Each year, those attending the annual meeting of the American Name Society vote for name of the year to have some fun and promote interest in names.

This is the second year we voted on top names in four different categories: trade names, place names, fictional names and personal names. The convention took place last week in Baltimore.

For 2009, the nominees for place name were Afghanistan, because of President Obama’s decision to send more troops there; and Salish Sea, a newly approved name for the interior ocean waters of Washington state and British Columbia, including Puget Sound and the Straits of Georgia. The new name emphasizes how all these areas form one related ecosystem.

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