names – News Stories About names - Page 2

Swedish Parents
Lose Request to
Name Their Son
After Putin

Sep 13, 2021 1:11 AM CDT

Swedish Parents Lose Request to Name Their Son After Putin

Government agency doesn't say why it rejected the couple's choice

(Newser) - Sweden's government has told new parents that they can't name their little bundle of joy after the president of Russia. A couple from the town of Laholm had submitted "Vladimir Putin" for approval as their son's name. The nation's tax agency has to approve the...

Of Course There's Drama Over
Meghan and Harry's Baby Name

Jun 9, 2021 10:45 AM CDT

Of Course There's Drama Over Meghan and Harry's Baby Name

Did they get the queen's OK to use Lilibet, and when?

(Newser) - As one might expect, there's been plenty of hand-wringing about whether Harry and Meghan did or did not ask the queen for permission/her blessing in bestowing her nickname on their newly born baby girl, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor . A palace source tells the BBC the queen wasn't consulted about...

Baby Name 'Karen' Hasn't Been This Unpopular in 9 Decades

Karen Is Going
to Want to Speak
to the Manager
About This

Jun 2, 2021 6:19 AM CDT

Karen Is Going to Want to Speak to the Manager About This

Baby name Karen is reportedly at its least popular since 1932, with just 325 new Karens in 2020

(Newser) - You may be hearing "Karen" thrown around a lot lately, but it's becoming less common as an actual name. Fewer newborn babies were named Karen in the US in 2020 than in any year since 1932, the Huffington Post reports based on Social Security Administration data. Karen, the...

COVID Has
Apparently Made
People Wary of
a Girl's Name

May 7, 2021 1:45 PM CDT

COVID Has Apparently Made People Wary of a Girl's Name

Only 17 babies named Rona in 2020, compared to 30 in 2017; Olivia and Liam were most popular

(Newser) - If you're longing for some consistency amid a year that's been nothing but chaos, this year's list of top baby names should offer some comforting familiarity, per the Hill . That's because Olivia and Liam are the top girl and boy names for 2020, for the second...

Hundreds Gather in Nebraska
to Battle Over the Name Josh

Apr 25, 2021 4:30 PM CDT

Hundreds Gather in Nebraska to Battle Over the Name Josh

#JoshFight happened Saturday in Lincoln

(Newser) - A fight over the name of Josh drew a crowd from around the country to a Nebraska park Saturday for a heated pool-noodle brawl. It all started a year ago when pandemic boredom set in and Josh Swain, a 22-year-old college student from Tucson, Arizona, messaged others who shared his...

No Washington,
Lincoln, or Feinstein
on City's Schools

Jan 28, 2021 3:33 AM CST

No Washington, Lincoln, or Feinstein on City's Schools

Mayor would prefer the board work on a reopening plan

(Newser) - Gone are a slew of historical figures, including Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln—as well as the much more recent Dianne Feinstein. The San Francisco Board of Education has voted to take those names and others off 44 of its schools. The board has for years debated whether to rename buildings...

Space Force Has
Completed a
'Momentous
Responsibility'

Dec 19, 2020 6:00 AM CST

Space Force Has Completed a 'Momentous Responsibility'

Troops have been officially named 'guardians,' Mike Pence announced Friday

(Newser) - If "troops" seemed too boring of a way to refer to the members of Space Force, never fear—there's a new label for those in service to the latest US military branch. "It is my honor, on behalf of the president of the United States, to announce...

SF Supervisors Want to
Rename Zuckerberg Hospital

Dec 17, 2020 10:45 AM CST

SF Supervisors Want to Rename Zuckerberg Hospital

They accuse Facebook of 'endangering public health' with COVID misinformation

(Newser) - A $75 million donation to a hospital wasn't enough to earn Mark Zuckerberg a like from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The board voted 10-1 this week to condemn the naming of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital after the Facebook founder, Business Insider reports. The hospital's full...

'Adolf Hitler'
Elected in Landslide

Dec 3, 2020 12:21 PM CST

'Adolf Hitler' Elected in Landslide

Namibian councilman has no plans for world domination

(Newser) - The people of Oshana, Namibia, have spoken, electing a regional councilman by the name of Adolf Hitler. His full name is Adolf Hitler Uunona—he's named in election materials as Adolf H. Uunona—and like his namesake, he's no stranger to politics, having served as a councilman for...

One Baby Name Is Surging
in Different Countries

One Baby Name Is Surging in Different Countries

'Liam' is quite the popular choice globally, though not so much in Ireland

(Newser) - If you've been noticing a bunch of Liams running around, and you're not a current resident of Ireland, you're not the only one. Liam was the top name for baby boys in the US this year, and the Guardian reports that more than 20,000 babies here...

People With
These Names
Should Watch
Their Step

Oct 14, 2020 6:20 PM CDT

People With These Names Should Watch Their Step

A California-based firm compiles a rather odd list

(Newser) - What's in a name? Your odds of breaking a toe or looking silly in public, it seems. That's according to Uplift Legal Funding, a company that lists the top 10 names of the "most accident-prone" men and women, Today reports. Seems the firm made its list by...

Prof to Student: Your Name
'Sounds Like an Insult'

Jun 20, 2020 12:30 PM CDT

Prof to Student: Your Name 'Sounds Like an Insult'

Matthew Hubbard is on administrative leave at Oakland's Laney College

(Newser) - An Oakland professor is on administrative leave after urging a student to "anglicize" her name—which he said "sounds like an insult in English." Matthew Hubbard, who teaches math at Laney College, told the Vietnamese student by email to change her name, the San Francisco Chronicle reports....

After 150 Years,
Japan Reverts
to Old-School
Tradition

Sep 6, 2019 10:39 AM CDT

After 150 Years, Japan Reverts to Old-School Tradition

Surnames will now come before first names, at least in government documents

(Newser) - For about 150 years, the Japanese have been following the first name, then surname method of being referenced when using the Roman alphabet in written materials. On Friday, however, a big change was announced: The country's government is switching the order of the names and reverting to the former...

Airline Offers Free Flight
If You Have This Last Name

Aug 9, 2019 8:35 AM CDT

Airline Offers Free Flight If You Have This Last Name

Anyone with the last name Green, Greene can fly gratis on Frontier on Aug. 13

(Newser) - Frontier Airlines is offering a free flight to everyone with two very specific last names as part of its environmentally conscious "Green Week." USA Today notes the qualifying but not completely surprising surnames: Green and Greene. The airline's website explains the simple steps for getting a complimentary...

Visitors Flock Here
for Diana. Paris
May Now Make
It Official

May 30, 2019 8:49 AM CDT

Visitors Flock Here for Diana. Paris May Now Make It Official

Square above tunnel where princess' car crashed may be renamed 'Place Diana'

(Newser) - For years, locals and visitors have erected a makeshift shrine to Princess Diana in the space above the Parisian tunnel where she was in a fatal car crash in August 1997. Now the City of Lights is looking to make that spot's ties to the late princess official. The...

NASA Invites Millions
on the Next Mars Mission

May 22, 2019 7:23 PM CDT

NASA Invites Millions on the Next Mars Mission

Or at least their names. And it's easy to join

(Newser) - Giddy-up, you're going to Mars—or your name is, if you're up for it. NASA is offering to take a huge list of names on board the Mars 2020 rover's life-hunting trip, Space.com reports. The space agency will let anyone sign up and "share in...

Here Are Your Hurricane
Names for 2019

May 17, 2019 12:38 PM CDT

Here Are Your Hurricane Names for 2019

Will a tempestuous weather system be named after you this year?

(Newser) - Every year, a new round of monikers is prepped in advance for that year's hurricanes, and 2019's just made landfall. The United Nations' World Meteorological Organization has posted its list for the soon-to-arrive hurricane season, which USA Today notes kicks off June 1 and runs through Nov. 30....

10 State Names, Deciphered

Dec 12, 2018 3:47 PM CST

10 State Names, Deciphered

24/7 Wall St. traces origins to Europe, indigenous cultures

(Newser) - You need look no further than a map to find America's reputation as a melting pot. The evidence is written across the states—specifically in their names, according to 24/7 Wall St. , which surveyed state websites and online resources to trace the origins of those names to England, France,...

Nov 23, 2018 1:45 PM CST

Most Popular Dog Name Holds Firm for 9th Year

Well-balanced 'Bella' on top again

(Newser) - Shout "Bella" in a dog park and there's a good chance a new friend will come running. According to Nextdoor.com , Bella is the most popular dog name in the US ... as it was in 2017 and 2016 . At Quartz , Jane C. Hu sets out to explain our...

A Dear Abby Answer
on Names Sparks Outrage

Oct 19, 2018 6:33 AM CDT

A Dear Abby Answer on Names Sparks Outrage

Padma Lakshmi calls column 'deeply racist'

(Newser) - The "Dear Abby" advice column has been appearing in newspapers since 1956—and after a recent response to a question about "foreign names," critics accused it of being stuck in that year. Columnist Jeanne Phillips was accused of racism after telling a reader he was right to...