“First Peoples Mountain” at Yellowstone will Honor Native Americans

The mountain formerly known as Mount Doane in 1977 (Public Domain)

What was once known as “Mount Doane” will now be called “First Peoples Mountain.” The former name of the mountain was given to honor Gustavus Doane, the person responsible for securing federal protection for the land during the 1870 Washburn-Langford-Doane expedition. The National Park Service recently announced that Doane was also responsible for the Marias Massacre, an attack that led to the deaths of at least 173 Native Americans, and the mountain would therefore be renamed. The new name, NPR reports, “is part of a trend to better recognize the roles and contributions of Native Americans” and a priority of Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.

World Health Organization to give “Monkeypox” a New Name

Flag of the WHO (Public Domain)

The World Health Organization has pledged to change the name of the “monkeypox” virus. NPR reports that the decision was made “after scientists recently criticized the current name as “discriminatory and stigmatizing.” The researchers say it’s also inaccurate to name versions of the virus after parts of Africa.” The virus has gained notoriety after a growing outbreak in nearly 40 countries around the world.

Former McDonald’s Locations in Russia to be Rebranded “Delicious, That’s All”

The new logo for “Вкусно – и точка”

All of Russia’s former McDonald’s locations that were recently sold to Siberian coal baron Alexander Govor will be rebranded Вкусно – и точка, which various media translate “Delicious, That’s All” or “Tasty — full stop”. The move comes after McDonald’s ceased operation of its popular fast food restaurant after the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Govor announced that he will keep all employees of the former McDonald’s locations employed for the next two years. Many of McDonald’s famous dishes will remain on the menu at the rebranded fast food chain, though they are also slated for rebranding.

About Names: “Exotic Ian found American popularity after the 1960s”

Photo of English-Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, best known for his role as Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) in the Star Wars (Official Star Wars Blog, CC-BY-2.0)

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his June 5th column, he looks at the name Ian.

Want to learn more? Read on to learn more about the name Ian!

Call for Editors, Onomastica Canadiana

Onomastica Canadiana is inviting applications for a new Editor. A team of two Co-Editors will also be considered. This voluntary position will be available from August 1, 2022. The initial term will be three years, with renewal upon mutual agreement.

Onomastica Canadiana was established in 1951 and moved to an online and open-access format in 2022. It is the official, bilingual, peer-reviewed journal of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names. Its principal objectives are to promote the study of names in Canada and abroad, as well as to exchange ideas among onomatologists, toponymists, and scholars in the related fields of literary onomastics and linguistic aspects of names. Onomastica Canadiana welcomes submissions such as research articles, review articles, opinion articles and commentaries, academic interviews, and book reviews in both English and French on all topics in the field of onomastics or name studies. For further information on the journal, please see https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/index.

The responsibilities of the Editor include:
– Day-to-day management of journal activities
– Identifying and communicating with appropriate reviewers
– Making decisions on manuscripts
– Evaluating special issue proposals
– Liaising with authors and reviewers
– Working with the Editorial Team / Editorial Board and the Executive Committee of the
Canadian Society for the Study of Names

Selection Criteria
Essential skills
– Experience and knowledge in the field of Onomastics
– An understanding of the focus and scope of the journal
– Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
– Excellent organizational and time management skills
– Advanced proficiency in English or French

Desired skills
– Bilingual in English and French
– Experience with journal management
– Prior experience of editing a journal

Application Process
Interested candidates should send their abbreviated CV (2 pages) and a statement of interest in the position and vision for the journal (1 page) to Grace Gomashie (ggomashi@uwo.ca) by July 15, 2022. Please use ‘Application Editor Onomastica Canadiana’ as your email subject line. Applications will be evaluated by the Editorial Board, which will make its recommendation to the Executive Committee of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names, and all applicants will be notified of the results.

A downloadable PDF of the call can be downloaded here.

Call for Papers: ANS Emerging Scholar Award

In 2007, the American Name Society established the ANS Emerging Scholar Award (ANSESA) to recognize the outstanding scholarship of an early career onomastics researcher. This special distinction is given to a new scholar whose work is judged by a panel of onomastic researchers to be of superior academic quality. This year’s selection committee is made up of Dr. Jan Tent, the 2022 ANSESA Committee Chair; Dr. Dorothy Dodge Robbins; and Dr. Andreas Gavrielatos.

Recipients of this prestigious award receive the following:

a cash prize of $250 US dollars
one year of membership in the ANS
public announcements on the NAMES and ANS websites
a profile in the ANS newsletter, to be written by the Chair of the ANSESA Committee

Award recipients are encouraged to submit their manuscripts for publication in NAMES. The Selection Committee reserves the right to refrain from giving this award in those years in which no submission is deemed to have met the above-mentioned requirements.

Application Guidelines

To be considered for this award, applicants must submit the full text of their paper by midnight (E.S.T.), the 15th of October 2022, to this year’s ANSESA Chair, Dr. Jan Tent (<jan.tent@mq.edu.au>). Submissions must be sent as an email attachment in either a .doc or .docx format. For ease of processing, please be sure to include the keyword “ESA2022” in the subject line of your email.

Submission Requirements

All submissions must be prepared according to the guidelines provided at <https://ans-names.pitt.edu/ans/guidelines>. Authors must use the formatting rules listed in the official Style Sheet of Names, the journal of the American Name Society. The Style Sheet is available at the journal website: <https://ans-names.pitt.edu/ans/StyleSheet>. Submissions will not only be judged upon the quality of the writing and the scientific merit of the submission presented, but also on their adherence to these formatting regulations. NOTE: The main text should be no more than 5,000 words, excluding the endnotes, bibliography, graphics, and any supplementary material.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for the ANSESA, applicants must be an entry-level professional, an untenured academic, or a student. Applicants must have had their single-authored abstract accepted for presentation at the ANS annual conference and be a member of the ANS. Previously published papers are not eligible for consideration. However, papers based on unpublished theses or dissertations are eligible. The ANSESA Selection Committee will judge all submissions for their methodological soundness, innovation, and potential contribution to the field of onomastics. Although past recipients of the ANSESA are eligible to re-apply for an entirely new piece of scholarship, preference may be given to first-time applicants. Please direct questions to this year’s ANSESA Committee Chair, ANS Vice President, Dr. Jan Tent (<jan.tent@mq.edu.au>).

A PDF download of this call can be found here.

The Second Battle for the Name “Josh”

Pool Noodles (Photo by Emma Craig, CC-BY-2.0)

Last year, hundreds of people with the name “Josh” gathered in a park in Nebraska. They battled one another with pool noodles for the right to the name “Josh”. This year the Joshes returned with their pool noodles to the park for another battle. This time the Joshes raised over $21,000 for the Children’s Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha. The winner was 5-year-old Josh Vinson Jr., who held his “No. 1 Josh” title from last year.

Congressional Commission Reveals Nine Proposals for New Base Names

The proposed name “Fort Liberty” will replace the name “Fort Bragg” (Public domain image of the entry to the Fort)

The congressional naming commission revealed proposals to rename nine military bases this Tuesday. CNN outlines all nine possible name change proposals. The writers share, “The proposed names include women, African-American, Native American and Latino service members, a nod to the diverse ranks the US military has benefited from over the years. The commission, however, also recommended renaming a few of the bases after White men.”

Absent Faces at Washington and Lee University

Students at Washington and Lee University will no longer receive diplomas featuring the faces of George Washington and Robert E. Lee. The decision was made by the trustees after they received a petition to remove Lee’s name from the University. Laura Brodie discusses this decision and more in an opinion piece in The Washington Post.

Italian Constitutional Court: Children Should Receive Mother’s and Father’s Surnames

Italy’s Constitutional Court in Rome (Public Domain)

The Italian Constitutional Court recently ruled that all children should be given both their mother’s and their father’s surname. The court argued that to be given the father’s surname name alone was “discriminatory and harmful to the identity” of the child. As a result of the ruling, both parents’ surnames will be included on the child’s birth certificate. Read more over at USAToday.