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When Tsirópulos (1987) explains how he became interested in people's forenames, he does so in a very poetic way. He relates how one afternoon he was walking through the cemetery because he felt lonely and empty. His eyes came to rest on the gravestones, which showed the names of the people buried there. As he read them, "he felt inside plenitude of names and, surrounding him, a multitude of people" (p. 7). Never before had he felt the richness of names. Not only are graveyards full of names but the whole world is full of names. This book gives a comprehensive account of forenames, hypocorisms and nicknames both in Spanish and English by exploring closely their background (history and language) as well as their choice.

Forenames in Spanish and English: Background and choice