In this issue:

• Debut Author & Sportswriter Giri Nathan is Making A Name for Himself
• Sounds Like Trouble: Introducing the Phonemic Chasm
• Museum News: The Museum Dishes on Baby Names with Good Housekeeping Magazine
• OLLI Olly Oxen Free?
• Upcoming Events

Giri Nathan Is Making A Name For Himself

Giri Nathan has a hot new book out. Changeover is a compelling real-life story of rivalry and regime shift in elite tennis circles, written with passion and precision that has won him acclaim as “the best tennis writer in America.”

But Giri’s lens is far-ranging, and throughout his career he has often returned to the subject of names. The co-creator and former co-host of a quirky, entertaining podcast called Namedropping, Giri’s fascination with the subject began with his own name - a word that, growing up, proved nearly impossible for him or his friends to pronounce. A second-generation American, this constant reminder of difference made him acutely aware of how names can signal belonging, identity, friendship, and more. He mined his everyday name experiences to comic and heartbreaking effect in an early essay for Nassau Weekly, writing:

“I cannot quite shake my sense of futility, like some smaller Sisyphus forever climbing the mountain off his own first name.”

He also offers:

“One measure of the quality of your friends is how readily they step up to explain your name to newcomers, sensing your exhaustion. In the best-case scenario you can just sit back and let them do the busy work.”

It’s insight after insight from a keenly observant writer who brings a remarkable fresh perspective to the seemingly ordinary. Here’s wishing the new author a mountain of new friends — and readers — to champion his name.

Sounds Like Trouble: The Phonemic Chasm

Last week, I gave a talk introducing my concept of a Phonemic Chasm - the common social effect of a linguistic phenomenon called a phoneme.

Briefly, a phoneme is what linguists call a sound that exists in one language but not another. Sometimes we can’t even hear these sounds because we haven’t learned to interpret what our ears pick up. This creates what linguists called a phonemic gap.

A Phonemic Chasm is the divide that can grow between people because of a phonemic gap - particularly a gap having to do with something as important as names.

I described one such Phonemic Chasm in last week’s Museum of Names blog, one that undercut a working relationship and friendship the week I turned 24. That elusive “r” giving Giri Nathan and his English-speaking friends so much trouble in the above article? That’s another example.

Phonemic gaps are inevitable - but Phonemic Chasms don’t have to be! The first step to preventing Phonemic Chasms is learning about phonemes. That makes room for a new way to hear.

Read more on the Museum of Names blog.

Who’s Lucky? The Museum of Names Reassures New Parents via Good Housekeeping Magazine

Every parent hopes for a life of good fortune and prosperity for their child. For some, that wish begins with the name itself. Good Housekeeping recently spotlit names like Felix and Jade, whose linguistic roots carry meanings of luck and prosperity. The Museum of Names contributed global examples — and reminded readers that every name is lucky because they mark our unique personal role in the human community.

Check out the lucky thirteen…

OLLI Olly Oxen Free?

Remember “Olly olly oxen free” - the classic children’s signal that a round of hide and seek has ended? The Museum’s OLLI debut was a little like that—name stories, once hidden, came pouring out.

A big thank-you to Lauren Traister and her team for inviting me to give a Museum of Names lecture at UVM OLLI this month. The Archaeology of Names unearthed buried treasures, metaphorical ghosts, magic charms… and rich conversations, in-depth explorations, and camaraderie.

Our discussion, which centered on names’ many layers of meanings, sparked fascinating questions and beloved lost nicknames. One organizer wrote to me afterward: “The participants seemed very engaged! Your various prompts really got folks thinking about names… I know for me it brought up a lot of memories I had forgotten.”

Know a group that loves to dig into fresh ideas? The Archaeology of Names is ready to travel—across the Zoom screen or around the world.

COMING UP . . .

🎟️ Intro to Name Fluency Mini-Workshop (Zoom)
🗓️ Sept 30, 2025 | 11:00–11:45am ET
🧠 Learn how names shape trust, identity, and belonging
👉 Reserve Your Free Spot

🎟️ Featured Presentation - Barre Rotary
🗓️ October 8, 2025

🎟️ Featured Presentation - Williston Rotary
🗓️ October 23, 2025

THANK YOU!

Thanks for subscribing to The Big Name, the monthly publication of the Museum of Names, and being part of this ambitious journey! We’re still just getting started and your readership matters.

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