Vocabulary :

• Ordnance Survey lists nicknames for British places
  "From Auld Reekie to Spaghetti Junction, the weird and wonderful nicknames given to towns, streets and buildings across Britain are being compiled into an "alternative gazeteer"."
  (telegraph.co.uk)

  

• The Origins of 10 Nicknames  : Dick / Bill / Hank / Jack / Chuck / Peggy / Ted / Harry / Jim / Sally
  (mentalfloss.com)

• Chinese babies named 'Olympic Games'
  "More than 4,000 children in China have been given the name Aoyun, meaning Olympic Games, in the past 15 years...
  It is not uncommon for Chinese children to be given names of common events and popular slogans
  - such as Defend China, Build the Nation and Space Travel...
  babies have also been given names such as Hope for Sichuan, to show solidarity with earthquake victims."
  (BBC)

  

• NAMEPEDIA - The name database
  with Meaning, Origin and Description - Relations - Frequency - Name Days - Famous People - Similar Given Names
  (namepedia.org)

  

• Behind the Name - the etymology and history of surnames
  (surnames.behindthename.com)

• The Internet Surname Database
  (surnamedb.com)

• Patronymica Britannica,
  a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom by Mark Antony Lower
  (books.google.fr)

• The origin and signification of Scottish surnames.
  With a vocabulary of Christian names by Clifford Stanley Sims
  (books.google.fr)
  
  
• Pen name (Wikipedia)
  1 In Persian and Urdu Poetry
  2 In Japan
  3 Famous pen names
  4 "House" names...
  
  
  
• Famous Pen Names (squidoo.com)
  "Many authors have published some or all of their works under a pseudonym, or Nom de Plume (Pen Name)."

• Proper nouns (Wikipedia)

• Proper names (Wikipedia)

• THE MEANING OF ENGLISH NAMES (world-english)
  - ex : Cyril = Lord-like / Ann = Grace, Mercy...

• Girls'names - a list (dictionary-thesaurus.com)

• Boys'names - a list (dictionary-thesaurus.com)

• Most Popular Names for Births in the United States 2004 (behindthename.com)

• Most Popular Names for Births in England and Wales 2005 (behindthename.com)
  + Other places

• List of city nicknames
  "This partial list of city nicknames compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that cities are sometimes known by,
  officially and unofficially, to locals, outsiders or their tourism boards." (wikipedia)

Pronunciation :

• Pronunciation : Tip 144 Names: Mc, Mac (phon.ucl.ac.uk)

• Examples of intonation using names
  statement - vocative - chant - question - addressing - questioning - reprimanding
  (hctv.humnet.ucla.edu)

• MOST COMMON AMERICAN FIRST NAMES + SOUND (Yvan Baptiste)
  "Cette activité (interactive) reprend les 25 prénoms d'hommes et 25 prénoms de femmes
  les plus répandus aux Etats-Unis "

• Prononcez les noms dans l'actualité (VOA) - (ibb7.ibb.gov)
  
  

• British English pronunciation of names and place-names + sound (fonetiks.org)

• The 50 United States - How to pronounce them (evaeaston.com)

• Carte des USA : retrouver les différents Etats de 3 manières différentes,
  avec "puzzle, clues or labels" - utilisable à différents niveaux.
  On peut entendre la prononciation de chaque Etat. (iknowthat.com)
  
  

Listening :

• Names : Meeting New People - with interactive activities + the script
  (esl-lab.com)

Grammar :

• Proper Nouns (learnenglish.de)

• Articles (learnenglish.de)
  

• Articles and Proper Nouns - examples (mhhe.com)
  
  

Word formation :

• Words From People's Names (academic.cuesta.edu) - ex : sandwich / Earl of Sandwich (academic.cuesta.edu)

• Informal Names : Formal name - Diminutive (elc.polyu.edu.hk)
  - an explanation, examples, how to use these names, and a practice exercise to print

• Behind the name - the etymology and history of first names (behindthename.com)

Maps :

• Website maps surnames worldwide
  "A website which maps global surnames has been launched to help people find the origins of their name and how far it may have spread."
  (BBC)

  Public Profiler - World Names - Search for a surname to see its map and statistics.
  (worldnames.publicprofiler.org)

Essays :

• English Surnames by Mark Antony Lower - the text
  An essay on family nomenclature, historical, etymological, and humorous
  (books.google.fr)

  

   
  

INTERACTIVE exercises :

• Zero article - (British Council)
  "Below are 20 sentences.
  Some should have the definite article (the) in place of ??? and some not.
  Can you put them in the correct boxes?"
  
  

• "Guess the sex of these names! (kyoto-su.ac.jp)
  Some names are commonly used for both men and women,
  so there are three choices 'Male,' 'Female' or 'Both'."

• When the name matches the job! - Activities created by Renée Maufroid
  Matching - Flashcards (Java / non-Java) - Concentration - Word Search
  "The one who sells papers is Mr News" :

  

• Names in Songs - lots of quizzes (funtrivia.com)

Exercises TO PRINT :

• What's in a name ? (Education World)
  "Students use clues to identify U.S. cities with unusual names and plot them on a map." (answer key)
  
  

• Informal Names : Formal name - Diminutive (elc.polyu.edu.hk)
  - an explanation, examples, how to use these names, and a practice exercise to print

• Synonyms (with answers ) : Say It Again! (PDF) - (educationworld.com)
  "Increase your vocabulary by deciphering the following references to wellknown fairy tales and nursery rhymes."
  ex : "Lovely Somnambulist Wakened by Royal Caress" = ... ???

Lesson plans :

• The Most Unfortunate Names in Britain - a lesson plan
  "The bizarre, unlucky names include Barb Dwyer, Hazel Nutt, Jo King, Justin Case, Barry Cade and Mary Christmas."
  WARM-UPS : NAMES / NAMES FOR LIFE / GOOD NAMES
  (breakingnewsenglish.com)

  'Most unfortunate names' revealed (BBC)
  

  MORE UNFORTUNATE NAMES :
  Pearl Button

  Jo King

  Barry Cade

  Carrie Oakey

  Priti Manek

  Tim Burr
  
  
  
• Names. "Take a look at the article, story, cartoon, trivia, links and word game."
  (British Council)
  
  

• Baracks and Obamas born in Kenya - a lesson plan (Breaking News English)

  

INTERACTIVE games :

• What's In a Name? (kidsdomain.com)
  "Dinosaur names usually mean something in Greek or Latin. Can you guess which dino the riddle refers to?"
  
  

• Noun Dunk - a game - (harcourtschool.com)
  Tell the difference between common nouns and proper nouns.

  

• Common and Proper Nouns - a game (learningplanet.com)
  
  

• Common nicknames in English with a nickname game. (cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp)
  
  

Games TO PRINT :

• Try anf find as many good and bad nicknames as you can! - a wordsearch to print
  (PBSKids)

Songs :

• Wanna Live Forever? Become A Noun
  "Joseph Guillotin, Henry Shrapnel and Jules Leotard became immortal -- by entering the English language.
  But when your entire life is reduced to a single definition, the results are sometimes upsetting..."
  

• List of songs whose title includes personal names (indopedia.org)

• Geography Songs (mapville.com) :
  > Songs about Countries, Continents, Provinces and Regions
  > Songs about U.S. States or Regions
  > Songs about Cities and Places
  > Songs about Streets or Roads
  > Songs about Natural Features, Islands and Points of Interest
  > Other Musical Geographical References

• Songs with proper name geographic locations in their titles (broadwayworld.com)

• Mambo No. 5 by Bega Lou :
  "I like Angela, Pamela, Sandra and Rita...
  a little bit of Monica in my life
  a little bit of Erica by my side
  a little bit of Rita is all I need
  a little bit of Tina is what I see
  a little bit of Sandra in the sun
  a little bit of Mary all night long
  a little bit of Jessica here I am"
  
  
  

Cartoons :

• Can his middle name be "@" ? (jeffreyhill.typepad.com)

  

• Sir Render (cartoonstock.com)