Staffordshire Place-Names Study Day, Stafford, UK, February 4, 2017

On the 4th of February 2017, the Institute for Name-Studies (INS) of the University of Nottingham (UK) will be holding a one-day research day devoted to Staffordshire Placenames. The Study Day will take place from 10:30am to 4:00pm. Interested attendees are encouraged to reserve their place early by going here. The event takes place at the Staffordshire Record Office,
Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ, UK.

Jayne Carroll, John Baker and Rebecca Gregory from the INS will be giving talks, as well as Dr Nigel Tringham, County Editor for the Victoria County History of Staffordshire. There will also be opportunities to discover research conducted as part of The Place-Names of Shropshire project, and to see some of the documents used in the Staffordshire work.

Pan-American International Symposium on Toponymy, Rio de Janerio, May 3-5 2017

The Pan-American International Symposium on Toponymy will be held from the 3^rd to the 5^th of May 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main themes of the conference are toponymy in maps; indigenous and minority toponymy; and education and toponymy. After the conference, selected papers will be presented in The Brazilian Journal of Cartography and in a book publication. For more information, please contact Paulo Menezes, pmenezes@acd.ufrj.br.

Top “Posh” Baby Names for 2017

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The Tatler, a British magazine known for its coverage of high society, has picked out “some of the poshest names known to man” for those who need naming help. They assure their readers that all of the names are real, and some are several centuries old. Which name would you pick for yourself – Figgy? Monaveen? Yellow? Fenston? Victory? Or Npeter (the ‘N’ is silent)?

Kurds Are Naming Their Restaurants — And Babies! — After Trump

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The Washington Post looks at the popularity of the name “Trump” with Kurds in Iraq. Two examples: A restaurant in northern Iraq in the Kurdish city of Duhok, which serves a kilogram of fried fish for $10, has been named “Trump Fish.” And Hassan Jamil, a Peshmerga fighter, has named his newborn son, Trump Hassan Jamil, and has a very simple reason to give for it. Click through to find out why.

Call for Papers: Charting the Cosmos of Cartography: History, Names, and Atlases, Washington, D.C., June 28-30 2017

From the 28^th to the 30^th of June 2017, a special workshop entitled “Charting the Cosmos of Cartography: History, Names, and Atlases” will be held in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. This special event will be held in conjunction with the 28^th International Cartographic Conference, which is scheduled for the 2^nd to the 7^th of July 2017 in Washington, D.C. For researchers interested in presenting a paper, the deadline for abstracts has been set for the February 15th, 2017. More details on the submission requirements can be found here: http://history.icaci.org/washington-dc-2017/.

33 Things That Were Originally Called Something Completely Different

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Did you know Cheerios used to be called Cheerioats? Sometimes the first choice for a name isn’t always the right one. Buzzfeed’s list looks at the names of products, fictional characters, songs, books, apps, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Do you prefer Eggos over Froffles?

Why Did Americans Start Naming Their Babies After the President?

American actor Woody Strode in Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘Spartacus’ (L) and the person after whom he was named: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America.

Know any kids named Barack? In Time’s “Now You Know” feature, Merrill Fabry looks at the history of Americans naming their children after Presidents, and what happened to it. Cameos by the ANS’ own Cleve Evans and Frank Nuessel!

The List Show: 39 U.S. City Name Origins

In episode 446 of the Mental Floss List Show, John Green shares the name origins of 39 America’s cities. How many of these did you know? They’re not as straightforward as you might think!

Quiz: Do you know what the numbers attached to these 13 brand names mean?

You know the name, but why the number?FlickrCC/Mike Mozart

Why is it called Chanel No. 5? What happened to numbers 1 to 4? Take this fun and informative quiz from Business Insider, and find out the history of these 13 “numbered” brand names.

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara reportedly being sued by her frozen IVF embryos

Actress Sofía Vergara is now facing a historic lawsuit from her pre-implanted eggs, Emma and Isabella. In a “right-to-live” lawsuit filed in the state of Louisiana, it is claimed that not allowing the eggs to be born is essentially depriving them of their inheritance. What began as a nasty custody dispute has erupted into an explosive discussion over whether and when an en vitro fertilized egg can be legally recognized as a “juridical person”. According to Vergara’s lawyer, the fact that Nick Loeb, the actress’s former partner and co-progenitor, has given personal names (Emma and Isabella) to the fertilized eggs was simply done to “garner sympathy from the public and the courts.”