Why My Immigrant Parent Gave Me Such An “American” Name
Should you give your children a name that represents their cultural heritage, or is it better to give them a name that won't stand out?-...
Saleema Nawaz on the strange and complicated fight to take her husband’s name in Quebec
Author Saleema Nawaz could never identify with her Indian last name, the only remnant of her father who had abandoned her. Even as...
When Changing Names Means Changing Identities
"How do you say your 'real name'?"- Jessica Wei explores how Chinese Canadians and Chinese Americans live with two names, and what each...
Changed Names, Changed Identities
Why do some people change their names? This article discusses some of the reasons people in Canada choose to adopt another name and...
Ain't Nothing But a Family Thing
"I have always felt more like a Miklic, so a Miklic I shall be." In this piece, Matt Miklic talks about changing his last name and why he...
The Mystery of Carl Miller
What does your last name say about you? That was a question Sarah Miller could never answer for she knew nothing about her paternal...
How I Changed My Name
"But my name is mine. I’ve been proud of it, seeing it appear in newsprint the first time (and even the hundredth time), on Dean’s Lists,...
Call You By Your Name
"I introduced myself as Roxanne — the only name I had ever called myself in English, and a name most everyone could pronounce. Roxani was...
The Nagging Issue of Foreign First Names in France
In this essay, Justin Jarrette critiques French politicians arguing that all French citizens should have French first names in order to...
The Violence of Naming
In this essay, linguistic anthropologist Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein explores the power of names while also reflecting on her own...