“Hello, Dolly!” star Carol Channing. AP photo
Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. To celebrate entertainer Carol Channing’s 96th birthday, his most recent column looks at the history of the name Carol. Throughout history it has been used for both men and women and although it’s now a “grandma name”, there have been quite a few prominent Carols in American history, including one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Ever wonder why you call the kids by their siblings’ names – or even the dog’s name? Samantha Deffler, a cognitive scientist at Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla., wanted to find out why it happens. She and her colleagues conducted a large study on the topic, and their findings were published in the journal Memory & Cognition. Head over to NPR to read or listen to the story. Spoiler: it’s not just you – it’s a normal cognitive glitch – based on who (and what) you love.
Maverick? Freya? Milo? Jennifer Moss of BabyNames.com peeks into 2017 and looks at the top baby names starting to climb the charts. Some are old, some are new, and an awful lot of them are celebrity-approved. What names surprised you?… Read More
The Pan-American International Symposium on Toponymy will be held from the 3rd to the 5th of May 2017 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The main themes of the conference are toponymy in maps; indigenous and minority toponymy; and education and toponymy. After the conference, selected papers will be presented in The Brazilian Journal of Cartography and in a book publication. For more information, please contact Paulo Menezes, pmenezes@acd.ufrj.br.
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The Tatler, a British magazine known for its coverage of high society, has picked out “some of the poshest names known to man” for those who need naming help. They assure their readers that all of the names are real, and some are several centuries old. Which name would you pick for yourself – Figgy? Monaveen? Yellow? Fenston? Victory? Or Npeter (the ‘N’ is silent)?
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The Washington Post looks at the popularity of the name “Trump” with Kurds in Iraq. Two examples: A restaurant in northern Iraq in the Kurdish city of Duhok, which serves a kilogram of fried fish for $10, has been named “Trump Fish.” And Hassan Jamil, a Peshmerga fighter, has named his newborn son, Trump Hassan Jamil, and has a very simple reason to give for it. Click through to find out why.
Did you know Cheerios used to be called Cheerioats? Sometimes the first choice for a name isn’t always the right one. Buzzfeed’s list looks at the names of products, fictional characters, songs, books, apps, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Do you prefer Eggos over Froffles?
American actor Woody Strode in Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘Spartacus’ (L) and the person after whom he was named: Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States of America.
Know any kids named Barack? In Time’s “Now You Know” feature, Merrill Fabry looks at the history of Americans naming their children after Presidents, and what happened to it. Cameos by the ANS’ own Cleve Evans and Frank Nuessel!
In episode 446 of the Mental Floss List Show, John Green shares the name origins of 39 America’s cities. How many of these did you know? They’re not as straightforward as you might think!
You know the name, but why the number?FlickrCC/Mike Mozart
Why is it called Chanel No. 5? What happened to numbers 1 to 4? Take this fun and informative quiz from Business Insider, and find out the history of these 13 “numbered” brand names.
