Baby Name Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Why should a baby-name meaning be checked against its language and historical context?
Every spelling has exactly one meaning in every language
Modern popularity determines a name's original meaning
A name's meaning is determined solely by its first letter
The same or similar spelling can have different origins or meanings in different traditions
2. John, Jean, and Juan developed as related forms of a name from a common historical source. What are such forms called?
Cognates
Palindromes
Homophones
Initialisms
3. What is a patronymic name?
A name chosen because it matches a place of birth
A name derived from the given name of a father or another male ancestor
A name formed by combining two unrelated surnames
A name reserved for the eldest child in a family
4. You are comparing records containing both José and Jose. What is the most reliable approach?
Assume the two forms are always counted as the same name
Treat the accent as decoration that never affects records
Assume the forms must have unrelated origins
Check the dataset's rules because diacritics may be preserved, removed, or counted differently
5. What is the process of representing a name from one writing system in another, such as from Greek letters into Latin letters?
Etymology
Transliteration
Translation
Abbreviation
6. What initials are formed by the name Rowan Ellis Drake?
R.D.E.
E.R.D.
R.E.D.
D.E.R.
7. Which of these names is a palindrome when capitalization is ignored?
Ava
Olivia
Mateo
Liam
8. A birth-name list counts exact registered spellings. How would Sofia and Sophia normally appear in that dataset?
As one entry because their usual pronunciations are similar
As separate entries because their registered spellings differ
As one entry only if they share an etymological origin
As separate entries only when they are used in different countries
9. You want to compare a name's popularity in two years with very different total numbers of births. Which comparison is most informative?
The name's share or rate among births in each year
The name's alphabetical position in each year's list
Only the raw number of babies given the name
The number of letters in the name in each year
10. Liz, when used as a short or affectionate form of Elizabeth, is best described as what?
A patronymic
A transliteration
A diminutive
A surname prefix
11. In a full name, what is a given name?
The surname shared with or inherited from a family
The personal name assigned to an individual, usually distinguished from a family name
A hereditary title placed before a personal name
Any informal nickname used by friends
12. In a naming tradition, a child receives a surname that literally identifies her as the daughter of Ivan. What type of formation is this?
A diminutive formation
A place-name formation
A patronymic formation
An occupational formation
13. A name is ranked number 20 on a particular annual popularity list. What can you safely conclude?
It ranked 20th in every country that year
Exactly 20 babies received the name that year
The name was given to 20 percent of babies
It holds the 20th position under that list's data and ranking method
14. The name combination Luna Lee repeats an initial consonant sound. Which term describes this pattern?
Alliteration
Assonance
Rhyme
Transliteration
15. Which statement about legal restrictions on baby names is accurate?
The same naming rules apply in every country
Only surnames are subject to legal rules
Rules can vary by country, state, province, or other jurisdiction
A name accepted by a website is automatically valid for registration
16. A Japanese name written in Japanese script is rendered in Latin letters to approximate its written form or pronunciation. Which process is being used?
Alphabetization
Patronymy
Diminution
Transliteration