This Month in Names, July 2018 Unlabeled graphic To get missing image descriptions, open the context menu. Born in the flames of Not Creative, schooled by Le Bron James and Elon Musk. Collected by link Greg and link Willem dot This Month in Names July 2018 A monthly collection of interesting news and events on names. Shoot us a reply and let us know any thoughts and feedback. link Subscribe here if you're not already a member. heading level 1 link graduation cap Schoolhouse Rock Stars When it comes to naming educational institutions, the go to tropes fall into three categories: historical (or rich, or both) people, locations, and abbreviations. But a new generation of educators and by educators we also mean rich people are going a different route. When Elon Musk felt his kids weren't getting the schooling they deserved, he set about link reimagining link primary and secondary education by founding a new private school named link Ad Astra , from Virgil and a link Latin phrase meaning to the stars. Word on the street is that the elites in LA are pulling every string they have to get their kids admitted. Meanwhile, Le Bron James felt underprivileged kids weren't getting the schooling they deserved, so link he opened the I Promise School , a public school in partnership with Akron Public Schools. The name stems from the foundation's road map for students who promise to go to school, do their homework, listen to teachers, ask questions and find answers, be respectful of others and live a healthy life. Every student is promised a full ride to college from the James Foundation, as well as a bicycle, transportation, and food assistance. Planning to start your own school? Of course there's link a name generator for that dot heading level 1 heading level 1 link fire How Fires Get Their Names We’re very familiar with link how hurricanes are named , but link the New York Times goes deep on the naming of wildfires. Unlike hurricanes, which are named from a predetermined list, wildfires are named based on geographical locations such as local landmarks, streets, lakes, mountains, and peaks. The results can be a bit mixed, including one Idaho fire named Not Creative, which is what comes from having too many fires to name, leading to the over consumption of christening champagne, and (perhaps) more important things to do, like fighting fires. heading level 1 heading level 1 link chart increasing Calling Redlining by Name Porch, a directory of handypersons, link recently analyzed words in the names of neighborhoods with the highest average household incomes in America. Their findings purport to show that wealthy households tend to be located within neighborhoods featuring luxurious geographic features like hill, island, acres, and beach (near private schools with Latin names, no doubt). At the other end of the financial spectrum, they claim neighborhoods tend to contain Spanish words including Los, Las, and Vista in addition to more urban references like City, Union, and University. Analyses like these are problematic on a number of levels, and the primary takeaway in the context of professional naming should simply be this: words matter, but our biases matter more. heading level 1 heading level 1 link cactus Should Austin, TX change its name? Austin's Chief Equity Officer posed link this question link in a memo on the renaming of streets and link landmarks named for Confederate leaders after examining link Stephen F. Austin (the city's namesake) and his deep support of slavery. It was a prompt meant to spur discussion on where their renaming initiative should draw lines, but also seems to ask how, if at all, the scale of something should be considered when scrutinizing its name. Is a city of 1M people too large to rename in the service of social justice? And, if so, how about link a sports team with hundreds of thousands of fans At what point does a society decide a name is indelible, despite what harms it may cause? And, in a world of digital maps where large companies rename themselves regularly (often with employment bases and market caps bigger than many countries' populations and GD Ps), will cities begin to change their perspectives on the permanence of their names? More News in Naming bikini Trend Watch: Online bra retailer Harper Wilde, link named for authors Harper Lee and Laura Ingalls link Wilder , continues the trend of apparel startups mashing together the names of two famous people (previously: link Oliver Cabell , link Warby Parker ). Expect similar mashups to come. nose The New York Times digs into the subtle differences between link cologne, eau de toilette, and perfume dot metro A new startup called link The New L is looking to cash in on New York’s upcoming L train shutdown offering a luxurious daily commute and a Lyft styled pink brand. We’d rather just have a well functioning MTA. electric plug Tronc has link unwinds its pseudo techie name (and logo!) and will again be called Tribune Publishing. crown Speaking of Le Bron James (aka King James and, to some, the GOAT), link he has regrets about naming link his son after himself dot page with curl Google continues its brand focusing, this time renaming its flagship advertising product from link Adwords and Doubleclick to Google Ads dot croissant The Paris Metro link renamed many of its stations to celebrate Les Bleus World Cup victory (warning, lots of bad puns). Thanks for reading, link Greg and link Willem link Onym names everything from startups and consumer products to children and pro sports teams. link Get in link touch and let us help you name your next thing. Onym Copyright 2017 infinity You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Onym 98 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 If you'd like, you can link update your preferences or link unsubscribe from this list dot