📣 Call for Papers by Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI)

 

One-Day Online Conference: “Names Abroad – Names From Abroad”

🗓️ Saturday, 25 October 2025
📍 Online via Zoom

The Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI) invites abstract submissions for its upcoming autumn one-day online conference, Names Abroad – Names From Abroad. The event will explore how naming practices intersect with migration, cultural contact, and multilingualism — with a particular focus on Scandinavian name research and the influence of foreign naming traditions in the British Isles and beyond.

🔹 Organised by: Dr Peder Gammeltoft (University of Bergen, UiB)

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🔍 Conference Themes

Submissions are invited on topics related (but not limited) to the following two thematic strands:

A) Current Name Research in Scandinavia, with a UK relevance

We welcome studies on Scandinavian name data — including place-names, personal names, digital or institutional names — especially where connections to British or Irish onomastic contexts can be drawn. Comparative or methodological papers are also welcome.

B) Names of Other Origins in the UK and Elsewhere

This theme includes the impact of migration, colonial/postcolonial dynamics, multilingualism, and linguistic adaptation on naming. Topics may include name integration, transformation, or identity negotiation across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

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🎓 Young Scholars Session

We especially encourage submissions from MA students, PhD candidates, and early career researchers. This dedicated session offers an opportunity to present research in a collegial and supportive setting.
Format: 12-minute presentation + 8 minutes for discussion

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✅ Submission Guidelines

• Abstract length: 250–300 words

• Deadline for submissions: 15 August 2025

• Notification of acceptance: 5 September 2025

• Presentation formats:

  • Regular session: 20-minute presentation + 10 minutes Q&A

  • Young Scholars: 12-minute presentation + 8 minutes Q&A

• Please include your name, institutional affiliation, email address, and indicate which session you are submitting to.

📧 Submit abstracts to: conference@snsbi.org.uk

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🧭 Confirmed Speakers Include:

• Lasse Hämäläinen (University of Helsinki): Choice of language in online usernames

• Johnny G.G. Jakobsen (University of Copenhagen): Danish colonial street names in Tranquebar (India) and the West Indies

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📌 Registration:
Details will be published on the SNSBI website in August 2025.
🌐 www.snsbi.org.uk

We warmly welcome your submissions and look forward to an inspiring day of international onomastic exchange!

Join the SNSBI 31st Annual Conference – A Celebration of Name Studies in Britain and Ireland!

The Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI) is excited to announce its 31st Annual Conference, taking place from April 11–14, 2025, at the Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling, Scotland. This event, organized by Professor Thomas Clancy and Dr. Sofia Evemalm-Graham, promises to be an engaging gathering of scholars, researchers, and enthusiasts of onomastics and name studies.

📢 The second circular is now available, and registration is open! Be sure to book your spot before the deadline on February 24, 2025. Secure your place at the conference and the coach trip by using this registration form.

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What to Expect?

This four-day conference will feature:
✅ A keynote lecture on the environmental and social history of the Stirling area, delivered by Prof. Richard Oram (University of Stirling).
✅ A full program of presentations on name studies, place names, and linguistic research (Saturday and Sunday).
✅ A coach trip to Dunblane Cathedral and Doune Castle (Sunday afternoon).
✅ A pre-conference student/postgraduate/early career event (Friday afternoon), designed to facilitate networking and discussion.

📍 Venue: The Stirling Court Hotel is located on the leafy campus of the University of Stirling, providing an excellent conference setting with great transport links and nearby historical sites, including Logie Kirk, the Wallace Monument, and Stirling Old Bridge.

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Accommodation & Fees

Participants can attend on a residential basis at the following rates:
💰 Single occupancy: £327 (DB&B) + £70 conference fee + £20 field trip
💰 Double occupancy: £357 (DB&B for two) + £70 conference fee per person + £20 field trip

To book your accommodation, use this hotel link (Promo code: 297349).

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Why Attend?

SNSBI’s annual conference is a fantastic opportunity for:
🎓 Researchers and scholars in onomastics and linguistic history
🌍 Place name and surname specialists
🤝 Students and early-career researchers looking to expand their academic network
🏛️ Anyone interested in the historical and social significance of names!

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📅 Key Dates:
📝 Registration deadline: February 24, 2025
📍 Conference dates: April 11–14, 2025

📩 For expressions of interest or further details, contact Dr. Sofia Evemalm-Graham at Sofia.EvemalmGraham@glasgow.ac.uk.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to engage with leading experts in name studies - register today!

Lecture 'Swords and Swine: the character of river-names in Welsh and English'

 Twitter 

Programme for SNSBI virtual spring conference

 Twitter

The finalised programme for the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland virtual spring conference - April 10 and 11, 2021 - has been released! (barring any last minute issues that might alter the schedule, of course). A fantastic lineup with something to capture everyone's interest!

2020 SNSBI Autumn Zoom Conference

 SNSBI

17 October 2020: SNSBI autumn half-day conference (online).

A morning of short papers on personal and place-names of the UK from Keith Briggs, Kathryn Bullen, Thomas Clancy, Clare Green, and Paul Tempan. For those not familiar with Zoom, there will be advice on how to access and use it, and an opportunity for a practice session. Non-members are welcome to attend, though if necessary numbers may have to be limited. The conference is free but booking is essential. Further details on the booking process will follow in a few days.

1000 – 1110 Session 1 – Personal names

Keith Briggs The first girls in England

The words ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ are both of very obscure etymology. Both are attested as personal names before lexical use starts to be recorded about 1300, but whether the anthroponymic evidence is of any value for the history of the words is controversial. This paper points out that ‘girl’ occurs as a byname throughout the thirteenth century, but only in East Anglia. This allows speculation that the word originated in the east, possibly as a borrowing from a continental language heard in the coastal ports. The talk is based on a paper available here.

Clare Green (SOAS, University of London) Naming Welsh-speaking children: case studies from London and Gwynedd

Many factors go into choosing children's names, and for multilingual families there are extra issues to consider. Should the name represent all the family’s languages? How much should it take into account the linguistic environment the family lives in? Does the chosen name predict the language(s) a child will speak as they grow up? This paper looks at two families with a first-language Welsh-speaking parent, living in very different linguistic landscapes: one in London and one in Gwynedd, North Wales. Based on qualitative interviews with parents, it explores how they chose their children's names, the influence of their Welsh-speaking heritage, and how the decisions reflect their linguistic attitudes and practices. This research uses names as a medium to learn about personal experiences of multilingualism and family language policy. This paper is based on research for a Masters dissertation in Language Documentation and Description.

1110 – 1125 break

1125 – 1300 Session 2 – Place-names

Paul Tempan Names in the Irish built environment transferred due to a common function

Abstract to follow.

Kathryn Bullen (University of Nottingham) Axholme – place-names in the marsh

In this talk I will take you on a journey into the bogs and moors of the Isle of Axholme, situated in north Lincolnshire. The presentation will give an overview of my current PhD research, which aims to assess the impact of language, history, and landscape on place-names on the Isle of Axholme. I will explore the background to the project, demonstrate some of the evidence I have collected so far, and ask how what we know of the past can help manage future challenges.

Thomas Clancy (University of Glasgow) Iona's Namescape: place-names and their dynamics in Iona and its environs (report on a new project)

Abstract to follow.

Essay prize 2020 by the Society for Name Studies in Britain & Ireland

Know someone who has written about names? Society for Name Studies in Britain & Ireland has an essay prize (£100) for writing on any topic relating to the society's interests of name studies.

Rules

• A prize of £100 will be awarded annually for the best essay on any topic relating to the Society's interests.
• Submissions are invited from students and other researchers. The prize will normally be awarded to those who do not have a track record of scholarly publication.
• Essays should be about 5,000 words in length.
• Essays should in some way make an original contribution to the subject.
• Essays should be double-spaced, with pages numbered in a single sequence of arabic numerals, and should include a bibliography of source-material used and of books and authors cited.
• Two electronic text copies of the essay should be submitted by December 11this year to secretary at snsbi.org.uk (replace at by @). One of these copies should be anonymised (i.e., with all information which may indicate the author’s identity removed) for refereeing purposes.
• Entries will be blind-refereed and the final decision made by a panel normally consisting of the President, the two Vice-Presidents and the Editor(s) of Nomina, who may consider it for publication.
• Provided an essay of sufficient merit is forthcoming, the winner will be announced at the next AGM, held in the spring of the following year.

 Closing date 11 Dec 2020

Know someone who has written about names? Society for Name Studies in Britain & Ireland @SNSBI_official has an essay prize (£100) for writing on any topic relating to the society's interests of name studies. Closing date 11 Dec 2020 https://t.co/BWppi3phhO @SNSBI_official

— Dr Jane Pilcher (@sociologyblog) June 30, 2020

Emma Heywood is the winner of the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland' Essay Prize

We're delighted to announce that the winner of the SNSBI Essay Prize for 2019 is Emma Heywood, of @UofGEnglishLang @UofGCritStudies, for her essay on '"Kinship Marking" in Anglo-Saxon personal names'.

Congratulations Emma! ⭐️

For more information, see https://t.co/bpPhxv4U41

— SNSBI (@SNSBI_official) May 1, 2020

Submit for the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland Essay Prize

1. A prize of £100 will be awarded annually for the best essay on any topic relating to the Society’s interests.

2. Submissions are invited from students and other researchers. The prize will normally be awarded to those who do not have a track record of scholarly publication.

3. Essays should be about 5,000 words in length.

4. Essays should in some way make an original contribution to the subject.

5. Essays should be doublespaced, with pages numbered in a single sequence of arabic numerals, and should include a bibliography of sourcematerial used and of books and authors cited.

6. Two electronic text copies of the essay should be submitted by August 31 each year to secretary@snsbi.org.uk. One of these copies should be anonymised (i.e., with all information which may indicate the author’s identity removed) for refereeing purposes.

7. Entries will be blindrefereed and the final decision made by a panel normally consisting of the President, the two VicePresidents and the Editor of Nomina, who may consider it for publication.

8. Provided an essay of sufficient merit is forthcoming, the winner will be announced at the next AGM, held in the spring of the following year. Entries should be sent to the Honorary Secretary: Dr Rebecca Gregory, secretary@snsbi.org.uk

Joint Conference with Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland

Scottish Place-Name Society

Scottish Place-Name Society
Comann Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba

Joint Conferencewith
Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland

November 4th 2017Mitchell Library, Glasgow

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE BOOKING FORM

1030  Registration *

Session 1: 

1100     Irene O’Brien: Glasgow City Archives – sources for people and places

1140     Peter Drummond: Some interesting and local Scots place-names

1220     Alasdair Whyte: Gaelic place-names in Glasgow

1300-1400 Lunch

Session 2:  

1400    Alice Crook: Scottish naming in the early modern period: the Old Parish Registers as an onomastic resource

1430    Katie Cuthbertson: Denotative naming in Scotland 1264 to 1600

1500     Sue Laflin: The surname Laflin

1530     Thomas Clancy: The Survey of Scottish Place-Names

1600  Close

*Morning coffee is not available at meeting room. There is a cafe in Library foyer, and next to Charing Cross station.

Please book well in advance so we can finalise numbers for lunch. Preferably return the tearoff slip by October 30th. Note that acknowledgements will not be sent.

Travel directions: the Mitchell Library is only a short distance from Charing Cross station, first station westbound from Queen Street low level. On emerging from the station, bear ahead right past The Baby Grand and coffee outlets to reach Bath Street, turn left and follow Bath St over the M8 on the road bridge. The Library’s eastern entrance is on the side facing the motorway.

26th Spring Conference 2017of Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland

http://www.americannamesociety.org/society-for-name-studies-in-britain-and-ireland-snsbi-twenty-sixth-spring-conference-2017-oxfordshire-england-march-24-27-2017/

From the 24 to the 27th of March 2017, the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI) will be holding its Spring Conference in Oxfordshire, England. The programme will include several scientific presentations on toponyms in and around Oxfordshire.

The Spring Conference will be held from March 24 to 27 at the Milton Hill House Hotel, Steventon, Oxfordshire. Milton Hill House Hotel is a ten-minute taxi ride from Didcot Parkway Station. It is a 15 minute walk from bus stops in Milton Park, Rowstock, or Steventon. The location of the conference commemorates the earlier county survey volumes of Margaret Gelling: Milton Hill was historically in Berkshire and is now in Oxfordshire. Many of the conference papers will relate to Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties but papers on all regions of Britain and Ireland will be presented.

The speaker on Friday evening will be Ros Faith, on farming in woodland and in downland. Papers on place-names of Oxfordshire and the surrounding region will cover topics including: Anglo-Saxon estates, animals and place-names, field-names and archaeology. To celebrate the publication of The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, we also have a number of papers on personal names of the area: locative surnames of Oxfordshire, South Midlands surnames, names of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds.

More on this special event can be found here.

Book Now for SNSBI 26th Annual Conference in Oxford

http://www.snsbi.org.uk/pdf/SNSBI_Newsletter_13.pdf

SNSBI 26TH Annual Conference, March 2017 

The next Spring conference will be held from 24– 27 March, 2017 at the Milton Hill House Hotel, Steventon, Oxfordshire 

The conference location commemorates the earlier county survey volumes of Margaret Gelling: Milton Hill was historically in Berkshire and is now in Oxfordshire. Many of the conference papers will relate to Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties but papers on all regions of Britain and Ireland will be welcome. 

The first circular for the conference is enclosed with this newsletter and further details and a call for papers appear on p 6. 

Please note that bookings and deposits must be received by 15 October, 2016, to reserve accommodation.

The speaker on Friday evening will be Ros Faith, on farming in woodland and in downland. Papers on placenames of Oxfordshire and the surrounding region will cover topics including: Anglo-Saxon estates, animals and place-names, field-names and archaeology. 

To celebrate the publication of The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, we also have a number of papers on personal names of the area: locative surnames of Oxfordshire, South Midlands surnames, names of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. 

The coach excursion on the Sunday afternoon will be led by Ann Cole. She will be taking us around South Oxfordshire and the Chilterns – the area that was the focus of her case studies in The Landscape of Place-Names. 

Please remember to complete and return your booking form, by email or post by 15 October, 2016. The form is enclosed with this newsletter. 

Сonference "Names of north-east England and beyond"

http://snsbi.org.uk/2016_Newcastle.html

SNSBI 2016 Autumn day conference  —  Saturday October 15, 1000–1700

The SNSBI 2016 Autumn day conference on Names of north-east England and beyond will be held on Saturday 10th October 2015 at the Stephenson Suite in the Mining Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne (Neville Hall, Westgate Road, NE1 1SE).



The programme will include papers on place-names and personal names, with an emphasis on north-east England and southern Scotland. Speakers are:

• Paul Cullen on locative surnames of Northumberland
• Peter McClure on surnames like Northumbrian Surtees and Del Strother
• Fiona Edmonds on Gaelic place-names and personal names in north-eastern England
• Diana Whaley on the naming of Northumberland forts and castles
• Leonie Dunlop on coastal names of Berwickshire
• Simon Taylor & Alison Grant on names of islands and rocks in the Firth of Forth

The day will begin with a brief introduction to the Mining Institute, and end with a walk around historic Newcastle led by Colm O'Brien. The Mining Institute is in Neville Hall, a Grade-II*-listed Victorian Gothic building 3 minutes walk from Newcastle Central Station. Please note that the venue is on the first floor, presently without lift.
The registration fee, including lunch, is £15 for members of SNSBI, SANT and Explore, £18 for non-members. Please book your place by 8th October by completing this form and sending it, with a cheque, to: Julia Stanbridge, 5 St Edwards Drive, Stow-on-the-Wold, GL54 1AW. The form can also be returned by email to treasurer at snsbi.org.uk. Payment can be made using Paypal below.

Welsh Place Name Society and Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland annual conference, October 3, 2015

http://www.snsbi.org.uk/2015_Llanelwedd.html

On Saturday, the 3rd of October, the Welsh Place Name Society and the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland (SNSBI) will be joining forces for a shared annual conference. Presentations will cover a variety topics within the fascinating field of UK toponymy. The official venue for this special event is the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, LD2 3SY.

For more information regarding the conference program and registration, visit the SNSBI website.

SNSBI Autumn day conference  —  Saturday October 3, 2015

This autumn, SNSBI will be joining the Cymdeithas Enwau Lleoedd Cymru/Welsh Place-Name Society for their annual conference on Saturday October 3. The program covers Welsh place-names, as well as Scottish place-names and Shropshire place-names containing Welsh elements and personal names. Papers are either in Welsh with simultaneous English translation or in English.

The venue is the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society showground at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, LD2 3SY. Nearest rail stations are Builth Road (2.9km) and Llandrindod (12km); note that Builth Road (BHR) is a request stop, and both stations have infrequent services (approximately one train every 4 hours). SNSBI members are very welcome to attend at a reduced rate of £20 (includes lunch). Please register by using the form in the program. A map of the venue is here.

A previous plan for SNSBI to meet in Newcastle on Saturday 10th October has had to be deferred because Rugby World Cup matches that weekend have put exceptional pressure on the availability of hotel rooms in Newcastle and all neighbouring towns, and on the transport network. We apologise sincerely to anyone for whom this causes inconvenience. We hope that a conference will take place in Newcastle in autumn 2016 or soon after.