Onomastics
From the Greek onomastikós; related to names and naming
That branch of linguistics that deals with the study of names, their meaning and their origins,
which can be divided into the following subdisciplines;
- toponymy - the study of place names which is closely related to geography, history and similar disciplines.
- anthroponymy - the study of personal names which is related to genealogy, sociology, and anthropology.
- characternymy or literary onomastics - the study of the use of names in literature, in particular of the names of characters in fiction
Also sometimes known asn onomasiology, onomastics is studied because names, (and indeed the processes by which names are decided upon), since they specifically relate to a given culture and period in time, tend to provide an accurate reflection of the pre-occupations of that same culture and period, and can therefore provide a means of determining and analysing the culture from which they arose.
See also the,