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 2023 Annual Conference will be held ONLINE, January 20-22, 2023, and not in conjunction with the Linguistic Society of America. [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

Call for Book Chapter Proposals: “Chosen, Bestowed, Acquired, Assigned: Names and Naming in Youth Literature”

Call for Book Chapter Proposals Chosen, Bestowed, Acquired, Assigned: Names and Naming in Youth Literature Edited by I. M. Nick… read more

Call for Papers: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Names and Naming in Literature” (ANS panel, MLA 2024)

The American Name Society is issuing its Call for Papers for the ANS panel at the Modern Language Association (MLA) Convention, which will take… read more

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