In a landmark decision this spring, Brazilian authorities ruled that transgender and transsexual civil servants are allowed to use their newly chosen names at work. Although conservatives have complained about the decision, for now, Brazilian LGBT human rights activists are savoring their victory. This decision was passed just weeks before another historic onomastic ruling in which Bolivian officials also acknowledged the rights of adult transsexuals to legally change their names.

The Google Chrome extension Coincidence Detector, which has since been removed from the Chrome store, identified Jews and other “anti-white” individuals. The Coincidence Detector detected based on a regularly updated database of names. The browser extension had a White Supremacist user base and following.

If the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has its way, the world’s periodic table will have four new names added. Planned for the lower right-hand corner, the names of the new chemical elements are moscovium (Mc); nihonium (Nh), tennessine (Ts), and oganesson (Og). According to the IUPAC rules, elements must be named after a mythological concept, a mineral, a scientist, one of their physical or chemical properties, or a place. The name for element 113, for example, was derived from the Japanese word “Nihon” or “Japan”. After much debate, this name won out over its leading competitor, “Japonium”. By the same token, Elements 115 and 117, owe their names to the toponyms “Moscow” and “Tennessee”. Unless there are major objections, these chemical monikers will become officially enshrined in the table this coming Autumn.

Recently, angry demonstrators armed with banners rallied in front of the Consulate General of Japan. What was the fight over? If you ask the protesters, they would probably answer history, culture, identity, and corporate bullying. At the center of the firestorm is the name of a cute, little, yellow, red cheeked…uh…critter named Bei Ka Chiu aka Pikachu. If Nintendo has its way, this beloved figure will be known the world over Pei Ka Yau in Cantonese.

Any idea what the most popular country domain name in the internet is today? If you guessed the United States, Germany, or India, you’re way off base. With more than 31 more registered addresses the most popular toponymic domain name is…Tokelau. Never heard of it? Learn what Tokelau has what so many other nations don’t.

In 2012, after a seven-year battle with the NCAA, the North Dakota men’s hockey team finally acquiesced and officially changed their team name to the “Fighting Hawks”. The North Dakota voters overwhelmingly supported the name change. However, as a quick look in the stands of a hockey game shows, diehard fans have remained resistant to the change. The team’s older name, The Fighting Sioux, remains stubbornly popular among many team fans.

In recent years, a movement especially popular with veterans has pushed to return the city name ‘Volgograd’ to ‘Stalingrad’.

Vladimir Putin has endorsed the idea, and has even changed the name of ‘Volgograd’ to ‘Stalingrad’ on the list of Hero Cities on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow. This has come at a time when remembrance of the ‘Great Patriotic War’ (World War II), as it is known in Russia, is increasing in fervor.

In recent years, Stalin has slowly been rehabilitated throughout Russia from a murderous dictator to an heroic leader. The underpinning logic of his revival is that he may have been responsible for the murder of millions, but he saved the Soviet Union from the Nazis.

Paypal has refused purchases with addresses containing “Isis.” This is a problem for many people with legitimate addresses containing places named for the Isis River in Oxford, England.