About the American Name Society

The American Name Society (ANS) was founded in 1951 to promote onomastics, the scholarly investigation of names and naming practices.  Towards that end, since 1953, the ANS has  published the quarterly journal, Names: A Journal of Onomastics.   Articles published in Names represent cutting-edge, original research  that systematically investigates the derivation, function, and impact of names and naming in the United States and abroad. 

For more than six decades now, Names has established itself internationally as as one of the world’s premier journals in the study of onomastics. In addition to a broad diversity of scholarly articles, the journal also publishes critical  reviews on the latest book publications in onomastic research, short research reports on onomastic phenomena of interest, and obituaries detailing the lives and deaths of some of the world's leaders in onomastics.

Best Article of the Year Award

Each year, the ANS issues an award for the best article published in the Names. All articles published in the journal are automatically considered for the award. The winning publication is selected based on the overall significance of the article as well as the potential contribution the article to the study of onomastics. Awardees are selected by the members of the Names Editorial Board. Recipients of the award are given a commemorative plaque, and are profiled on the websites of the ANS and Names. In addition, press releases about the winners are sent to the international media. You can view past Award Winners.