28th Finnish Conference of Onomastics (Nimistöntutkimuksen päivät)

 The 28th Finnish Conference of Onomastics takes place at the University of Helsinki on 30–31 October 2025 - a welcoming annual forum for scholars, practitioners, and anyone fascinated by names. As always, the program spans personal names, place names, animal names, commercial/brand naming, and names in literature, showing how onomastics connects with ethnolinguistics, history, folklore, archaeology, and anthropology.

https://www.facebook.com/terhi.ainiala

A tradition since 1998 (launched at Kotus, and hosted by the University of Helsinki since 2012), the event now runs with a strong new generation at the helm - while the long-time convenor continues the beloved annual review.

by Terhi Ainiala

“Name of the Year 2025” (Vuoden nimi 2025)

This year’s vote ended in a three-way tie - a first in the conference’s history - so all three finalists share the title:

• Telepaatti - the cable-laying vessel that made headlines after the Gulf of Finland cable incident on Christmas Day 2024. The name blends Tele- (sector + legacy of the Post and Tele Administration) with -paatti (“boat”), and playfully nods to telepathy.

• Juristiliitto - the rebranded Finnish Bar/Legal Association (formerly Lakimiesliitto). The change is a clear, inclusive move toward gender-neutral language; juristi is widely understood and better aligned with the existing Swedish name Juristförbundet.

• Bara Bada Bastu - Finland’s Eurovision 2025 entry (by Vöyri’s KAJ) that placed fourth for Sweden. The title’s tightly knit ba- alliteration and end-rhymes are a mini artwork, and the choice of Swedish delighted language lovers as Sweden’s first Swedish-language Eurovision song of the 2000s.

Other finalists: Finkensilta, Meksikonlahti, OP Kaskimaa, and Topi. Full shortlists and justifications appear on the conference site.

Whether you’re presenting fieldwork on micro-toponyms or discussing creative brand naming, this year’s Nimistöntutkimuksen päivät promises two intense days of insight, friendly debate, and community - tervetuloa!

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XXVIII Nimistöntutkimuksen päivät

XXVIII Nimistöntutkimuksen päivät järjestetään Helsingin yliopistossa 30.–31.10.2025. Tapahtuma on vuosittainen kohtaamispaikka nimistöntutkijoille, nimien parissa työskenteleville sekä kaikille nimistä kiinnostuneille. Ohjelmassa käsitellään henkilönnimiä, paikannimiä, eläinten nimiä, kaupallista nimistöä sekä kirjallisuudessa esiintyviä nimiä, ja tuodaan esiin nimistöntutkimuksen yhteydet etnoglossologiaan, historiaan, folkloristiikkaan, arkeologiaan ja antropologiaan.

Ilmoittautuminen: 21.10. mennessä verkossa.
Ohjelma: nähtävissä tapahtuman sivuilla Ohjelma-välilehdellä.
Perinne alkoi 1998 Kotuksessa; vuodesta 2012 päivät ovat jatkuneet Helsingin yliopistossa. Vastuuta kantaa jo vahvasti uusi polvi - perinteinen vuosikatsaus kuitenkin kuuluu yhä ohjelmaan.

Vuoden nimi 2025

Tänä vuonna äänestys päättyi tasapeliin - ensimmäistä kertaa tapahtuman historiassa - ja kolme ehdokasta jakaa tittelin Vuoden nimi 2025:

• Telepaatti - kaapelinlaskualus, joka nousi otsikoihin joulupäivän 2024 kaapelivaurion jälkeen. Nimi yhdistää Tele- (toimiala + Posti- ja telelaitoksen perintö) ja -paatti (laiva), ja vinkkaa humoristisesti telepatiaan.

• Juristiliitto - Lakimiesliiton uusi nimi. Muutos on selkeä askel sukupuolineutraaliin kielenkäyttöön; juristi on yleisesti tunnettu ja vastaa paremmin ruotsinkielistä Juristförbundet-nimeä.

• Bara Bada Bastu - vöyriläisen KAJ-yhtyeen vuoden 2025 Euroviisu-kappale, joka sijoittui Ruotsille neljänneksi. Nimen ba-allitteraatio ja loppusoinnut muodostavat kielileikillisen kokonaisuuden, ja ruotsinkielisyys on historiallinen valinta: ensimmäinen ruotsinkielinen Ruotsin edustuskappale 2000-luvulla.

Muut finalistit: Finkensilta, Meksikonlahti, OP Kaskimaa ja Topi. Perustelut löytyvät tapahtuman verkkosivuilta.

Olitpa sitten keräämässä mikrotoponyymeja tai pohtimassa kaupallista nimistöä, luvassa on kaksi tiivistä ja innostavaa päivää nimistön äärellä. Tervetuloa!

Вторые Ономастические чтения памяти Александры Васильевны Суперанской

 30 октября 2025 отдел прикладной лингвистики проводит Вторые Ономастические чтения памяти Александры Васильевны Суперанской, приуроченные к 75-летию Института языкознания РАН.

Программа чтений

12.00-13.30

• Васильева Наталия Владимировна. Александра Васильевна Суперанская (1929-2013) и Институт языкознания: жизнь и судьба.
• Гордова Юлиана Юрьевна. Топонимы как объект лексикографии.
• Герцен Ольга Артёмовна, Герцен Андрей Артёмович. Топоним Белявинцы в Северной Молдавии и три грамоты воеводы Еремии Могилы.
• Максимов Владимир Олегович. Антропонимический ландшафт России: тенденции и ответственность научного сообщества.

Перерыв с чаем и кофе

14.00-16.00

• Мартыненко Ирина Анатольевна. Топонимия как палимпсест национальной памяти: исторические слои и идентификационные коды на карте Кубы.
• Соколова Татьяна Петровна. Проблема нормализации онимов.
• Герцен Андрей Артёмович. Сообщение о завершившейся в г. Астрахани международной конференции «Ономастика Поволжья». 

Обсуждение  докладов 

Чтения пройдут в конференц-зале. Начало в 12:00.
Продолжительность каждого доклада – 20 минут.

За дополнительной информацией просьба обращаться к Юлиане Юрьевне Гордовой.

Onoma is now indexed in Scopus (from 2021 onward)

 We’re delighted to share major news for authors and readers of Onoma – Journal of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences: Scopus has confirmed the indexing of Onoma beginning with all
volumes published from 2021 onward. Articles from these volumes will start appearing in Scopus over the next 5–6 weeks.

This addition strengthens the journal’s visibility and discoverability for the global onomastics community and will help ensure that your work is captured in widely used research metrics and discovery tools. For an up-to-date overview of our indexing footprint, please see our Indexing page.

What this means for authors

• Your articles (2021→) will be indexed in Scopus as ingestion completes over the coming weeks.

• Future submissions, once accepted and published, will continue to benefit from Scopus coverage.

What’s next

• We will post an update once the first batches are live in Scopus search.

• In the meantime, you can consult our indexing overview here.

Many thanks to our editorial team, reviewers, authors, and the ICOS community for making this milestone possible.

Onoma est désormais indexée dans Scopus (à partir de 2021)

Nous avons le plaisir d’annoncer que Scopus a confirmé l’indexation d’Onoma – Journal of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences pour tous les volumes publiés à partir de 2021. Les articles de ces volumes seront progressivement visibles dans Scopus au cours des 5–6 prochaines semaines.

Ce que cela signifie pour les auteur·rice·s

• Vos articles (2021→) seront intégrés dans Scopus au fur et à mesure du chargement des données.

• Les publications futures bénéficieront également de la couverture Scopus.

Prochaines étapes

• Nous publierons une mise à jour dès que les premiers lots seront consultables dans Scopus.

• La liste complète de nos services d’indexation est disponible sur la page Indexing du site.

Onoma jetzt in Scopus indexiert (ab Jahrgang 2021)

Wir freuen uns sehr, mitteilen zu können: Scopus hat die Indexierung von Onoma bestätigt – für alle Jahrgänge ab 2021. Die Artikel dieser Jahrgänge werden in den kommenden 5–6 Wochen schrittweise in Scopus sichtbar.

Damit steigt die internationale Sichtbarkeit der Zeitschrift deutlich; Beiträge werden leichter gefunden und in gängigen Nachweis- und Bewertungssystemen berücksichtigt. Eine aktuelle Übersicht unserer Nachweisdienste finden Sie auf der Seite Indexing.

Für Autor:innen

• Ihre Artikel (ab 2021) werden in Scopus eingespielt, sobald der Import abgeschlossen ist.

• Künftige, publizierte Beiträge profitieren fortlaufend von der Scopus-Abdeckung.

Wie geht es weiter?

• Sobald die ersten Einträge in Scopus online sind, informieren wir erneut.

• Bis dahin lohnt ein Blick auf unsere Übersicht: Onoma

Vielen Dank an Redaktion, Gutachter:innen, Autor:innen und die ICOS-Community für diesen gemeinsamen Erfolg.

Interview with Maya Vlahova-Angelova, famous Bulgarian onomastician !

 

Разговор с доц. Мая Влахова-Ангелова от Секцията по ономастика, Институт за български език, Българска академия на науките Водещ: проф. Ана Кочева, Институт за български език, Българска академия на науките

Call for Papers - Onomastica Canadiana

Dear Colleagues,

The editorial board of Onomastica Canadiana, the bilingual peer-reviewed journal of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names (CSSN) / Société canadienne d’onomastique (SCO), invites submissions of scholarly manuscripts for publication in its new online series in open access.

Onomastica Canadiana publishes original research articles, review essays, and critical notes, written in English or French, on all aspects of onomastics — the study of names and naming practices or trends in all languages, cultures, periods, and areas. The online journal provides an interdisciplinary platform for exploring the linguistic, cultural, historical, geographical, literary, social, and theoretical aspects of naming.

Scope and Areas of Interest

We welcome contributions that advance knowledge in any area of name studies, including but not limited to:

• Personal names, surnames, nicknames, naming systems, and genealogy
• Toponymy (place names) and geographical or cartographical naming practices or policies
• Literary and artistic onomastics
• Scientific nomenclatures
• Brand and corporate names, names in media and communication
• Names and identity, culture, politics, or registration
• Theoretical and methodological approaches to name studies
• Interdisciplinary perspectives linking onomastics to arts, linguistics, literature, history, geography, sociology, anthropology, demography, or cultural studies

Manuscript Types

• Research Articles: Up to 8,000 words (including references), presenting original scholarship, written in English or French.
• Research Notes / Case Studies: Up to 3,000 words.
• Book Reviews: 800–1,500 words.
• Special Issues: Thematic proposals are also welcome; contact the Editor-in-Chief to discuss ideas.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Pictures must be free of rights, if not from the author. Manuscripts should conform to the generic journal’s style guidelines, available on the CSSN website. All submissions are subject to a double-blind peer review process, typically completed within 3–4 weeks.

How to Submit

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically as Word documents (.docx) to:

Editor-in-Chief: Michel Nguessan, PhD

Email: cangaley@yahoo.com

Subject Line: Manuscript Submission – Onomastica Canadiana

Publication Schedule

Onomastica Canadiana aims to publish two issues per year. Submissions are received on a rolling basis.

About the Journal

Founded in 1951, Onomastica Canadiana is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal dedicated to advancing the study of names and naming. It is the official online publication of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names (CSSN).

For more information, visit: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/CSSN-SCO

To submit via the online portal, visit: https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/about/submissions  
Prospective authors are welcome to contact the Editor-in-Chief, Michel Nguessan, PhD (cangaley@yahoo.com), with any questions.

Warm regards,

Michel Nguessan, PhD

Editor-in-Chief, Onomastica Canadiana

Canadian Society for the Study of Names (CSSN)

Société canadienne d’onomastique (SCO)

Chers et chères collègues,

L’équipe éditoriale d’Onomastica Canadiana, la revue scientifique bilingue à comité de lecture de la Société canadienne d’onomastique (SCO), invite les chercheuses et chercheurs à soumettre des manuscrits pour publication dans sa nouvelle série en ligne en libre accès.

Onomastica Canadiana publie des articles de recherche originaux, des essais critiques et des notes de recherche, rédigés en français ou en anglais, sur tous les aspects de l’onomastique — l’étude des noms et des pratiques ou tendances de dénomination dans toutes les langues, cultures, époques et régions. La revue offre une plateforme interdisciplinaire pour explorer les dimensions linguistiques, culturelles, historiques, géographiques, littéraires, sociales et théoriques de la nomination.

Domaines et thématiques privilégiés

Les propositions peuvent porter, entre autres, sur :

• Les noms personnels, patronymes, surnoms, systèmes de dénomination et généalogie
• La toponymie (noms de lieux) et les pratiques ou politiques de dénomination géographique ou cartographique
• L’onomastique littéraire et artistique
• Les nomenclatures scientifiques
• Les noms de marques et d’entreprises, les appellations d’origine contrôlées
• Les noms dans les médias et la communication
• Les liens entre noms, identité, culture, politique ou registre civil
• Les approches théoriques et méthodologiques de l’étude des noms
• Les perspectives interdisciplinaires reliant l’onomastique à la linguistique, la littérature, l’histoire, la géographie, la sociologie, l’anthropologie, la démographie ou les études culturelles

Types de manuscrits acceptés

• Articles de recherche : jusqu’à 8 000 mots (références comprises), présentant des travaux originaux, rédigés en français ou en anglais.
• Notes de recherche / études de cas : jusqu’à 3 000 mots.
• Comptes rendus d’ouvrages : 800 à 1 500 mots.
• Numéros thématiques : propositions de dossiers spéciaux bienvenues (contacter le rédacteur en chef).

Directives de soumission

Les manuscrits doivent être originaux, inédits et jamais soumis ailleurs. Les images doivent être libres de droits lorsqu’elles ne proviennent de l’auteur. Les textes doivent suivre les consignes usuelles de présentation disponibles sur le site de la SCO. Toutes les soumissions sont évaluées en double aveugle, généralement complétée en 3 à 4 semaines.

Soumission

Les manuscrits doivent être transmis électroniquement (format Word, .docx) à :

Rédacteur en chef : Michel Nguessan, PhD

Courriel : cangaley@yahoo.com

Objet : Soumission de manuscrit – Onomastica Canadiana

Calendrier de publication

La revue prévoit publier deux numéros par an. Les soumissions sont reçues de façon continue.

À propos de la revue

Fondée en 1951, Onomastica Canadiana est une revue scientifique et savante à comité de lecture consacrée à l’avancement des études sur les noms et la dénomination. Elle constitue la publication officielle en ligne de la Société canadienne d’onomastique (SCO).

Pour plus d’informations : https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/CSSN-SCO

Pour soumettre votre contribution via le portail en ligne, cliquez ici : https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/oc/about/submissions  
Les auteurs intéressés sont invités à contacter le rédacteur en chef, Michel Nguessan, PhD (cangaley@yahoo.com), pour toute question.

Report: 9th Panhellenic Conference of Onomastics

The Hellenic Onomastics Society convened its 9th Panhellenic Onomastics Conference in Drama, dedicated to the study of proper names in Eastern Macedonia and Western Thrace. The meeting brought together Greek and international researchers to document, classify, and analyze personal names (first names and surnames), toponyms, and nicknames from the regional units of Serres, Drama, Kavala, Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros. A further aim was to highlight Onomastics as a discipline and its intersections with ethnolinguistics, history, folklore, archaeology, and anthropology.

Across the sessions, speakers presented studies on place-names, nicknames, and anthroponyms of the area, as well as contributions exploring relations between Modern Greek and the so-called “Pre-Greek” substrate. The program also included themed visits to cultural sites in Drama and the wider region. The opening session took place on Friday, 17 October, in the Anastasiadis tobacco-warehouse complex (Kyklops venue), in the presence of representatives of local government and the scholarly community.

Local officials emphasized that names preserve memory: behind every place name or family name lies a story that carries roots, struggles, and shared life in a multicultural landscape such as Eastern Macedonia and Thrace. From the Society’s scientific committee, StratOS Kasmeridis underlined the importance of understanding the linguistic wealth encoded in names and the need for long-term fieldwork—especially in largely unstudied areas like parts of Drama. He noted ongoing research in settlements such as Adrianí, where Greek and Muslim-origin toponyms coexist, reflecting the area’s historical demographics.

Participation spanned all parts of Western Thrace (Evros, Komotini, Xanthi) and the regional units of Drama, Kavala, and Serres, with additional contributors from Athens, Thessaloniki, Kastoria, and Rhodes. The most substantial studies will be published in the conference proceedings, adding to the Society’s already 25-volume series.

The conference was made possible through the generous support of Kyklōps (ΑμΚΕ ΚΥΚΛΩΨ), Raycap, and Wonderplant, with contributions from the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Regional Unit of Drama), the Municipalities of Doxato and Paranesti, the Ethnological Museum of Thrace, the Cultural Associations of Kalampaki, Monastiraki, and Doxato, and the Friends of the Archaeological Museum of Drama.

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Ελληνικά — Αναφορά Εκδήλωσης

Πραγματοποιήθηκε στη Δράμα το 9ο Πανελλήνιο Ονοματολογικό Συνέδριο: στο επίκεντρο τα ονόματα της Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας & Δυτικής Θράκης

Η Ελληνική Ονοματολογική Εταιρεία διοργάνωσε στη Δράμα το 9ο Πανελλήνιο Ονοματολογικό Συνέδριο, με αντικείμενο τη μελέτη των κυρίων ονομάτων στην Ανατολική Μακεδονία και τη Δυτική Θράκη. Στόχος ήταν η επιστημονική συγκέντρωση, ταξινόμηση και ανάλυση βαφτιστικών, επωνύμων, τοπωνυμίων και παρωνυμίων από τους νομούς Σερρών, Δράμας, Καβάλας, Ξάνθης, Ροδόπης και Έβρου, αλλά και η ανάδειξη της Ονοματολογίας και των διασυνδέσεών της με την Εθνογλωσσολογία, Ιστορία, Λαογραφία, Αρχαιολογία και Ανθρωπολογία.

Στις εισηγήσεις παρουσιάστηκαν μελέτες για τοπωνύμια, παρωνύμια και ανθρωπωνύμια της περιοχής, καθώς και εργασίες που διερευνούν τη σχέση της Νέας Ελληνικής με τη λεγόμενη «Προελληνική» γλώσσα. Το πρόγραμμα περιελάμβανε και θεματικές ξεναγήσεις σε πολιτιστικούς χώρους της Δράμας και της ευρύτερης περιοχής. Η έναρξη έγινε Παρασκευή 17 Οκτωβρίου στην καπναποθήκη του συγκροτήματος Αναστασιάδη (έδρα ΚΥΚΛΩΨ), παρουσία εκπροσώπων της αυτοδιοίκησης και της ακαδημαϊκής κοινότητας.

Οι παρεμβάσεις των τοπικών φορέων τόνισαν ότι τα ονόματα διασώζουν μνήμες· πίσω από κάθε όνομα κρύβεται μια ιστορία που κουβαλά ρίζες και βιώματα – ιδιαίτερα σε έναν πολυπολιτισμικό χώρο όπως η Ανατολική Μακεδονία και η Θράκη. Από την επιστημονική επιτροπή, ο Στράτος Κασμερίδης υπογράμμισε τον γλωσσικό πλούτο της περιοχής και την ανάγκη μακρόχρονης επιτόπιας έρευνας· ανέφερε ενδεικτικά την Αδριανή, όπου τα τοπωνύμια μοιράζονται ανάμεσα σε ελληνικής και μουσουλμανικής προέλευσης μορφές, αντανακλώντας το ιστορικό δημογραφικό μίγμα.

Συμμετοχές υπήρξαν από όλη τη Δυτική Θράκη (Έβρος, Κομοτηνή, Ξάνθη) και από Δράμα, Καβάλα, Σέρρες, καθώς και από Αθήνα, Θεσσαλονίκη, Καστοριά και Ρόδο. Οι πιο εκτενείς εργασίες θα δημοσιευθούν στα Πρακτικά του συνεδρίου, συνεχίζοντας τη σειρά των ήδη 25 τόμων της Εταιρείας.

Το συνέδριο υποστηρίχθηκε ευγενώς από την ΑμΚΕ ΚΥΚΛΩΨ, τη Raycap και τη Wonderplant, με συμβολή της Περιφέρειας Ανατολικής Μακεδονίας-Θράκης (Π.Ε. Δράμας), των Δήμων Δοξάτου και Παρανεστίου, του Εθνολογικού Μουσείου Θράκης, των Μορφωτικών-Πολιτιστικών Συλλόγων Καλαμπακίου, Μοναστηρακίου και Δοξάτου, καθώς και των Φίλων Αρχαιολογικού Μουσείου Δράμας.

 

Decolonizing Our Names in the 21st Century: Place, Identity, and Agency

I’m excited to share the release of the co-edited volume by Grace Akpene Gomashie and Lauren Beck, Decolonizing Our Names in the 21st Century: Place, Identity, and Agency, published by Routledge.

This interdisciplinary work explores naming practices through the lens of decolonization, identity, and place. It may be of interest to scholars in Indigenous studies, history, linguistics, and cultural studies.

The book examines the relationship between place, identity, and agency in the context of reclaiming and reasserting precolonial names, employing mechanisms to shield these names from further colonization, and reimagining or recontextualizing them.

Learn more here: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9781003414773/decolonizing-names-21st-century-lauren-beck-grace-gomashie

Onomastics: The Gospels get the Names Right

Call for Papers "Onomastik im digitalen Zeitalter"

 Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Namenforschung (GfN)

28.–30. September 2026 · Universität Bremen

Tagungsprofil (DE)

Onomastik wird im deutschsprachigen Raum häufig als Randfach wahrgenommen: lange Forschungstraditionen, aber nicht immer zeitgemäße Methoden, Ressourcen sowie Publikations- und Zugriffswege. Onomastische Lehrinhalte sind aus Curricula geschwunden, digitale Projekte bleiben mitunter wenig sichtbar. Gleichzeitig sind überzeugende digitale Umgebungen und Portale entstanden – oft auch mit Citizen-Science-Engagement. Die Bremer Tagung lädt zu Standortbestimmung und Neuausrichtung ein: neue Methoden, Perspektiven, Gegenstände und Außendarstellungen sowie die aktualisierte Aufbereitung und Erschließung vorhandener Ressourcen.

Digitalität – drei Bezugsebenen

Beiträge sollen sich auf mindestens einen der folgenden Bereiche beziehen:

1. Digitalität onomastischer Forschungsmethoden;

2. Digitalität der Speicher-, Zugriffs- und Publikationsmedien;

3. Digitalität der Medien, Diskurse und Kommunikationsformen, die onomastische Gegenstände hervorbringen.

Mögliche Themenfelder

• Vorstellungen digital durchgeführter Namenprojekte und Auswertungen darauf basierender Daten;

• Methoden digitaler Datenerhebung;

• Beiträge aus Informatik, Digital Humanities, Geschichte, Geografie;

• Technische Lösungen zur Vernetzung von Plattformen und zur Visualisierung;

• Namen im digitalen Raum (Webseiten, Chats, Foren), Pseudonyme und (fiktive) Toponyme in Online-Multiplayer-Spielen/E-Sports;

• Produktbenennungen von Software/Apps oder Technikprodukten;

• Metasprachdiskurse, semantische Kämpfe, Linguistic Landscapes bei (Um-)Benennungen öffentlicher Plätze/Straßen;

• Einfluss online verfügbarer Vornamensammlungen auf die Rufnamenwahl;

• Digitale Aushandlungen von Identität in Verbindung mit Namen (z. B. Postkolonialismus, Sprachkritik, Minderheiten);

• Multimodale Namenkonstrukte und Namenlogos (Text-Bild-Bezüge, Städte-/Regionenmarketing).

Formate

• Vorträge: 20 Minuten + 10 Minuten Diskussion.

• Poster (Nachwuchs): Absolvent:innen einschlägiger Studiengänge sind herzlich eingeladen, Poster vorzustellen (auch ohne Digitalitätsbezug).

Einreichung

• Abstract: max. 300 Wörter (inkl. Literaturangaben).

• Frist: 31. Dezember 2025.

• Adresse: onodig26@uni-bremen.de.
  Weitere Informationen folgen.

Ort & Organisation

Universität Bremen.
Organisation: Barbara Aehnlich, Andreas Jäger, Anna Mattfeldt, Andreas Rothenhöfer.

Call for Papers — Onomastics in the Digital Age

Annual Conference of the Gesellschaft für Namenforschung (GfN)
28–30 September 2026 · University of Bremen (Germany)

Conference Rationale (EN)

Onomastics in German-speaking academia is often perceived as a niche: long research traditions, but methods, resources, and publication/access models that are not always up to date. Curricular offerings have shrunk, and even digitally driven projects sometimes remain little visible. Yet, excellent digital environments and portals have emerged that curate name data for scholars and the public—often with support from citizen science. With the Bremen meeting, we invite a stock-taking and a reorientation: new methods, new research perspectives, new public outreach, and renewed, interoperable access to resources and results.

Focus: “Digitality” in Three Senses

We welcome contributions that address digitality in at least one of these domains:

1. Digital methods for onomastic research;

2. Digital storage, access, and publication media for data and findings;

3. Digital media, discourses, and communication forms that produce onomastic objects (e.g., online platforms, games).

Suggested Topics (non-exhaustive)

• Presentations of digitally conducted name projects and analyses based on such projects;

• Methods of digital data collection;

• Cross-disciplinary talks (e.g., Informatics, Digital Humanities, History, Geography);

• Technical solutions for platform networking/interoperability and visualization;

• Names in digital spaces (websites, chats, forums), pseudonyms, and (fictional) toponyms in online multiplayer games/e-sports;

• Product naming for software/apps and tech products linked to digital access;

• Meta-discourses, semantic struggles, and linguistic landscapes around (re)naming of public spaces/streets;

• Effects of online first-name collections on given-name choice;

• Digital identity work and naming (e.g., postcolonial critique, minority perspectives);

• Multimodal name constructs and logos (text–image relations, city/region branding).

Formats

• Papers: 20 minutes + 10 minutes discussion.

• Posters (Early Career): We explicitly invite graduates and early-career researchers to present poster contributions (also possible without a digitality focus).

Submission

• Abstract length: max. 300 words (including references).

• Deadline: 31 December 2025.

• Submission: email your abstract to onodig26@uni-bremen.de.
  Further information will follow after acceptance.

Venue & Organization

University of Bremen.
Organizers: Barbara Aehnlich, Andreas Jäger, Anna Mattfeldt, Andreas Rothenhöfer.

Prizes by Seminario Interinstitucional de Onomástica for the best Theses in Toponymy

El Seminario Internacional de Onomástica entrega el premio Ignacio Guzmán Betancourt a las mejores tesis sobre Toponimia 2023 - 2024 desde el Auditorio Fray Bernardino de Sahagún del Museo Nacional de Antropología en la Ciudad de México.

History of the Kazakhstan's Onomastics Commission

Achievements of national onomastics in the period of independence / Егемендік кезеңіндегі ұлттық ономастиканың жетістіктері

New Book Launch: Proper Names, Quasi Proper Names, De se Thoughts, and Communication (Springer, 2025)

What it is. A sharp, cross-disciplinary monograph by Alessandro Capone (University of Messina) that bridges philosophy of language, pragmatics, and linguistics to rethink how proper names work in real communication - where reference, presupposition, and the speaker’s de se (self-involving) perspective all meet. It appears in Springer’s series Perspectives in Pragmatics, Philosophy & Psychology, vol. 32.

Why it matters. Capone tackles long-standing puzzles - what names do in speech acts (including non-assertives like calling and scolding), how referential acts differ from referential presuppositions, and how “quasi-proper names” and de se contents reshape standard theories of meaning and reference. The book adds a conceptual toolkit that is useful for scholars working on names across everyday talk, literature, media, and legal/administrative discourse.

Inside the book (Table of Contents).

1. Presuppositions as Pragmemes: The Case of Exemplification Acts

2. On the Distinction Between Reference and Referential Presuppositions

3. Proper Names as Speech Acts

4. Quasi-Proper Names and Pragmatics

5. Thinking, Expressing and Reporting “De se” Thoughts (and the Problem of Proper Names).

Publication facts.

• eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-95013-1 (pub. 16 Oct 2025)

• Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-95012-4 (pub. 17 Oct 2025)

• Pages: xiv + 138; Series ISSN/E-ISSN: 2214-3807 / 2214-3815; DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-95013-1.

Who should read it. Researchers in pragmatics, philosophy of language, semantics, sociolinguistics, and anyone puzzling over how names actually carry meaning in context - from indexical de se uses to institutional naming practices.

New Issue: il Nome nel testo — Vol. 27 (2025)

 The international journal of literary onomastics il Nome nel testo has released its new issue, Vol. 27
(2025), a rich panorama of studies on names in literature and culture. The volume is structured in thematic clusters that follow names “in motion,” names and language politics, gender, adventure fiction, and broader onomastic perspectives. It opens with a remembrance of Luigi Surdich and Giusi Baldissone and closes with two essays in the “Riletture e prospettive” section. Below is the full table of contents.

Contents (English)

In memoriam

• Ricordo di Luigi Surdich e Giusi Baldissone — Luigi Sasso, Donatella Bremer.

1) Names in Motion

• Movimento onomastico dei “pupi” nel romanzo Le uova di drago di Buttafuoco — Angelo Campanella.

• Un nome in movimento nell’Europa in movimento: Orlando in Brandeburgo di Rosso di San Secondo — Marina Castiglione.

• “Ma questa di mutar nomi, m’è nova!” Metamorfosi onomastiche in Brancaleone alle crociate (1970) — Mario Chichi.

• Mutazioni di nomi propri in The Handmaid’s Tale e The Testaments: trasformazioni letterarie e televisive — Simonetta Falchi.

• Ricusa delle proprie origini, autonominazione e varianti circostanziali: il caso dell’umanista Giulio Pomponio Leto — Maria Teresa Laneri.

2) Proper Names and “Language Questions”

• Antroponimi e toponimi attraverso l’Europa: dal Belfagor di Machiavelli al Belphegors Gifftermaal in primo danese moderno — Mauro Camiz.

• La creazione dello spazio in alcune opere di Olga Tokarczuk — Magdalena Graf, Marta Nowak.

• La consapevolezza onomastico-linguistica di Plauto — Patrizia Paradisi.

• Nel segno di Arcimboldo: ritratti in veste onomastica del barocco portoghese — Matteo Rei.

• Pseudonimi ed eteronimi di scrittori romani — Andrea Riga.

• Ritorno all’interpretatio nominis? Strategie di nominazione in alcuni romanzi italiani recenti — Leonardo Terrusi.

3) Names and Gender

• Nomi tra sovversione di genere e forma di resistenza in Lubiewo di Michał Witkowski — Alessandro Amenta.

• Le donne di Petronilla: onomastica femminile nelle ricette di Amalia Moretti Foggia — Paola Cantoni.

• “To Live to the side of my name”. Episodi di lateralizzazione onomastica nella letteratura recente — Samuele Fioravanti.

• Declinazioni di genere in Célestine di Genlis — Fabio Vasarri.

4) Names in Adventure Novels

• Tre nomi per un seducente indiano e due romanzi per Ernesto Ferrero — Silvia Corino Rovano.

• Toponimi e antroponimi nella ricezione di Fierabras nelle isole britanniche: il Bruce di Barbour, Libro III, 435–462 — Valeria Di Clemente.

• Il romanzo I pionieri di James Fenimore Cooper o il peso dei nomi — Volker Kohlheim, Rosa Kohlheim.

• Com’è bella l’avventura… tra rocambolismi e tigrotti: nomi nella letteratura d’avventura dell’Ottocento presenti nella lessicografia italiana — Roberto Randaccio.

• Avventure, lingue e sistemi onomastici — Jean-Louis Vaxelaire, Marine Verriest.

5) Other Onomastics

• Turandot: come la pronunciava Puccini? — Marco Beghelli, Pierfilippo Baraldi.

• Milan Majtán e gli inizi dell’onomastica letteraria in Slovacchia — Iveta Valentová, Milan Harvalík.

Rereadings & Perspectives (a cura di Luigi Sasso)

• I nomi tra suono e figura: la lezione di Giovanni Pozzi — Luigi Sasso.

• La cultura greca arcaica, l’onomastica e l’origine delle idee sul linguaggio — Serena Mirto.

Why it matters: This issue shows how names organize narrative space, encode ideology, and travel across languages and media—from Plautus to Tokarczuk, from Italian baroque portraits to The Handmaid’s Tale. It’s a must-read for scholars of literary onomastics, linguistics, and cultural studies. See the full issue on the journal site.

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Nuovo fascicolo: il Nome nel testo — Vol. 27 (2025)

È online il nuovo numero di il Nome nel testo, Vol. 27 (2025), rivista internazionale di onomastica letteraria. Il fascicolo raccoglie studi su nomi in movimento, questioni di lingua, genere, romanzi d’avventura e altri percorsi onomastici, con una sezione finale di “Riletture e prospettive”.

Sommario (Italiano)

Ricordo

• Ricordo di Luigi Surdich e Giusi Baldissone - Luigi Sasso, Donatella Bremer.

1) Nomi in movimento

• Movimento onomastico dei “pupi” nel romanzo Le uova di drago di Buttafuoco - Angelo Campanella.

• Un nome in movimento nell’Europa in movimento: Orlando in Brandeburgo di Rosso di San Secondo - Marina Castiglione.

• “Ma questa di mutar nomi, m’è nova!” Metamorfosi onomastiche in Brancaleone alle crociate (1970) - Mario Chichi.

• Mutazioni di nomi propri in The Handmaid’s Tale e The Testaments - Simonetta Falchi.

• Ricusa delle proprie origini, autonominazione e varianti circostanziali: Giulio Pomponio Leto - Maria Teresa Laneri.

2) Nomi propri e “questioni della lingua”

• Antroponimi e toponimi attraverso l’Europa… - Mauro Camiz.

• La creazione dello spazio in alcune opere di Olga Tokarczuk - Magdalena Graf, Marta Nowak.

• La consapevolezza onomastico-linguistica di Plauto - Patrizia Paradisi.

• Nel segno di Arcimboldo… barocco portoghese - Matteo Rei.

• Pseudonimi ed eteronimi di scrittori romani - Andrea Riga.

• Ritorno all’interpretatio nominis? - Leonardo Terrusi.

3) Nomi e genere

• Nomi tra sovversione di genere e resistenza in Lubiewo - Alessandro Amenta.

• Le donne di Petronilla: onomastica femminile nelle ricette di Amalia Moretti Foggia - Paola Cantoni.

• “To Live to the side of my name” - Samuele Fioravanti.

• Declinazioni di genere in Célestine di Genlis - Fabio Vasarri.

4) I nomi nei romanzi d’avventura

• Tre nomi per un seducente indiano… Ernesto Ferrero - Silvia Corino Rovano.

• Toponimi e antroponimi nella ricezione di Fierabras… - Valeria Di Clemente.

• Il romanzo I pionieri di James Fenimore Cooper… - Volker Kohlheim, Rosa Kohlheim.

• Com’è bella l’avventura… nella lessicografia italiana - Roberto Randaccio.

• Avventure, lingue e sistemi onomastici - Jean-Louis Vaxelaire, Marine Verriest.

5) Altra onomastica

• Turandot: come la pronunciava Puccini? - Marco Beghelli, Pierfilippo Baraldi.

• Milan Majtán e gli inizi dell’onomastica letteraria in Slovacchia - Iveta Valentová, Milan Harvalík.

Riletture e prospettive (a cura di Luigi Sasso)

• I nomi tra suono e figura: la lezione di Giovanni Pozzi - Luigi Sasso.

• La cultura greca arcaica, l’onomastica e l’origine delle idee sul linguaggio — Serena Mirto.

Per chi studia onomastica letteraria, linguistica, traduzione e studi culturali, il fascicolo offre casi comparativi e riflessioni metodologiche che mostrano come i nomi plasmino spazio narrativo, identità e memoria. Esplora il numero completo sul sito della rivista.