(Photo by Nhandler, CC-BY-2.5)

An article in The Washington Post notes an interesting phenomenon at animal shelters: animals with unordinary names get adopted quicker. While adopting “pandemic pets” was a national trend in 2020, this year shelters are overcrowded as more animals are brought in. Included are “ones named after random objects, like Lawn Mower or Chainsaw, but others verge into the more abstract, such as a pit bull terrier mix named Knowledge or a guinea pig named Constructive Criticism.” Read more at The Washington Post.

A photo of George Jewett, an American athlete who became the first African-American player on the University of Michigan football team

A piece in the Chicago Tribune explores the legacy of Black sports pioneers. Only recently was a trophy named for George Jewett, the first African-American football player at the University of Michigan. Andrew Golden concludes: “We must demand that schools and programs do more to honor Black players and coaches. This is about more than just awards. It’s about the stories that need to be told and the figures who need to be recognized — because too many Black athletes have proved themselves worthy but haven’t gotten their proper respect.”

Read more at The Chicago Tribune.

(Image by Santeri Viinamäki, CC-BY-4.0)

Georgia Tech, University of Kansas, and University of Florida are at the top on a list of Division 1 sports team names in passwords. In a report from Specops, a research team presents its findings after combing through 800 million leaked passwords. It turns out, sports fans frequently use the names of their favorite sports teams and mascots in their passwords. Read more over at Specops.

A recent article in the New York Times explores “Sign Names” and Deaf culture.The article cites another that recounts how Vice President Kamala Harris received her name sign. Journalist Sarah Bahr writes “Name signs are an important component of “capital D Deaf” culture, a term used by some deaf people to indicate that they embrace deafness as a cultural identity. The signs consist of gestures that can reflect facets of an individual’s personality, physical features or background.”

Read more at The New York Times.

A photo of Kate Gosselin, a bearer of the prototypical “Karen haircut” (Photo by Kathy, CC-BY-2.0)

A recent expose in The New York Times Style Magazine explores the name “Karen” as it came to represent “an entitled and belligerent white woman”. The history of this epithet—and the inherent racism and sexism to the greater concept of “a Karen”—are explored in great detail. Read more about the history and possible utility of the epithet in The New York Times.

“Reach” was born aboard a C-17 military aircraft with the callsign “Reach 828” as it flew from Kabul to Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. After her parents learned of the callsign, they decided to name their infant daughter after the evacuation flight. According to USA Today, Reach is the first child born on an evacuation flight. Read more about this birth story on USA Today.

An image of a dog (unlikely a Fauci—as the photo was taken in 2017) in the public domain

Forget Fido, Fifi for furry friends: “Fauci” finds favor following famous facemask facilitator. All alliteration aside, an article in The Washington Post explores recent trends in dog names and naming practices. The author provides anecdotal evidence of a rise in the name “Fauci”, though it remains to be seen if the name will end up on the 2021 top K-9 name lists.

A Nike Outlet Store (Photo by Michael Rivera, CC-BY-4.0)

The New York Times reports that Nike has renamed a building after coach Alberto Salazar was permanently banned from distance running. This is the third time Nike has renamed a building following revelations of serious abuse or wrongdoing—Salazar joins Joe Paterno and Lance Armstrong as former eponyms for the Nike corporation. Read more about the new name “Next%” at The New York Times.