This month's name story is 'Smith or Smythe' and is written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name-Studies) at the @uniofnottingham.bsky.social. @namestudies.bsky.social www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

👀 Take a look at our new website: www.snsbi.org.uk This is your place to begin discovering more! @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, @placenamesni.bsky.social, @placenames.bsky.social, @ainmean-aite.bsky.social

For those of you who live near Nottingham, you are invited to this exciting day conference, "Life & Landscape: Postgraduate Research Showcase" @uniofnottingham.bsky.social. See: www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/even... @uonenglish.bsky.social @namestudies.bsky.social

Happy 100th birthday to David Attenborough! On this special day, we take the opportunity to revisit our Attenborough name story written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name-Studies) @uniofnottingham.bsky.social @namestudies.bsky.social @englishplacenames.bsky.social

Today's name story is 'Tūn: From rustic fence to urban sprawl'. It is written by Nigel Suffield-Jones and Diana Whaley. For more information, see www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

Place-names are not always what they seem! This seasonal name story 'A tale of three Easters' provides a salutary reminder of that. It traces the contrasting origins of three apparently similar names from Scotland, England and Polynesia. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

We're in Bury St Edmund's for our annual Spring Conference. This evening a keynote talk was given by Professor Mark Bailey on the estates of the Bury St Edmund's Abbey 1250-1450. Violent uprisings, intriguing data gleaned from manorial documents, and more... research-portal.uea.ac.uk/en/persons/m...

Today's name story 'The English names of French bastides' is written by Dr Keith Briggs (@keithbriggs.bsky.social). In this story, he examines the transfer of some English names to France. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

It’s happening again. I’m back talking place-names + archaeology at the @snsbi.bsky.social Spring Conference at the end of March. Wild all the things I’ll cover in 20 minutes. Cooking it down to the tastiest examples of how disciplinary divides might be spanned. Ideal fare for a Saturday 9.30am slot

Many place-names are deceptive, so it’s not surprising that many people have assumed that the striking place-name Pity Me can’t really be what it seems. What is it, though? Today's name story is written by Emeritus Professor Diana Whaley of @newcastleuni.bsky.social. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

Today we continue the name story of Hamilton. In Part 3: Where do we find Hamiltons today? we discover that surnames are not only about lineage and inheritance, they are about journeys. Find out about migration and the productivity of the name here: www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

THIRTY-SECOND ANNUAL CONFERENCE Spring conference March 27-29 2026 The Guildhall, Guildhall St, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk Join us for our 32nd annual conference, which will take place in the Guildhall, a beautiful medieval building in the historic town of Bury St Edmunds.

This name story continues the story of Hamilton. In part 2, we consider the spread of the family name as it was carried far from its place of origin. It is written by Professor Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name-Studies) @uniofnottingham.bsky.social www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

Our next name story explores the origin of the Hamilton family name, and is written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name Studies) at the University of Nottingham. Have a look! 👀 www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

Take a look at the second part of our Mills and Boon story www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na.... Both stories show changes in status and mobility. @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, @placenames.bsky.social, @placenamesni.bsky.social, @ainmean-aite.bsky.social

Call for Papers! Our Spring Conference @snsbi.bsky.social will be held on 27-29 March 2026 in the historic Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds. @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, @placenames.bsky.social, @placenamesni.bsky.social, @ainmean-aite.bsky.social

Next, we take a look at Mills & Boon, an article written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name-Studies) at the University of Nottingham. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

Today's name story is: Carpets of Wild Garlic, Creamhchoill and other aromatic place-names in Ireland, written by Conchubhar Ó Crualaoich & Aindí Mac Giolla Chomhghaill. Additional text referring to wild garlic beyond Ireland is written by Diana Whaley. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

#Makers Dr Kathryn Bullen led the session today discussing the history of place names in the area.

Our next name story is the surname Fox and is written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name Studies) at the University of Nottingham. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na... @namestudies.bsky.social @englishplacenames.bsky.social @logainm.bsky.social @placenames.bsky.social @ainmean-aite.bsky.social

Just settling in for the (online) @snsbi.bsky.social conference: Names Abroad: Names From Abroad, organised by Peder Gammeltoft (University of Bergen). I'll try to post some highlights from the papers. Looks like a great line up: www.snsbi.org.uk/2025_autumn_...

Our next name story comes from Glasgow, Scotland, and is written by Dr Alasdair Whyte, Lecturer in Celtic Onomastics at the University of Glasgow. www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na... @namestudies.bsky.social @ainmean-aite.bsky.social

Our next family name story is 'Hitchcock: a southern English family name' and is written by Peter McClure, Honorary Professor (Name Studies) at the University of Nottingham. @namestudies.bsky.social www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na... www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/peop...

Registration is now open for the SNSBI 2025 Autumn Day Conference, which will take place online via Zoom on Saturday 25 October (11.00 to 16.30) - do join us! Booking is via Eventbrite link: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/names-abro... Abstracts are available here: www.snsbi.org.uk/2025_autumn_...

Our congratulations to Emeritus Professor Hywel Wyn Owen, recent recipient of the Green Robes at the Gorsedd, the society of Welsh-language poets, writers, musicians and others who have contributed to the Welsh language and to public life in Wales. @placenames.bsky.social

Take a look at this new book by Liz Curtis on East Lothian place-names: spns.org.uk/resources/pl.... East Lothian is the Scottish county east of Edinburgh. The book shares a varied collection of place-names, providing windows on the past. @ainmean-aite.bsky.social @namestudies.bsky.social

Our next name story explores the archaeology of the place-name 'York', written by Diana Whaley, Emeritus Professor of Early Medieval Studies @newcastleuni.bsky.social. Explore the name's development reflected in the people/languages + layers of influence shown in buildings/archaeology.

The SNSBI is now on LinkedIn! 👋 Give us a follow for content on names, place-names and events! www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Welcome to the first in a series of @snsbi.bsky.social name stories. This month, Peter McClure takes a look at the name 'attenborough'. Find out more about the famous brothers, the place-name which gave rise to the surname 'attenborough', & more about the surname... www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na...

I’d like to officially announce birdsandplace.co.uk, my website accompanying #thecuckooslea which aims to record and share for the delight of everyone all birds in English place-names (and from there, one day, other birds/languages in Britain/Ireland too). Take a look! #naturewriting #birdsandplace

Call for papers! The @snsbi.bsky.social autumn day online conference "Names Abroad - Names From Abroad" is on Sat 25/10/2025: A) Current Name Research in Scandinavia, of relevance to Britain/Ireland, B) Names of other origins in Britain and Ireland and elsewhere. Deadline for abstracts: 15 August.

6 August 2025, 13:30 Cymdeithasau 2 at the National Eisteddfod, Wrecsam Hywel Wyn Owen Some place-names around the eisteddfod. A survey of a selection of place-names reflecting the area's history, environment, language, people and industry. In Welsh with simultaneous translation into English

Come join us @imc-leeds.bsky.social in 2026 to talk about names! Please share this CfP with anyone interested - all are welcome

Young researchers - save the date! International Council of Onomastic Sciences, Summer School, 24-28/8/2026, Helsinki, Finland: Digital Tools/Databases. @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, spns.org.uk, ulsterplacenamesociety.org, @placenames.bsky.social

Fascinating talk tonight, thanks! For anyone looking for more detail on place-names, see www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na..., and kepn.nottingham.ac.uk for an up-to-date guide to the interpretation of the names of England's cities, towns and villages.

I’m with @histassoc.bsky.social tonight talking all about how birds have been shaping and transforming our relationships with place for a very long time. Old places and old ways. Come join! Online, free, 19:30: www.history.org.uk/events/calen.... #thecuckooslea #naturewriting

Super day in Nottingham yesterday at the Nottinghamshire Names Day - see 🧵 below!

What is a name? This regular series of posts features pages from our new website: www.snsbi.org.uk/exploring-na... Let us know your thoughts below! @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @placenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, spns.org.uk, www.ulsterplacenamesociety.org

Heads up - international workshop - call for papers! 'The social life of names and naming practices in migration contexts', Paris, 20-21 November 2025 calenda.org/1250904 anr.fr/Projet-ANR-2...

Fancy a journey into the fascinating world of toponymy in Scotland, where every name tells a story? The 2025 Rhind Lectures will be given by Dr Simon Taylor, hosted by @socantscot.bsky.social #toponymy #placenames fellows.socantscot.org/events/detai...

Discover routes into names and name studies with the Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland! Our new SNSBI website contains lots of material on place-names and surnames, with name-stories focussing on interesting examples.

Following our AGM, see our list of current officers, with associated biographies, together with committee members: www.snsbi.org.uk/officers.html. As the new Publicity Officer (@kfbullen.bsky.social), I'll be sharing regular updates of name-related events/material, and engaging the wider community!

Come along to the University of Nottingham’s Nottinghamshire Names Day and discover how the names of places and people can tell us about history, languages, landscapes and culture, from ancient times to the present day. Find out more: www.nottingham.ac.uk/conference/f...

Read all about our recent @snsbi.bsky.social conference (thanks @kfbullen.bsky.social)! Join us next year in Ipswich, Suffolk - details to follow. @namestudies.bsky.social, @englishplacenames.bsky.social, @placenames.bsky.social, @logainm.bsky.social, spns.org.uk, www.ulsterplacenamesociety.org

A CfP on the Social Life of Names and Naming Practices in Migration Contexts has been unveiled for a workshop in Paris, November (20-21) 2025. All details provided in the call posted below.

This year's Rhind Lectures will be presented by Dr Simon Taylor, focused on the placenames of Scotland. It is a free event both in-person and online, but interested parties need to register - more details and the progamme can be found at : fellows.socantscot.org/events/detai...