About Names: “Are you reading ‘What happened to Lacey’?”

Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. In his August 29th column, he looks at the history of the name Lacey.

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

Notre Dame’s Leprechaun Mascot Named 4th-most Offensive

The “Band of the Fighting Irish” playing at Notre Dame Stadium (Photo by Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, CC-BY-2.0)

A recent story in the IndyStar explores a study that named “Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish leprechaun” as the fourth-most offensive college football mascot. Though the list later disappeared from the website, its appearance has caused quite a stir and fostered several conversations about college sports mascots.

Naming Hurricanes, Heat Waves

A US National Weather Service depiction of the formation of a heat wave (Public domain)

A recent article in the New York Times asks an important question: “Could assigning names to heat waves, the way officials do for hurricanes and tropical storms, help protect people from the warming climate?” In her article, Jenny Gross explores pros and cons of applying names to heat waves. While applying names to hurricanes and tropical storms increased a sense of awareness and urgency with these storms, it is also just as likely that applying names to additional weather phenomena might dilute the message overall. Read more at the New York Times.

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.”

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.”

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!