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!
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Quiz: Do you know what the numbers attached to these 13 brand names mean?
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.
Modern Family star Sofia Vergara reportedly being sued by her frozen IVF embryos
Actress Sofía Vergara is now facing a historic lawsuit from her pre-implanted eggs, Emma and Isabella. In a “right-to-live” lawsuit filed in the state of Louisiana, it is claimed that not allowing the eggs to be born is essentially depriving them of their inheritance. What began as a nasty custody dispute has erupted into an explosive discussion over whether and when an en vitro fertilized egg can be legally recognized as a “juridical person”. According to Vergara’s lawyer, the fact that Nick Loeb, the actress’s former partner and co-progenitor, has given personal names (Emma and Isabella) to the fertilized eggs was simply done to “garner sympathy from the public and the courts.”
Results of the New York Times Surname Project
Earlier this year, the New York Times asked women to talk about whether they changed their surname upon marriage. They received more than 16,000 responses and published a selection of them.
New York Times correspondent in London, Katrin Bennhold, also wrote about her own surname and family identity as part of this project.
New Yorkers changed their names to some unusual things this year
Every year, many people go through the legal challenges of changing their names. Here’s a snapshot of a few of the New Yorkers who changed their names in 2016.
Naming Of Family Business Empires
It’s not easy to turn a family name into a globally iconic business. And not all names start on even footing. In this article in Business World Naseem Javed discusses some of the family name considerations that are important to today’s successful global businesses.
Dear Teachers: Make The Effort To Enunciate Brown And Black Names
How important is it to pronounce ethnic names correctly? Bronx-based teacher Adam Levine-Peres created this short video about why correct pronunciation is important. It boils down to teaching trust, perseverance, and common courtesy.
Iceland allows Angelína in raft of newly approved baby names
Iceland allows only a limited number of approved baby names. This is so that Icelandic babies receive names that are compatible with Icelandic culture. However, in an increasingly cosmopolitan generation, this can be challenging. This fall the official Personal Names Committee expanded the list of approved names to include Angelína, among others.
Onomastics Outside Academia Panel at ANS 2017 in Austin
ANS 2017 saw the first ever “Onomastics Outside Academia” Panel, in which professional onomasticians talked about their work and their career paths outside of the university.
The panel included the following presentations:
- Pamela Redmond Satran (Nameberry.com): Nameberry: Revolutionizing how and what parents name their babies
- Kemp Williams (IBM Corporation): Computational onomastics in threat and fraud detection
- Lisa Spira (Ethnic Technologies): Onomastic data skills
- Laurel Sutton (Catchword Branding): Creating brand names for fun and profit
- Jennifer Moss (BabyNames.com): How the internet changed baby names (careers)
- Deborah Walker (Linguistic Consultant): Product naming reviews: Evaluating names for global readiness
Congratulations on a great panel, and many thanks to all of our speakers!
Pamela Redmond Satran
Lisa Spira
Jennifer Moss
It’s Not the Economy: Why Unique Baby Names Are Trending Up
In the United States, we are increasingly choosing more innovative, less common baby names. researched this phenomenon in relation to the economy and reports her findings in this article in Life Science.