surnames than given names, and a huge number of titles to add to our personal names. All have interesting histories, such as how "Mrs." once said nothing about a woman's age or marital status.

The author's given name, Neil, is one he shares with the first man on the moon. He would like to claim that he was named in honour of Neil Armstrong, because he would then be 20 years younger. His surname, Burdess, is not a typo. The much more familiar Burgess is a different name. There are less than 300 people with the surname Burdess in Britain, most living in northeast England, centred on the perhaps unfortunately named town of Crook, where the author was born. He has a doctor of philosophy degree, and so can use the title Dr before his name. However, especially when travelling by air he uses Mr to avoid being mistaken for a member of the medical profession. ('Dr Burdess, come quickly! Someone's having a heart attack on the aircraft.')