Publication Announcement — “Name as National Archive Capturing of Yoruba Masculinist Names”

American Name Society member Ayokunmi Ojebode recently published the essay “Name as National Archive Capturing of Yoruba Masculinist Names” in the edited volume The Cinema of Tunde Kelani: Aesthetics, Theatricalities and Visual Performance.

The book is described as follows:

“This book is the first definitive publication on Tunde Kelani, and represents a mine of divergent scholarly approaches to understanding his authorial power. A collection of articles on the cinematic oeuvre of one of the important and finest filmmakers in Africa, it addresses diverse areas that are crucial to Kelani’s filmic corpus and African cinema. Contributors articulate Kelani’s visual crafts in detail, while providing explications on significant markers. The book offers an understanding of how Kelani’s works represent the African worldview, science, demonstrative law, politics, gender, popular culture, canonized culture and history.”

On the Recently Named Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine “Comirnaty”

(Image by Flaviovivoriosalles, CC-BY-4.0)

Recently, Pfizer announced that their FDA-approved COVID vaccine will be called “Comirnaty”, a combination of the words community, immunity, mRNA, and COVID. Phoebe Bain of Marketing Brew recently interviewed American Name Society President Laurel Sutton about this new name. Read more about President Sutton’s verdict over at Marketing Brew.

Publication Announcement — Names and Naming: Multicultural Aspects

Several members of the American Name Society have contributed to a new publication at Palgrave Macmillan titled Names and Naming: Multicultural Aspects. The book is further described:

“This edited book examines names and naming policies, trends and practices in a variety of multicultural contexts across America, Europe, Africa and Asia. In the first part of the book, the authors take theoretical and practical approaches to the study of names and naming in these settings, exploring legal, societal, political and other factors. In the second part of the book, the authors explore ways in which names mirror and contribute to the construction of identity in areas defined by multiculturalism. The book takes an interdisciplinary approach to onomastics, and it will be of interest to scholars working across a number of fields, including linguistics, sociology, anthropology, politics, geography, history, religion and cultural studies.”

Purchase a copy at the publisher’s website by clicking here!

“25 Foods that Made Places Famous” (or vice versa)

Boston Baked Beans in Concord, MA (Photo by Victorgrigas, CC-BY-3.0)

A short slideshow from the Chicago Tribune features 25 foods that were named after the cities or regions from which they emerged. “Boston Baked Beans”, “Buffalo Chicken”, and many other well-known foods appear on this list.

Valparaiso University “Crusaders” to be renamed “Beacons”

The latest university to update their team name is the private Lutheran Valparaiso University. Once known as the “Crusaders”, the sports teams will now be the “Beacons”. According to an associated press report, “School officials announced in February that they had retired the Crusaders name following input from students, faculty and alumni. That decision came after a decades-long debate that has recently intensified because groups such as the Ku Klux Klan began using the words and symbols of the Crusades, which were a series of bloody religious wars starting in the 11th century between Christians and Muslims.”

Publication announcement: Names: A Journal of Onomastics 69, no. 3 is now available

The latest issue of Names: A Journal of Onomastics is now available online! Click here to read the latest in onomastics scholarship in volume 69, number 3 of Names. A table of contents appears below.

Volume 69 marks the first year that Names is published as an open access journal available to all via the Journal’s new home at the University of Pittsburgh. All journal content, including the content found in previous volumes, is now available for free online as downloadable PDF files.

Subscribers to the print version of the journal will receive their copies within the next few weeks.

Table of Contents

Note

“A Note of Remembrance in Honor of Edwin David Lawson (December 23, 1923—July 3, 2021)“, by Aaron Demsky

Articles

“Usernames on a Finnish Online Marketplace for Illegal Drugs“, by Lasse Hämäläinen, Ari Haasio, and J. Tuomas Harviainen

“Corpus-Based Methods for Recognizing the Gender of Anthroponyms“, by Rogelio Nazar, Irene Renau, Nicolas Acosta, Hernan Robledo, Maha Soliman, and Sofıa Zamora

““Boundary-Maintenance” or “Boundary-Crossing”? Name-Giving Practices among Immigrants in Germany“, by Jurgen Gerhards and Julia Tuppat

“The Use of a Matching Preference Index to Empirically Examine Distribution Imbalances in Beijing Citizens’ Names“, by Ziming Zhao, Xiaomeng Li, and Qinghua Chen

Book Reviews

“Naming, Identity, and Tourism“, by I. M. Nick

“Dictionary of French Family Names in North America“, by André Lapierre

Obituary

“In Memoriam: Edwin D. Lawson (1923-2021)“, by Thomas Gasque

View All Issues

In the age of space tourism, who can hold the title “Astronaut”?

A photo of Buzz Aldrin by Neil Armstrong, two individuals who hold the title “astronaut” (Public domain)

A piece in Time Magazine raises an interesting question: in the age of space tourism, who can hold the title “astronaut”? Some believe that only those who pilot a spacecraft should be given the title, whereas others believe anyone who crosses into low earth atmosphere—regardless of the role they have on the flight—should be given the moniker. Regardless, one point is clear, as Jeffrey Kluger writes:

“Hansen agrees, and warns that playing with astronaut nomenclature risks not only denying the title to people who may deserve it, but stripping it from those who historically earned it. The original NASA Mercury astronauts, after all, often complained that their missions were overly automated, with much of the flight run by computer, and the astronauts themselves there mostly to observe and intervene if needed.”

American Name Society Summer 2021 Newsletter

The American Name Society is pleased to share the ANS Summer 2021 Newsletter.

Please consider becoming a member to receive more news updates.

About Names: “The romantic — and rebellious — history of Guy”

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his August 15th column, he looks at the history of the name Guy.

Want to learn more? Read on to find out more the history of the name Guy!

On “Dave”, “Marcus”, and other Money Apps with Common First-Names

Photo of a bank app (Photo by TInkoff Bank, CC-BY-4.0)

This short piece in The New York Times showcases interviews with folks who share names with money- and banking-related apps. Included are Dave, Marcus, Robin, and other common first-names. Read more in The New York Times.