Here is the press release about the
ANS Name(s) of the Year:
“
CAITLYN JENNER” CHOSEN “NAME OF THE YEAR”
“
Caitlyn Jenner” was chosen the Name of the Year for 2015 by the American Name Society at its annual meeting in
Washington, D.C. on January 8, 2016.
The name of the athlete and reality television celebrity who was formerly known as
Bruce Jenner became known throughout the world during 2015. “
Caitlyn Jenner is a example of how people in modern times are asserting their own identities by choosing their own names,” said
Iman Nick, President of
ANS. “Many cultures have allowed people to choose their own names after important life changes, and this right is being revived today in a positive ways by those like
Caitlyn Jenner.”
Caitlyn Jenner was also voted Personal Name of the Year for 2015.
Charlie Hebdo was ANS’s Trade Name of the Year. The name of this French satirical magazine whose
Paris headquarters was attacked in January 2015 by terrorists has become a symbol of free speech around the world. Its iconic status was only reinforced by the more recent terrorist attacks in
Paris.
Denali was voted Place Name of the Year. Secretary of the Interior
Sally Jewell ordered the official national name of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North
America, be changed to Denali last
August. This put the federal designation in line with the official state of Alaska designation, but was criticized by many in Ohio, original home of President McKinley. The emotions aroused on both sides show the power of naming.
Rey,
Finn, and Poe were voted Fictional Names of the Year. The names of three new characters in “
Star Wars: The Force Awakens” were cited for their expected impact on baby names in 2016. Rey is noteworthy for being a mostly male name given to a strong female character.
Finn is significant as a name because it replaces the character’s impersonal designation, FN-2187, when he leaves the stormtroopers and joins the Resistance.
The American Name Society is a scholarly organization founded in 1951 devoted to studying all aspects of names and naming. The Name of the Year vote has been held since 2004. “Ferguson” was the 2014 Name of the Year, “
Francis” for 2013 , and “
Sandy” forin 2012.
For further information contact Dr.
Cleveland Evans, chair of the Name of the Year committee, at
cevans@bellevue.edu or 402-210-7458.