The American Name Society was founded in 1951 to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad. It is a non-profit organization that seeks to find out what really is in a name, and to investigate cultural insights, settlement history, and linguistic characteristics revealed in names. Read more about the history of the ANS, and view the complete list of ANS Presidents.
Focusing on the understanding of names in all forms, the Society provides members with several vehicles for the discussion and publication of onomastic theory, views and concepts.
- An annual conference for name scholars and enthusiasts
- Names: A Journal of Onomastics (view the complete list of Names editors here)
Executive Council
Laurel Sutton, ANS President pro tempore
ANS Officers
Members at Large
Auxiliary Officers
Facebook Special Interest Group Coordinators
Awards
American Name Society Emerging Scholar Award (ANSESA)
The Emerging Scholar Award recognizes the outstanding scholarship of a names researcher in the early stages of his/her academic or professional career.
To be eligible for this award, applicants must meet the following criteria: (1) be an entry-level professional, an untenured academic, or a student; (2) have had his/her single-authored abstract accepted for presentation at the ANS annual conference; and (3) be a member of the ANS.
When submitting a paper, please refer to the ESA Style Guidelines.
The awardee receives recognition at the annual meeting, a cash prize of $250, one year of membership in the ANS.
Contact ANS at info[@]AmericanNameSociety.org for additional information.
Best Article in Names: A Journal of Onomastics
The Best Article in Names: A Journal of Onomastics is given to the one article per year that the journal Editorial Board selects as demonstrating the highest level of methodological innovation, exhibiting exemplary style and organization; and promising to make the most significant contribution to the scholarly investigation of names and naming.
Contact ANS at info[@]AmericanNameSociety.org for additional information.
Allied Societies
The American Name Society is allied with the Linguistic Society of America (LSA) and the Modern Language Association (MLA).
Sister Societies
The American Name Society is a member of a group of sister societies that meet concurrently with the LSA:
Society Bylaws
Read the ANS Bylaws here and the Constitution here (PDF)
Copyright Notification
Read the ANS Copyright Notification here.