This guide is an on-going open source attempt to organize the best tools and resources for naming things. If you’re looking for help on naming a project, we also take on clients here.
If you find the site useful, consider joining our mailing list below where we’ll send occasional thoughts and additional resources on naming. And if you see something that would be a good addition, drop us a line.
The world’s largest online dictionary (by number of words). Wordnik shows definitions from multiple sources, example sentences, rhymes, and related words. Don’t miss the advanced search, which allows for regular expression style matching.
A collection of free websites, mobile apps, and APIs designed to help people create and communicate more effectively.
OneLook Dictionary – Generally considered the go-to dictionary while naming, OneLook is a “dictionary of dictionaries” covering general definitions as well as slang, medical, technology, and more. Also offers powerful search tools to find related words, phrases, and fill-in-the-blank.
RhymeZone – An effective rhyming dictionary that categorizes results by number of syllables and includes near-rhymes and offers solid searches. Don’t miss the “Find synonyms” option – it’s perhaps the best thesaurus out there for naming purposes.
Primary definitions, secondary definitions, root words, and related terms. A good jumping off point but unlikely to get you to the end of your search.
A powerful search engine and dictionary ideal for quick broswing & generation. Each word page is rich with definitions, synonyms, references, and related words. A great place to start any search.
Self-described “Five hundred years of the vulgar tongue.” Search by slang term (versus finding slang words for a term). Useful to check if your selected name is offensive.
Comprehensive dictionary including pronunciations, first known uses, language learner and children’s definitions. Also includes a strong thesaurus.
A helpful tool for describing technology terms by using analogies instead of dense terminology.
One of the web’s most powerful thesauruses. Search by single word or phrase. Great for quickly generating lists of loosely related words.
A self-described “weird and wonderful reference full of unusual and illuminating word relationships,” every entry is an exercise in free association. A must-visit, especially if you’re stuck.
A strong crowdsourced thesaurus (relying on upvotes for synonyms) with an interface that makes it easy to quickly churn through related terms.
The classic internet thesaurus. If you find OneLook Thesaurus too dry, this is your best bet.
The etymology and history behind modern English words with dates, languages, origins, and roots. Includes some slang and informal English.
An online tool that works with large samples of text to identify what is typical and frequent in a language and what is rare, outdated, going out of use. In a nutshell, Sketch Engine is a tool to learn how language works. This is the most pro-level linguistic tool in this list. Paid product with 30-day free trial.
Enter a word and this thesaurus will display a list of phrases/sayings that are related to it.
A good start for browsing foreign language translations — not always 100% reliable but improving quickly through community verification.
High quality translation dictionary with over one million translations and 20+ languages. See meanings, contextual translations, and other pages around the web where the word is properly used so you can get a feel for how a word used.
Translate words and phrases into multiple languages at once. Nice Translator provides similar functionality but offers a less convenient interface.
One of the most recommended computer-assisted translation tools, Trados Studio is a paid service with a 30-day free trial.
Even naming can benefit from a free association session with an AI agent.
A ChatGTP powered naming bot from Tanj, the agency behind the Wii and Bravia names.
Compare the popularity of words across the massive corpus of Google Books.
Generate random given names based on nationality, fantasy, or root.
Generates names, words, and descriptions in nearly every category possible including well-known fictional universes, every known culture, places, flora and fauna, pop culture, and more. A one-stop shop for inspiration or worldbuilding.
A forum with resources on how to construct a convincing (sounding) alien language.
Simple tool that takes source words and generates random mixes to quickly visualize potential combinations.
A simple way to search for domain names, app names, and company names. Combines input words to create unexpected pairings and connections.
Power random word generator with toggles for language, quality, patterns, length, and domain availability.
Methodologies and prompts for new ways of thinking about what you’re naming and generating unexpected word associations.
Universal Text Combination Generator
Useful for seeing how words might fit together.
“This database can be used to create word stimuli that have different properties and control for other properties.” Challenging to use but often rewarding. Don’t miss this primer on how to use it.
A list of generic terms that can be appended to a name (ex: “Partners”, “Solutions”) in order to avoid potential conflicts with other entities who might have the same name.
Inspiration can be found in the most random places.
An ecclectic compendium of “rare, cool, and unusual words,” including words lost to the ages and a collection of glossaries.
Created for Scrabble but useful for generating short names from real words
Naming companies and products after given names is growing in popularity (Harry’s, Oscar, Casper, etc). Luckily there are several tailor-made tools to help aid in that search.
Search for baby names alphabetically or browse by category.
Baby name generator that mixes two parents names yielding real name results that include bits of both names.
Meant as a fiction writer’s tool, this generator creates random real-sounding names sourced from samples in the US Census. Offers the ability to toggle rarity of the names generated.
An extensive database of baby names with perhaps the best tools for digging through them. Don’t miss their NameVoyager, for exploring trends across decades, as well as their OKCupid-style data analysis blog posts.
2017’s most popular girl and boy names.
50,000+ database of baby names with popularity, lists (trends, cool, classic, etc.), and a name generator.
The etymology and history behind first names and surnames. Also includes tools for top names by country and year.
Rare geographic terms and exotic locations.
Former, changed, and alternative names for countries.
An illustrated glossary of geological terms.
Various categorizations of islands grouped by oceans, countries, population, and more.
A list of mountain ranges on Earth and a few other astronomical bodies.
Terms denoting the confluence of geographic and climate regions that result in distinct life-supporting zones.
Some of the most iconic brands today are named for ancient gods and goddesses.
A complete list of Greek Gods, their Names, realms, and influence. Major gods have additional backstory and information.
An in-depth resource on the history and meaning of Hindu deities.
A list of demons, ghosts, yōkai, obake, yūrei, and other legendary creatures that are notable in Japanese folklore and mythology.
Mythical Civilizations & Places
A list of mythological places which appear in mythological tales, folklore, and varying religious texts.
Norse Mythology, Gods, and Creatures
Reliable, well-documented information on the fascinating mythology and religion of the Norse/Germanic peoples.
A complete list of Roman Gods, their names, realms, and influence. Major gods have additional backstory and information.
Great resources for finding specific, expert-level terminology and language that refers back to a broader idea for your naming project.
Architectural terms along with photos illustrating their meaning. Ex: chancel, soffit, impost, naos
Aviation related terms and definitions obtained from the Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Aviation Regulations, and many other sources.
Introductory dictionary of commonly used road-motorcycle terminology and biker slang, compiled with the average “citizen” in mind.
Cartographic Glossary, University of Texas
Definitions of map and cartographic terms.
Terms for mixology, bartending, and cocktails.
A bartender’s guide to developing cocktail names.
An exhaustive list of expert-sounding crypto terms.
List of scuba terms, definitions, and slang.
Very detailed glossary of engineering terms and acronyms.
Terminology for emergency management education and practice.
Amateur radio terms and lingos. Ex: flutter, fox hunt.
The glossary primarily documents terms from the1880’s until World War I. Also includes some contemporary hobo, railroad and homeless terms.
The official glossary for U.S. courts legal terms. Ex: acquittal, docket, hearsay.
Glossary terms collected from the United States Lighthouse Society and United States Coast Guard.
A comprehensive listing of formulas and definitions from beginning algebra to calculus. Created by a high school math teacher, the explanations are readable for average math students, and over a thousand illustrations and examples are provided.
Medical Terminology, GlobalRPh
Definitions, roots, and word building terms for medical terms.
A glossary of boating and nautical basics.
A meta-list of wide reaching political terminology, from Cold War terms to political terminology in South Africa.
Spy code, terminology, and covert talk.
The lingo and technical terminology for surfing and surfers. Ex: akaw, hodad, mullering.
Based on the “Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue,” London in 1811.
A glossary covering the real world kind of space travel. Ex: accretion disc, gagarin, mach.
An extensive and well catagorized list of fictional brands brands from films, tv shows, games, et al.
Common names used in ancient civilizations.
An exhaustive list of character names, filterable by traits and tags.
Classic corporate speak. Ex: synergy, unpack, mind share.
Comic Books
Celebrity search engine with strong summaries, filmography, and character names. An interesting way to generate “name” names.
Character names, primarily from classic and best selling books.
A good list of characters, but beware the horrible ads.
70 Best Character Names in Literature
Editorial list outlining a wide range of books. Ex: Dim, Major Major Major Major, Veruca.
A comprehensive wiki for the world created by George R.R. Martin.
Greatest Movie Characters of All-Time
Empire magazine’s tally of the most memorable movie characters.
Mostly recent artists (no Easy-E, for instance), so primarily useful for finding current trends.
Extensive list of inventors throughout history. A common naming practice for tech-focused products or companies.
Glossary of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
A fun examination of sci-fi. Ex: absolute black, kinagram, sapho juice.
Words Every Sci-Fi Fan Should Know
Deeper sci-fi terms and their background. Ex: dyson sphere, positronic, quine
Characters and vehicles from books such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and Around the World in Eighty Days.
Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
A print book with extensive definitions and illustrations of the Star Wars world.
A glossary of terms from areas of the universe where no man has gone before.
The famous playwright coined a surprising number of words. Ex: hobnob, gossip, madcap
Names of the planets of the solar system in over 40 languages.
Alphabetical listings of constellations and stars.
List of stars with name meanings created by the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Good for technical projects and strong, fundamental names.
Star names with Arabic origins.
Terms more TV meteorologists won’t even know. Ex: altostratus, continuum, ephemeris
An illustrated glossary of terms pertaining to flora and fauna of the rainforest and jungle.
Intel Inc’s internal project and technology codenames (Wikipedia).
Android’s version naming has been built-on the names of treats and candy for over ten years.
With the launch of Mac OS (?) Apple made the decision to celebrate California and name their desktop operating system off of iconic CA landmarks and natural wonders.
Glossary of Computer Programming Terms
CS and general programming terms. Ex: scheme, overloading, mutator
All TLDs (domains)
A full list of all top-level domains. Useful for generating unique URLs.
The people’s internet dictionary. Find obscure memes, definitions and phrases. Useful to check if your selected name is offensive or has an obscure second meaning.
Search across 19+ languages to ensure your name isn’t in offensive in a foreign language.
An extensive collection of audio recordings of speakers with various accents and cultural backgrounds pronouncing words.
Search trademarks across international jurisdictions.
A global trademark search engine that extends beyond the reach of WIPO’s search offering.
Search millions of U.S. trademarks filed since 1870.
A paid trademark screening and clearance search engine.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office’s official search. Useful tool when vetting candidate names.
Leader in App Store search. Useful for finding names of existing apps and services that aren’t readily surfaced via web searches.
Not directly name related but a useful showcase (and well-maintained) of brands, logos, and corporate identities.
Corporate logo search engine. Useful for seeing visual representations of words.
A paid trademark search engine. Offers more sophisticated tools than other free offerings.
Perhaps the most comprehensive domain search, providing availability status for domains across most of the new TLDs.
Wide reaching domain search, with auto-suggestions for modifications to find available names. Ex: unti.tl/ed
A fairly comprehensive list of tools and resources for domain name generation.
All currently available 3, 4, and 5 character .com domain names.
A wizard for generating available domain names based on a seed word.
Adds random words and letters to domain names. Good for rapid generation and vetting.
Incredibly useful tool to check for the use of your brand, product, personal name, or username instantly on over 500 popular social media websites, domains, and trademarks.
Primarily a domain name search tool, but has a wizard like interface for generating name ideas and does an okay job of offering synonyms, recombinations, etc.
Domain name search, but offers a column based view of different combinations, etc. Also checks social media availability.
Search for available toll free numbers, including vanity numbers using word prefixes and suffixes.
Strong yet simple naming exercise from startup designer and founder Ben Pieratt.
How to Name a Company in 8 Hours
GV created a short naming sprint based on an session they ran with a portfolio company.
How to Name Things by Venkatesh Rao
A lengthy, poetic meditation on the act of naming and numbering as basic human traits to build meaning and organization in our world. Highly recommended.
How to Name Things In Programming
A thorough slide deck for naming in code and programming with examples from (non-code) writers including Orwell, King, Hemingway, Gaiman, Carroll, and more. Produced by Software Engineer Peter Hilton.
Rewind and Capture Naming Guide ebook
A thorough (free) ebook with a simple step-by-step naming process from positioning and classification to ideation, vetting, and selection. Rich with sourced content including YouTube videos, linked articles, and more.
A surprisingly thorough naming guide from naming agency Igor. They also have a 25 page PDF guide, along with a requisite NPR visit from the author.
The Three Hour Branding Sprint
GV developed a very short sprint to get rolling on branding your company based on its broader sprint method.
A useful collections of general creative methods and tools.
A summary of branding agency Zinzin’s process for naming companies and products. They also assembled a 100+ page PDF Naming guide.
Branding firm Tanj provides two different naming guides, one oriented toward the DIYer looking to name or rename their own company and another oriented toward marketing professionals tasked with naming products and services.
Interbrand provides a naming handbook as part of their client lead generation funnel and, while less detailed than those from other firms, it serves as a good overview for those looking to quickly orient themselves to the process of naming.
A guide aimed at those looking to tackle naming themselves.
Named by founder Jack Ma because of the overwhelming connection Alibaba has to “open sesame” and how the company opens the door to small and medium-sized businesses.
Named while Steve Jobs was on one of its fruitarian diets, he thought the name sounded “fun, spirited and not intimidating.”
Named for a Sanskrit word that refers to the place and posture in which a yogi sits.
Named to evoke joy, countering the stress typically associated with work email. The keyboard’s little buttons vaguely resembled the skin of a fruit. On a Mind Map, someone wrote “strawberry.” but “strawberry is too slow.” They felt that this technology needed to be instantaneous. BlackBerry was born.
A board member simply suggested the name. References the conversations on the platform and female-centric nature of bee hives.
When the company began manufacturing cameras on a trial basis, it named them “Kwanon”, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The name “embodied the Company’s vision of creating the best cameras in the world.”
Derived from the children’s game Duck Duck Go, the team also cites the action to “Duck it” when you search.
Named simply for its function to enable users to drop documents into a virtual box and then access them whenever and wherever.
The company attempted to create a logical system for naming the company based on brevity, domain availability, SEO, and Mechanical Turk rankings. It failed but the script’s name (Etsy) ended up serving a different purpose.
Originally an internal codename (because a project lead “liked fast cars”) the team stuck with it because of a mix of sentimentality, the word’s association with speed and the minimal amount of UI “chrome” the product possessed.
Named from the functional portmanteau of group and coupon.
The Danish-sounding name is just that — a nonsensical invention of a Bronx ice cream maker that was looking to evoke the “aura of the old-world traditions and craftsmanship.”
The name is an acronym standing for Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd — comprised of the founder’s name (Ingvar Kamprad), his childhood farm (Elmtaryd), and hometown (Agunnaryd).
IKEA Product Names - IKEA puts a lot of intent into its product names. A few examples: bedroom sets are named for Norwegian cities, dining tabs for Swedish places, and carpets for the Danes.
Originally named Burbn, the final name is a portmanteau of Instant Camera + Telegram = Instagram.
Made from a contraction of “leg godt,” a Danish phrase meaning “play well.”
“If all else fails, clients love monkeys.” The name (and its misremembering) spawned a wonderfully weird ad campaign.
A portmanteau named for their product: microprocessor software.
Founder Sean Fanning’s handle on a hacker forum was Napster, a nickname given to him by a basketball rival because of his nappy hair.
Named to evoke simple, delightful things for a thoughtful home.
A reference to a line in Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor: “the world’s mine oyster.” Meant to evoke the unlimited books readers on the service can access.
Pocket monsters or “Poketto Monsutā” in Japanese.
Named after the invention that allowed its creation: polarizing discs – a polarizer laminated between two sheets of optical glass.
A portmanteau for postal delivery and mates — with the latter standing as a metaphor for the peer-driven approach.
A Latin-sounding association to “quorum” — a sufficient number of people to make a decision.
Each team member reportedly has their own favorite origin story but the two leading cases are the Norse meaning “beautiful woman who leads you to victory” and a translation of “secret” in swahili.
The name was derived from the descriptive expression “sky peer-to-peer.”
A tweet from the company’s founder revealed the name came from a project acronym for Searchable Log of All Conversation & Knowledge. More recently the company shared a more poetic backstory.
An early conversation between employees led to a misheard word “Spotify” that was later described (retroactively) as a portmanteau of spot and identify.
A search for names that start with the strong “st-” eventually led to Starbucks, name name of Captain Ahab’s first mate in Moby-Dick.
The name evokes the company’s core values around motivations — it means “to strive” in Swedish.
Despite the name’s commonality it lacked any direct corporate association — and after weeks of debate it stuck.
The merging of Technology, Entertainment and Design.
Named along the theme of “igniting a spark” the team arrived on Tinder, material that “burns easily and can be used to start a fire.”
Derived from two of beat writer Jack Kerouac early characters: Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker.
A simple play on the word “ways,” as in the variety of ways one can navigation to any location.
After struggling with finding available domain names the founders wrote a script to generate short, pronounceable names eventually resulting in Weebly.
The blogging and website platform used an historical reference to the printing press to name the new site.
Originally “David’s and Jerry’s Guide to the World Wide Web” they opted for a punchier name, short for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.
The founders were reportedly lukewarm on the name but the domain was available and it also was a convenient contraction of “yellow pages.”
Zillow name evolved from the desire to make zillions of data points for homes accessible to everyone. But, as a home so much more, it’s where you lay your head to rest at night, like a pillow – Zillow was born.
Shortly after the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War, The United States set sanctions against Syria, which included .sy domains, forcing then Art.sy to become Artsy and start using Artsy.net as their primary domain.
.ly domains were poorly managed due to political instability
Two ex-Googlers start a “don’t call it a vending machine” company named Bodega. To add insult to injury the company’s logo is a bodega cat. New Yorkers and the rest of the internet revolt — highlighting the insensitivity, cultural ignorance, and hubris of the name.
-ify
One of the bigger trendings of naming in the late 00’s and early 10’s — largely attributed to Spotify’s success and arrival to the US in 2011.
Apple confuses customers and chooses to name their newest flagship phone the iPhone X, insisting it should be pronounced iPhone 10 — muddling Apple’s sequential iPhone numbering and bringing back Roman numerals in a big way.
A common word and popular name for tech company products focused on productivity and writing. A bit of an obvious name given the screen’s role as a replacement for paper products (notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, calendars, etc). In 2014 FiftyThree made a public statement and filed a copyright lawsuit against Facebook after Facebook’s launch of “Paper” — it went nowhere.
A buyer’s broker specializing in deep research on hard to acquire domains and negotiating big ticket purchases.
Named: Eero, Inkling, Okta
Named: Bubblicious, Chef Boyardee, Civitas, Doritos Jacked, Ensure, Kellogg’s Smart Start, Prevacid, Trident Gum
Named: Ancestry.com, Asana, Clover, McCafe, PopChips, Vudu.
Name: Wrigley’s Alert Gum, Del Monte Bloom, Hand Job Nails & Spa
Named: Hello Alfred, Sunday Goods, Noon, Recess, Tomorrow, TYME
Named: FogDog, Munch’ems, Wheatables
Named: Cutthroat Kitchen, TruTV, North Face Ventrix, Palm Folio
Named: IBM Ecomagination, Oros, Voya
Healthcare naming firm. Named: Viagra.
Named: Teejay, Djantoli
Named: Apple Powerbook, BlackBerry, Embassy Suites, Flywheel, Gimlet Media, OnStar, Scion, Sonos, Subaru Outback, Swiffer, Texture, Tidal, Toyota Venza, Turo, Verizon Fios,
Named: American Airlines Aadvantage, Coca-cola Fruitopia, Kia Sorento
Named: Chevy Sonic, Capital One Quicksilver, Reebok Tranzen, New Belgium Slow Ride
Named: Electric Objects, Maison Sport, Mediar, Olli, Oscar, Pronoun, Svpply, Very Goods, WorkOf
Named: Arro, Redken Chromatics, Discover More, Dremel Trio
Named: WiFi, Jawbone, XboxONE, Microsoft Surface, Glu
Named: Nintendo Wii, Filmstruck, Sony Bravia, Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss
Named: Dorsal, Mast Mobile, SENS8
Named: Aria Hotel & Casino, Gogo Inflight Internet
A society dedicated to onomastics, the study of names. The Freemasons of naming, if you will.
Former Landor & Lexicon employee
Organization devoted entirely to coming up with Chinese names for other American companies wanting to do business in China.
Pay freelancers to generate names for your brand or product. Results are a bit hit or miss.
Linguistic analysis provided by a linguist with a marketing background.
Preliminary trademark screening from a former Lexicon Branding trademark research consultant.
A great (but discontinued) blog on naming trends and news.
by Linda Rosenkrantz. An updated complete guide to baby-naming divided into four sections: style, image, gender, and tradition.
A complete guide to naming from Rob Meyerson, the brain behind the equally compelling podcast How Brands are Built.
by Eli Altman. A short book/workbook focused exclusively on guiding readers to name a company or product. Nicely designed and typeset by House Industries.
by Alexandra Watkins. A thorough and well-researched book on naming philosophies and guides. Feels a bit dated today and reliant on pun/bad humor happy but the core processes still apply.
Wordcraft: The Art of Turning Little Words into Big Business
An examination of the world of top tier naming, including firms and case studies of well recognized brands.
Quora: A good set of answers, links, and backstories on naming. Worth poking around bit.
Does Blake Bortles Struggle Because His Name Is “Blake Bortles”?
The Ringer: A non-scientific look at how the names of quarterbacks coorelates with their success in the NFL.
Don’t even think of naming your business until you read this
TheNextWeb: Interview with Julian Shapiro, Founder of NameLayer, a premium domain name owner/reseller, takes on naming.
The New Yorker: Essay largely profiling the naming firm Lexicon.
Moniker Maladies: When Names Sabotage Success
Psychological Science: A 2007 study that outlines how the Name Letter Effect (essentially that you are biased to your own initials) has an unwitting impact on the way a person’s name guides their life choices. “Toby is more likely to buy a Toyota, move to Toronto, and marry Tonya than is Jack, who is more likely to buy a Jaguar, move to Jacksonville, and marry Jackie.”
Naming Resources - Are.na Channel
Morgan Sutherland: A deep set of resources on naming and branding.
Chris Dixon: An entrepreneur and investor’s take on naming.
Personal names around the world
W3C: Internationalization in personal names.
Phonetic Symbolism and Brand Name Preference
Journal of Consumer Research: A 2007 study that suggests consonants and vowels in themselves can convey symbolic meaning, with certain sounds being more positive and others more negative in emphasizing certain properties and characteristics of a product.
Supposedly sophisticated investors seem to be susceptible to flashy hedge fund names
Quartz: The power of names on rich (and supposedly sophisticated) investors.
Syllables, Scrabble Letters, and Picking Brand Names
Rich Barton: Zillow Founder Rich Barton’s thoughts on the importance of a good name — and his own prefernce for “made up” ownable names.
The New Yorker: Why “people generally prefer not to think more than necessary, and they tend to prefer objects, people, products, and words that are simple to pronounce and understand.”
The Secret Messages Inside Chinese URLs
New Republic: Why the Chinese use numbers for domains.
TechStars buys NameLayer to save its startups from awful domain names
Venture Beat: Julian Shapiro pitches the idea that a good framework can help companies quickly settle on a good name and domain name combo.
The Weird Science of Naming New Products
The New York Times: “Getting some help from computers has become de rigueur among namers, who perhaps in part to reassure their corporate clients have devised proprietary and often highly confidential software to assist in the naming process.”
Under the Radar Podcast: Marco Arment and David Smith discuss searching trademarks to ensure sure product names are in the free and clear.
Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Implicit Egotism and Major Life Decisions
SUNY Buffalo: A study on nominative determinisim — essentially that people tend to gravitate to jobs that fit their names, with the most dramatic examples being Igor Judge (a former Lord Chief Justice in England), Sue Yoo (a lawyer in the U.S.), Rich Ricci (a former Barclay’s exec) and weatherman Storm Field.
Psychology Today: Researchers studied the name-pronunciation effect, trying to determine whether people with easy-to-pronounce names were treated more favorably than people with harder-to-pronounce names. Spoiler: they are.
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Onym is a Greg Leppert and Willem Van Lancker joint production. The name comes from the suffix -onym used to denote specific types of names — from the Greek word ónoma meaning “name.”
It was designed and built in Cambridge, MA and Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. The site is (appropriately) set in Untitled Sans designed by Klim Type Foundry. Each section’s header icons are adapted from the International Code of Signals and Captain Frederick Marryat’s A Code of Signals for the Merchant Service.
Gregory Leppert is named for his father who, in turn, was named for Gregory the Great, the sixth century Pope known for establishing papal supremacy. His middle name goes without mention – one of those musky old family names that inevitably leads the listener to ask for its spelling and question his parents’ naming judgment. His surname, Leppert, hails from the Alsace region by way of Bavaria. It stems from “Liutberht,” an Old German word meaning the “bright” (-berht) or holy “people” (liut-).
Willem Paul Van Lancker is named for Dutch-American abstract expressionist artist Willem De Kooning. His middle name comes from his maternal grandfather, Paul Emile Poirier, who was an arborist. His surname, Van Lancker, is Belgian and while its meaning is unclear, the prefix “Van” is a preposition meaning “of” or “from” and is traditionally capitalized in Belgian names. The surname commonly refers to a house (common or noble) or signifies ancestral relation to a particular place.
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