Unique Names Day

Celebrate Your Name Week (CYNW) is a holiday established in 1997 by American onomatology hobbyist Jerry Hill. Hill prescribed the first full week in March as a week for everyone worldwide to embrace and celebrate his or her name. It's also a week for appreciating names in general, and to have fun getting to know more about names. CYNW is a week set aside to participate in names-related hobbies, activities, and to take part in entertaining and enlightening names-related events. It's a week to develop and celebrate a true fondness for, and genuine appreciation of, names. There are seven components that comprise CYNW:

March 2 - 8, 2014
CELEBRATE YOUR NAME WEEK! Mar 2{-}8. Who would you be if you didn’t have a name? Your name identifies you to the world. CYNW is about honoring your name. It’s about making sure your name is a respected, celebrated part of your personhood. Use this week to truly connect to your name!

Sunday, March 2 - Namesake Day: Start CYNW off by pondering your name. Ever wondered why you have the name you do? Were you named after someone? Explore the birth of your given name(s). Explore your surname too. Have fun discovering whether you have a name twin. You may even be inspired to reach out to a namesake/name twin! Discuss the subject of namesakes. What's the story your name tells?

Monday, March 3 - Fun Facts About Names Day: Celebrate names today by looking up interesting tidbits about names. CYNW gets you started with fun facts about names on this site. Or...maybe you already know the name of Santa’s brother? Surprise! Entertain! Enlighten! Amaze others by sharing what you find. Ask others to share the story of their name. Discuss the exotic names some celebrities name their children.

Tuesday, March 4 - Unique Names Day: This is the day to salute friends, acquaintances and loved ones who have a unique name. Let’s appreciate them for going through life without seeing their names on things such as ready-made key chains, etc. If you or anyone you know has a unique name, discuss it today! Celebrate it!

Wednesday, March 5 - Discover What Your Name Means Day: There are many sources, online and otherwise, about names and naming. To discover the (traditional/conventional) meaning of names, possibly yours, consider any of the available sources on the subject. Also try this: Give your name its own meaning that reflects who you are. Make your definition uniquely yours; decide for yourself what your own name means!

Thursday, March 6 - Nametag Day: Today’s celebration of names stipulates that wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you wear a "Hello, I’m [your name here]" nametag. (Note: this event isn’t for unsupervised children.) In a playful mood? Rename yourself for the day or just wear a name other than your own!

Friday, March 7 - Middle Name Pride Day: Today’s name celebration requires honesty and possibly some courage. Tell your middle name to three people who don’t already know it. "Have I ever mentioned that my middle name is…"

Saturday, March 8 - Descendants Day: Climb into your family tree! Jiggle some branches. Start piecing together your personal history via one of the world’s most intriguing hobbies, genealogy! Discover the names of the branches of your family tree. There are fascinating name puzzles ready to be put together.