Conferences

Names, Authority, and Power Panel (21 February 2026, ANS Annual Meeting, Virtual)

Join us for a panel on names, authority, and power at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Name Society. Papers in this panel include:

“Toponyms and the creation of a Taiwanese Indigenous village” by Rik De Busser, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

This talk explores how the complex layering of toponyms in the Taiwanese Indigenous village of Rinari is a result of its relatively recent creation, reflecting the intricate power dynamics between Indigenous communities and various external governmental and non-governmental organizations. Rinari is a village inhabited by Paiwan and Rukai people that was constructed by the government in the aftermath of typhoon Morakot in 2009 and settled by four Indigenous communities. This talk discusses how this resulted in an overlap of traditional and non-traditional toponymic systems and explores how this affects the linguistic landscape of the new village.

“Onomastic Conflicts in Maritime Spaces: “Gulf of Mexico or America?” and Other Naming Battles at Sea” by Cari Didion, Governors State University, USA, & Michel Nguessan, Governors State University, USA

Maritime placenames are deeply entwined with sovereignty, law, and diplomacy, functioning as tools of territorial assertion and international influence. This paper examines onomastic conflicts in contested seas, beginning with the rhetorical provocation of renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America” to illustrate how nomenclature shapes perceptions of jurisdiction and legitimacy. Through comparative analysis of disputes such as Persian Gulf/Arabian Gulf, Sea

Learn more and register for the meeting here:

The full schedule is available here:

Structure and Creativity in Naming Practices Panel (21 February 2026, ANS Annual Meeting, Virtual)

Join us for a panel on structure and creativity in naming practices at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Name Society. Papers in this panel include:

“On the linguistic structure of paint color names: Kale green, slow green or green sprout?” by Elsi Kaiser, University of Souther California, USA

Relative to basic-level color terms (e.g. green, yellow), color names (e.g. Kale Green, Friendly Yellow) have received less linguistic attention. We present an analysis of 6000+ paint names from six paint companies. We looked at names with color terms in first/second position (e.g. Blue Sky, Sky Blue) and identified four main types. We posit that novel noun+color compounds (e.g. Summer White) and human-trait attribution (e.g. Friendly Yellow, Agreeable Gray) are frequent because they yield eye-catching names while allowing some color identifiability. We also analyze part-of-speech (Acorn, Intuitive, Ponder), metaphorical uses (Patience vs. Snow), and morphology (Greige (gray+beige), Grayish).

“Breed, Language, and Word Formation in the Names of Thoroughbreds in Turkey” by F. Nihan Ketrez, Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey

This study investigates the naming practices of Arabian and English thoroughbreds in Turkey. Names were analyzed by language (Turkish, foreign, or mixed), length, and morpho(syntactic) structure: simplex, derived, compound, phrase, or sentence. Results show that Arabian horses are more likely to bear Turkish names, which are also shorter on average, while English thoroughbreds more often carry foreign names. Across both languages, compounding is the most frequent word-formation strategy, and overall proportions of naming strategies are similar. These findings highlight how horse breed correlates with language choice and name length, contributing to crosslinguistic research on animal naming practices.

Learn more and register for the meeting here:

The full schedule is available here:

Names in Discourse and the Transmission of Knowledge Panel (21 February 2026, ANS Annual Meeting, Virtual)

 

 

 

 

Join us for a panel on names in discourse and the transmission of knowledge at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Name Society.

“Names in Contemporary Written Discourse: Sociopragmatic Functions in the Context of Educational Resources” by Emilia Aldrin, Halmstad University, Sweden

This presentation explores the sociopragmatic functions of names in contemporary, written non-fiction, with a focus on the authoritative discourse of school textbooks (Fairclough 2010, Gray 2016). Since naming choices may shape young readers’ perceptions (Macintyre & Hamilton 2010, Keller & Franzak 2016), the study asks: How are names used in textbook discourse, and what functions do they serve? Combining insights from pragmatics, socioonomastics and literary onomastics, an analytical framework is outlined. Identified functions include providing referential knowledge, signalling status, engaging readers, underlining authority, and shaping identities. Examples from Swedish primary school textbooks illustrate the discussion, with relevance beyond educational texts.

“Place Names in the Latin American Literary Discourse” by Irina Martynenko, RUDN University and Kutafin Moscow State Law University, Russia

The presentation examines the functioning of place names in fiction and their connection with real geographical objects. Based on the texts of some outstanding Latin American writers, the author analyzes the origin of toponyms recorded in their works, the historical context and the features of their use in personal artistic discourse. Particular attention is paid to cases when writers use place names in a metaphorical meaning, as well as the role of toponyms in the narrative of national identity. The results of the analysis showed that geonames in fiction perform not only a nominative, locative, but also a symbolic function.

Learn more and register for the meeting here:

The full schedule is available here:

Names, Naming, and Diversity in Youth Literature Panel (21 February 2026, ANS Annual Meeting, Virtual)

Join us for a special panel on diversity in youth literature at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Name Society.

Recent years have seen a blistering and sustained effort to severely limit the breadth and range of literature available to readers. This censorship movement has been especially active in trying to control publications for underage readers. In response to this controversy, Bloomsbury will soon release a new book in the onomastic series edited NAMES Editor-in-Chief, I. M. Nick. This multi-authored volume specifically explores names, naming, and diversity in youth literature. The panel presents some of the many works featured in the upcoming compendium.

The book is available for Pre-order from Bloomsbury here.

Learn more and register for the meeting here:

The full schedule is available here:

American Name Society Annual Meeting 2026 Registration and Schedule (Via Zoom, February 21, 2026)

 

The 2026 ANS Annual Conference will be held online, via Zoom, on 21 February 2026. Registration is now open here. There is a new conference fee structure that is discounted based on annual income. Read more about the conference fee structure here.

Event Details

The American Name Society Annual Meeting for 2026 will be held online on February 21, 2026 using the Zoom platform.

It is accessible via Mac or PC. The meeting will require a passcode, which will be sent via email to all registrants and presenters by February 20th.

We have been working hard to set up a schedule that will work globally, and this means that some presenters will be scheduled at times outside of normal working hours.

The agenda for the meeting includes presentations by onomastic scholars from around the world, along with our annual Business Meeting and a report on the state of our journal, NAMES. All are welcome to the conference — you do not need to be a member to attend!

The Book of Abstracts will be available here before the conference.

 

Click here to see the preliminary schedule of presentations and meetings

 

We hope to see you there!

 

Event URL:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-name-society-annual-meeting-2026-tickets-1980904507707

REMINDER: Register for the ANS Annual Meeting 2025 (via Zoom, February 22, 2025)

Registration is open for ANS 2025, which will be held on February 22, 2025. You can register online via Eventbrite by clicking here or the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-name-society-annual-meeting-2025-tickets-1071828831889

You can also download this form and mail in a check.

The American Name Society Annual Meeting for 2025 will be held online using the Zoom platform. It is accessible via Mac or PC. The meeting will require a passcode, which will be sent via email to all registrants and presenters by February 21st.

We set up a schedule that will work globally, and this means that some presenters are scheduled at times outside of normal working hours.

The annual meeting schedule is available here.

ANS Annual Meeting 2025 Schedule

The American Name Society Annual Meeting for 2025 will be held online using the Zoom platform. It is accessible via Mac or PC. The meeting will require a passcode, which will be sent via email to all registrants and presenters by 21 February 2025.

We have been working hard to set up a schedule that will work globally, and this means that some presenters will be scheduled at times outside of normal working hours. The schedule below is subject to change depending on speaker availability.

Keep apprised of any changes to the annual meeting schedule here on our website.

Register for the conference here!

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Saturday, February 22, 2025

ALL TIMES ARE UTC -8:00, PACIFIC STANDARD TIME

Conference Opening Address

5:15 AM Brandon Simonson (Boston University, MA, USA), Welcome and Opening Remarks

First Session

5:30 AM Nihan Ketrez (Istanbul Bilgi University, Turkey), Anthropomorphism in puppy and kitten names in Holly Webb’s children’s books and their translations

6:00 AM Anna Tsepkova (Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Russia): A Cross-cultural Analysis of Terms Applied to Unconventional Anthroponyms in American and Russian Onomastic Practices [Withdrawn]

6:30 AM Veronika Robustova (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia): Proper Names As Means of Cultural and Historic Information Transfer [Withdrawn]

Second Session

7:00 AM Ayokunmi Ojebode (University of Nottingham, UK), Abimbola Alao (Independent Scholar, UK), and Victoria Tischler (University of Surrey, UK): Cross-cultural Names and Identities as Dementia Behaviours in Abimbola Alao’s ‘My Name is Beatrice’ and Trevor Smith’s ‘An Evening with Dementia’ [Withdrawn]

7:30 AM Maria Kopf (Universität Hamburg, Germany): Name Changes and Name Co-existence in Deaf Signing Communities in Germany

8:00 AM Thomas Ditye (Sigmund Freud University, Austria): The fear of saying personal names

8:30 AM I.M. Nick (Germanic Society for Forensic Linguistics, Germany): Names: A Journal of Onomastics Editor’s Report

9:00 AM Break

9:30 AM ANS Committees Meeting

Third Session

10:00 AM Lennart Chevallier (Kiel University, Germany) and Sören Wichmann (Kiel University, Germany): Mapping place names

10:30 AM Jarmo Jantunen (University of Jyväskylä, Finland), Tehri Ainiala University of Helsinki, Finland), Salla Jokela (Tampere University, Finland), and Jenny Tarvainen (University of Jyväskylä, Finland): Mapping Digital Discourses of the Capital Region of Finland: Combining Onomastics, CADS, and GIS

11:00 AM Russell Fielding (Coastal Carolina University, SC, USA): “A Change of Name during Sickness”: Surveying the Widespread Practice of Renaming in Response to Physical Illness

Fourth Session

11:30 AM Anuoluwapọ Adéwùnmí ADÉTỌ̀MÍWÁ (University of Lagos, Nigeria): Anthroponymy and cultural identity: the significance of akan and yorùbá personal names

12:00 PM Hanna Virranpää (University of Helsinki, Finland): Place names used by the first-generation Finnish Americans: examining migration letters

12:30 PM Mary Ann Walter (University of the Virgin Islands, USA): Femininity and Phonetics in Drag Names

1:00 PM Michael Akinpelu (University of Regina, SK, Canada), Dr. Hasiyatu Abubakari (University of Ghana Accra, Ghana), and Dr. Michel Nguessan (Governors State University, IL, USA): A Comparative Study of Divine Names Across African Languages and Cultures

1:30 PM ANS Annual Business Meeting

Fifth Session

2:30 PM Kenneth Price (Texas A&M University, TX, USA): Promoting Onomastics in Travel Writing: Multimodal Travel Toponymies 

3:00 PM U-ri Go (Kangwon National University, Korea) and Jong-mi Kim (Kangwon National University, Korea): From Masculine to Feminine Naming Evolution: A Comparative Phonological Analysis of 18 Regions across Four Continents (1880-2023)

3:30 PM Cari Didion (Governors State University, IL, USA) and Dr. Michel Nguessan (Governors State University, IL, USA): Names and Brand Identity of Ethnic Businesses in Greater Chicago

Sixth Session

4:00 PM David Wade (Wade Research Foundation, USA): Name Peptides @ The University

4:30 PM Alexander Kilpatrick (Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Japan): Machine Learning vs. Linear Regression: A Case Study on Gender Sound Symbolism in Japanese Given Names

5:00 PM Jinawat Kaenmuang (Chulalongkorn University, Thailand): Flavorful labels and elegant expressions: The role of culinary elements and rhetorical devices in Thai food shops’ nomenclature [Withdrawn]

5:00 PM (New Time) 5:30 PM Sarah Bunin Benor (Hebrew Union College, CA, USA): Shaina, Bamba, and Ruth Betta Finsberg: Trends in American Jews’ Naming of Pets

Closing

 

REMINDER: Register for the ANS Annual Meeting 2025 (via Zoom, February 22, 2025)

Registration is open for ANS 2025, which will be held on February 22, 2025. You can register online via Eventbrite by clicking here or the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-name-society-annual-meeting-2025-tickets-1071828831889

You can also download this form and mail in a check.

The American Name Society Annual Meeting for 2025 will be held online using the Zoom platform. It is accessible via Mac or PC. The meeting will require a passcode, which will be sent via email to all registrants and presenters by February 21st.

We are working hard to set up a schedule that will work globally, and this means that some presenters will be scheduled at times outside of normal working hours.

The Book of Abstracts will be available before the conference.

Keep apprised of any changes to the annual meeting schedule here.

REMINDER: Register for the ANS Annual Meeting 2025 (via Zoom, February 22, 2025)

Registration is open for ANS 2025, which will be held on February 22, 2025. You can register online via Eventbrite by clicking here or the following link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/american-name-society-annual-meeting-2025-tickets-1071828831889

You can also download this form and mail in a check.

The American Name Society Annual Meeting for 2025 will be held online using the Zoom platform. It is accessible via Mac or PC. The meeting will require a passcode, which will be sent via email to all registrants and presenters by February 21st.

We are working hard to set up a schedule that will work globally, and this means that some presenters will be scheduled at times outside of normal working hours.

The Book of Abstracts will be available before the conference.

Keep apprised of any changes to the annual meeting schedule here.