on·o·mas·tics (ŏn′ə-măs′ tĭks) singular noun [French onomastique, from Greek onomastikos, to name, from onoma, name]: the study of the origin, history, and use of proper names.
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Conference Information

The ANS 2019 annual conference will be held in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America from January 3-6th, 2019 in New York, NY.  [read more]

About the ANS

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]

Become a Member

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: our annual meeting in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America, regional meetings, and a subscription to NAMES: A Journal of Onomastics. [read more]

Recent News

“Jamal Khashoggi” Chosen 2018 Name of the Year

“Jamal Khashoggi” was chosen the Name of the Year for 2018 by the American Name Society at its annual meeting… read more

Second Revised Preliminary Schedule for the 2019 ANS Conference in New York, NY

The American Name Society is excited to share the second revised 2019 Conference Schedule for the upcoming annual conference in New… read more

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