Sometimes a certain naming concept comes into vogue. In some cases, such as the post-Napster trend for names ending in -ster, or the more recent boom in names ending in -dango, the phenomenon can be traced to an original name that inspires imitators. In other cases, there seems to be more of a Zeitgeist effect–the [...]

The Name Inspector is planning a big post about Seattle startup names (and will of course refer to Seattle 2.0’s Seattle Startup Index). So he can add a little human interest, he’d love to hear from you Seattle entrepreneurs out there about how you named your company, what your company name means to you, what [...]

There used to be a not-for-profit credit union in the Seattle area called Group Health Credit Union, named after a local nonprofit health care system. They’ve changed their name to Salal.
This is a name that might have great positive associations for some and leave the rest of us scratching our heads. Salal is the name [...]

The Name Inspector has finished his book manuscript! Of course, his able editor at Norton will probably request a revision or two, but why quibble? So, in lieu of flowers, he asks that you please simply pop over over here and vote, because this blog has once again been nominated for the Top 100 Language Blogs [...]

Aaaaah what a nice restful vacation The Name Inspector has had. Anything interesting happen while he was gone? How’s the…wait…is it actually 2010? April? Holy cripes.
Because it’s been such a long time since The Name Inspector did his last post, he’ll make this a special one. He’ll give you the inside story of the naming [...]

The Name Inspector has been nominated for the “Top 100 Language Blogs 2009″ contest run by the blog LexioPhiles. Please consider giving him your vote.

On Wednesday the Global Language Monitor “announced” that English got its one-millionth word at precisely 10:22 am GMT that day. And the word was Web 2.0, so naturally, blogs such as  Mashable, John Battelle’s Searchblog,  and TechCrunch took notice.
Now, The Name Inspector realizes that the “millionth word” story is a ridiculous play for attention that’s [...]

Tags: sonic boom, sonic boom records, records, record stores, capitol hill, seattle

The Name Inspector is pleased and flattered to have been mentioned by lexicographer Grant Barrett on his radio show “A Way with Words“, produced by NPR affiliate station KPBS in San Diego. Here’s a link to the podcast. Grant mentions The Name Inspector just a couple minutes in when he talks about two of his [...]

The Name Inspector would like to remind everyone in the Seattle area about BizJam, which is happening all day this coming Saturday. If you’ve been on the fence about whether to go, take note: The Name Inspector is prepared to offer one of his readers a half-price discount on admission. The first person to send [...]