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Five Fun Facts about Names
by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Laura Jana, M.D., F.A.A.P.
Names are everywhere. Not only does virtually every one of the 6 billion people on earth have a name, but so do most mountains, rivers, towns, streets, hurricanes, ships, racehorses, and so on. How do you make sense of this babel of names? Onomastics, that's how. Hidden within this odd-sounding word is a Greek root, onoma, which means (you guessed it) "name." Onomastics is the study of names and naming.
You probably didn't know that you were interested in onomastics, but read on and see if you don't think some of this is just fascinating:
- Every child has an official right to have a name. Article 24-3 of the U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights says so. Why was this declaration necessary? The U.N. recognized that children born into war zones, extreme poverty, and refugee camps may not have their births registered, making them especially vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.
- The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 88,000 different last names account for more than 90 percent of the 280 million people in the U.S. By contrast, China--with its population of more than 1 billion--has only 150 to 400 basic surnames. Clear proof of the diversity of America's melting-pot society.
- When it comes to variety in names, girls rule. Again, according to the Census Bureau, approximately 90 percent of the U.S. population is covered by 4,275 different girls' names, but only 1,219 different boys' names. Why so many fewer names for boys than for girls? It may be that boys' names are more tradition-bound, because boys are more likely to be named after a relative. Another possibility: Although this is changing, our society still clings to the assumption that boys will eventually have to get "serious" jobs (and so need serious-sounding names), while girls won't, leaving more leeway for creativity, if not frivolity.
- Anemonyms (a truly lovely word) are the names of winds and storms. Once a name has been associated with a violent hurricane, that name is retired. There will never be another Hurricane Hugo, for instance. The Weather Service also tries to pick names that are easy to pronounce and culturally sensitive.
- Toponyms are place names. Early U.S. names mirrored places in the old country (New England, for example), honored English royalty (Virginia, after Queen Elizabeth, known as the Virgin Queen), or celebrated the Pilgrims' survival (Providence). America itself, however, was named after Italian navigator and explorer Amerigo Vespucci in the early 16th century.
Many U.S. place names harken back to ancient Greece and Rome (Ithaca, Athens, Troy) or borrow Native American names (Chicago, Miami, Winnipesaukee). Minneapolis does both things at once--from minnehaha, which means "laughing waters" in Sioux, and metropolis, which is Greek for city. You can look up just about any place name you want at the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names.
The American Name Society (ANS) is the main U.S. professional society for onomastics. In addition to information about ANS publications and meetings, the website lists recent onomastic research. Among the more intriguing: "Impressions Created by Given Names," "Trends in Women's Marital Names," and "Why the French Change Their Names."
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Created July 22, 2001
Reviewed July 23, 2001
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