Book excerpt: This work is the first attempt to assemble all the Turkic personal names attested in some forty Turkic languages both ancient and modern. In 17,508 entries, the Onomasticon lists some 44,000 personal names culled form a rich body of old and modern sources. Beyond its linguistic interest, this corpus opens up new vistas for cultural studies pertaining to many aspects of the history and civilization of Turkic peoples. The Introduction explains the scholarly approach that informs this work and examines the various nomenclative habits used by Turks over the centuries.