Australian author Tim Winton has received several national and international awards for his literary scholarship. Along with being shortlisted for the coveted Man Booker Prize, he has received the prestigious Miles Franklin Award and the Centenary Medal for service to the literature.

At the start of 2016, Mr. Winton was able to add another rather unusual accolade to his long-list of accomplishments: a newly identified species of fish will now carry the Western Australian writer’s personal name. According to the Guardian, wildlife specialists involved in the onomastic project selected Winton for this honorific to recognize his continuing efforts to protect aquatic flora and fauna Down Under.

Yosemite is changing the names of iconic and historic places. Read more about the trademark dispute that led to these changes.

In memory of David Bowie, a fan (presumably) altered an Austin street sign, changing it from Bowie Street to David Bowie Street. Although unsanctioned, officials have agreed to leave the sign for now. There is a change.org petition to make this change permanent.

Looking for a name for your new feline family member? How about “Sir Nigel Meowmittens of Oscelot Court”, “Sophistikitty”, or “Cornelius McPudness Vandercat”? All of these fanciful feline names are taken from the list of real-life monikers featured on Nationwide’s year-end list of Wacky Pet Names.

Just days before the Winter Holidays, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. declared that the first Amendment “forbids government regulators to deny registration [of trademark ] because they find the speech is likely to offend others”. This ruling came in response to a petition by an Asian-American rock band that had previously tried, unsuccessfully, to register the name “The Slants”.

For many Washingtonians who have been following the debate over the city’s controversial name of the local football team, this recent ruling has sent off a tidal wave of emotions, ranging from relief to rage. On the 9th of January 2016, the Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Jacqueline Pata, spoke to the American Name Society on the use of racist and derogatory names by US American sports franchises.