names – News Stories About names - Page 1

Streisand Called Apple CEO Over Siri Mangling Her Name

Streisand Took Up Her Beef
With Siri With Tim Cook

Nov 6, 2023 8:28 AM CST

Streisand Took Up Her Beef With Siri With Tim Cook

Singer didn't like how Apple's digital assistant pronounced her last name, so she made a call

(Newser) - Barbra Streisand must be annoyed at how often her first name is misspelled. Now, she's got another beef: how her last name is mispronounced. The 81-year-old singer is on the interview circuit to promote her new memoir My Name Is Barbra , coming out Tuesday, and in one interview airing...

All American Birds Named for People to Lose Their Names

All American Birds That Honor
People to Be Renamed

Nov 1, 2023 3:50 PM CDT

All American Birds That Honor People to Be Renamed

American Ornithological Society announced the decision Wednesday

(Newser) - It's being framed as a "fairly radical" decision in a fairly traditional domain. The American Ornithological Society on Wednesday said it will rename all US and Canadian bird species that honor people in order to remove painful associations that can come with the eponymous practice. NPR places the...

Ron DeSantis Refuses to Clarify How to Say His Name

Ron DeSantis Offers an Answer
on How to Say His Last Name

Jun 2, 2023 8:28 AM CDT

Ron DeSantis Offers an Answer on How to Say His Last Name

'Winner,' the presidential candidate snarks, refusing to clarify further on 'ridiculous' pronunciation debate

(Newser) - "Dee-Santis" or "Deh-Santis"? How GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pronounces his own last name has become the debate du jour , and although Mediaite calls it a "substantively meaningless distinction," the public's curiosity has yet to be quelled. Fox News reporter Paul...

No One Knows How to Say Ron DeSantis' Name— Including DeSantis

DeSantis Keeps
Switching How He
Says His Name

THE RUNDOWN

Jun 1, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

DeSantis Keeps Switching How He Says His Name

Yearslong puzzle on how to pronounce surname reignites now that he's running for president

(Newser) - Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially jumped into the 2024 presidential race, people have lots of questions on what he plans to do if he's elected to the Oval Office. But another question has emerged of late, and it's a more personal one: How the heck...

The Weeknd Has Started to 'Kill the Weeknd'

Don't Know Who
Abel Tesfaye Is?
Yes, You Do

May 15, 2023 9:39 AM CDT

Don't Know Who Abel Tesfaye Is? Yes, You Do

Canadian singer known as the Weeknd has started using his birth name on social media

(Newser) - The most popular singer on Earth (at least according to Guinness World Records stats) is on social media, but you might not recognize his accounts now—at least not until you get used to his new, actual moniker. The Weeknd, whose birth name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is now going...

Tourism Agency Sorry
for Sexualizing City Name

Mar 22, 2023 2:15 PM CDT

Tourism Agency Sorry for Sexualizing City Name

Effort to embrace jokes about Regina, Saskatchewan, went awry

(Newser) - Regina, capital of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, knows all about the jokes on how the pronunciation of the city's name rhymes with "vagina." The Washington Post reports that a recent effort by a tourism organization to embrace the gag went awry, leading to accusations the campaign...

Yes, She Goes
by 'Nikki,' and
Critics Should
Respect That

OPINION

Feb 24, 2023 1:30 PM CST

Yes, She Goes by 'Nikki,' and Critics Should Respect That

Daily Beast essay defends her choice to go by her middle name instead of Nimarata

(Newser) - Now that Nikki Haley has launched her campaign for president, critics have begun revisiting a personal choice she made long ago: She goes by her middle name, Nikki, instead of her first name, Nimarata. "To these gatekeepers of cultural authenticity, Haley must either be Nimarata or a self-hating Indian...

He's the No. 1 Josh
in America. Again

May 23, 2022 9:19 AM CDT

He's the No. 1 Josh in America. Again

Jokey battle of the Joshes turns into charity event for 2nd straight year

(Newser) - A couple of hundred people grabbed their pool noodles and headed to a Nebraska park again this weekend to battle over the right to the name Josh, per the AP . The event started as an online joke when Josh Swain from Tucson, Ariz., sent out a tweet challenging anyone who...

These Were 2021's
Top Baby Names

May 6, 2022 1:40 PM CDT

These Were 2021's Top Baby Names

Olivia, Liam take No. 1 spots, per Social Security Administration rankings

(Newser) - Olivia and Liam have a stubborn streak. Not anyone in particular with those names, but the names themselves, which rose, once again, to the top of the Social Security Administration's annual list of top baby names. For the 2021 version of the rankings, Olivia sees the No. 1 spot...

Weird NFL Name
Coincidence Goes Viral

Mar 25, 2022 11:26 AM CDT

Weird NFL Name Coincidence Goes Viral

Tampa Bay teammates Shaq Mason and Shaq Barrett are named after the same 2 people

(Newser) - Unless you're Joe or Bob, it's probably not every day you come across someone with the same name as you. It's even rarer to come across someone named after the same person as you. But two teammates on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have that in common—and...

Death-Metal Band's Name
Has Unfortunate Timing

Death-Metal Band's Name Has Unfortunate Timing

Belgian group Omicron says it's named after a constellation, not the latest coronavirus variant

(Newser) - Even bad publicity is supposedly good publicity, but whoever coined that phrase likely wasn't part of a death-metal band that shared its name with a coronavirus variant. Such a band formed two years ago, before COVID had overtaken the globe, and now the little-known Belgian group Omicron (which has...

Most Common Mispronounced
Words, Names of 2021

Dec 7, 2021 9:35 AM CST

Most Common Mispronounced Words, Names of 2021

Yes, 'omicron' is on the list

(Newser) - “Cheugy” is apparently a lot to chew on. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce have something in common—broadcasters butcher their names. And virtually everyone is iffy about "omicron." All four made it onto this year's list of most mispronounced words...

Dixie State University Gets
a Controversial Name Change

UPDATED

Nov 11, 2021 12:54 AM CST

Dixie State University Gets a Controversial Name Change

Utah Legislature votes for change to Utah Tech University

(Newser) - Update: Dixie State University will likely soon be called Utah Tech University. The Republican-controlled state legislature in Utah voted to change the name Wednesday, despite local outcry from those who insisted the regional importance of the word "Dixie" is separate from the word's association with slavery, the AP...

Swedish Parents
Lose Request to
Name Their Son
After Putin

Sep 13, 2021 1:11 AM CDT

Swedish Parents Lose Request to Name Their Son After Putin

Government agency doesn't say why it rejected the couple's choice

(Newser) - Sweden's government has told new parents that they can't name their little bundle of joy after the president of Russia. A couple from the town of Laholm had submitted "Vladimir Putin" for approval as their son's name. The nation's tax agency has to approve the...

Of Course There's Drama Over
Meghan and Harry's Baby Name

Jun 9, 2021 10:45 AM CDT

Of Course There's Drama Over Meghan and Harry's Baby Name

Did they get the queen's OK to use Lilibet, and when?

(Newser) - As one might expect, there's been plenty of hand-wringing about whether Harry and Meghan did or did not ask the queen for permission/her blessing in bestowing her nickname on their newly born baby girl, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor . A palace source tells the BBC the queen wasn't consulted about...

Karen Is Going
to Want to Speak
to the Manager
About This

Jun 2, 2021 6:19 AM CDT

Karen Is Going to Want to Speak to the Manager About This

Baby name Karen is reportedly at its least popular since 1932, with just 325 new Karens in 2020

(Newser) - You may be hearing "Karen" thrown around a lot lately, but it's becoming less common as an actual name. Fewer newborn babies were named Karen in the US in 2020 than in any year since 1932, the Huffington Post reports based on Social Security Administration data. Karen, the...

COVID Has
Apparently Made
People Wary of
a Girl's Name

May 7, 2021 1:45 PM CDT

COVID Has Apparently Made People Wary of a Girl's Name

Only 17 babies named Rona in 2020, compared to 30 in 2017; Olivia and Liam were most popular

(Newser) - If you're longing for some consistency amid a year that's been nothing but chaos, this year's list of top baby names should offer some comforting familiarity, per the Hill . That's because Olivia and Liam are the top girl and boy names for 2020, for the second...

Hundreds Gather in Nebraska
to Battle Over the Name Josh

Apr 25, 2021 4:30 PM CDT

Hundreds Gather in Nebraska to Battle Over the Name Josh

#JoshFight happened Saturday in Lincoln

(Newser) - A fight over the name of Josh drew a crowd from around the country to a Nebraska park Saturday for a heated pool-noodle brawl. It all started a year ago when pandemic boredom set in and Josh Swain, a 22-year-old college student from Tucson, Arizona, messaged others who shared his...

No Washington,
Lincoln, or Feinstein
on City's Schools

Jan 28, 2021 3:33 AM CST

No Washington, Lincoln, or Feinstein on City's Schools

Mayor would prefer the board work on a reopening plan

(Newser) - Gone are a slew of historical figures, including Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln—as well as the much more recent Dianne Feinstein. The San Francisco Board of Education has voted to take those names and others off 44 of its schools. The board has for years debated whether to rename buildings...

Space Force Has
Completed a
'Momentous
Responsibility'

Dec 19, 2020 6:00 AM CST

Space Force Has Completed a 'Momentous Responsibility'

Troops have been officially named 'guardians,' Mike Pence announced Friday

(Newser) - If "troops" seemed too boring of a way to refer to the members of Space Force, never fear—there's a new label for those in service to the latest US military branch. "It is my honor, on behalf of the president of the United States, to announce...