The American Name Society

I found a group that actually studies names and naming practices. It is called the American Name Society.

http://www.wtsn.binghamton.edu/ans/Default.htm

Their website states: "Since the first issue in 1952, NAMES has published hundreds of articles, reviews, and notes on various aspects of name study. Some recent articles show the variety of interests of the Society's members, from literary onomastics to personal names, and from placenames to names of organizations."

Some of the articles that look interesting are:

"Impressions Created by Given Names." Albert Mehrabian. March 1997.
"On the Meaning of Personal Names: A View from Cognitive Psychology." Tim Brennen. June 2000.