Open your history books, navigate to any significant period, and you’ll find names. Names of places, people, and things. These names aren’t just labels; they carry meaning, history, and often, a deep connection to identity.
Changing a name, therefore, is rarely a simple act. It’s a powerful statement, a re-evaluation of the past, and a clear signal about what we value today.
Consider the recent shifts in the United States, where landmarks and military bases have seen their names change. These aren’t just bureaucratic adjustments. They reflect ongoing debates about heritage, justice, and who gets honored in our collective memory. Such changes spark strong feelings, both for and against, highlighting the complex relationship between a name and its legacy.
The act of renaming forces us to confront uncomfortable truths and decide whose stories we will uplift. It’s a process that can be both unifying and divisive, but it always leaves an indelible mark on how we understand our past and shape our future.
The Echoes of History in Every Name
Every name tells a story. When we talk about places like the “Gulf of Mexico,” we’re using a name that has been around for centuries, carrying layers of historical context. In January 2025, President Trump’s executive order to rename it the “Gulf of America” – and Denali back to “Mount McKinley” – aimed to “Restore Names That Honor American Greatness.” This isn’t just about a new label; it’s about choosing which chapter of American history to emphasize, and perhaps, which ones to downplay.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. President Obama, in 2015, renamed Mount McKinley to Denali, honoring Indigenous heritage. These actions demonstrate how names are not static; they evolve with societal understanding and political will.
Hansong Li, an SIS professor, explains that naming and renaming carry “performative meanings,” asserting civilizational identities by valorizing specific historical heritages. It’s about more than just geography; it’s about identity.
Brand names also reflect this. Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, iconic for decades, disappeared in 2020. Land O’Lakes butter removed its “Indian butter maiden” logo.
These changes weren’t merely marketing decisions; they were responses to growing awareness of racial stereotypes and a desire for more inclusive representation. They show how even commercial names are tied to cultural values.
The Cost and Complexity of Renaming
While the symbolic weight of renaming is significant, the practical implications are often overlooked. Changing a name, whether it’s a person’s, a place’s, or a brand’s, involves considerable effort and expense. Imagine the ripple effect when the Gulf of Mexico becomes the Gulf of America.
Every map, every textbook, every nautical chart, and every digital navigation system – like Google Maps for US users – needs updating. This is a monumental task, requiring coordination across government agencies, publishers, and technology companies.
For individuals, changing a name means updating driver’s licenses, passports, bank accounts, and countless other official documents. For businesses, it can mean reprinting stationery, business cards, signage, and rebranding entire marketing campaigns. These costs, both financial and administrative, are real and can be substantial.
A study on name changes and birth dates found that about 10% of subjects in a long-term study had names that differed from their death certificates, often due to historical and cultural considerations, or personal attachment to a name. This shows the deep personal connection people have to names.
Even local decisions can be costly. In Shenandoah County, Virginia, schools named after Confederate generals were renamed in 2020. Four years later, the school board reinstated the original Confederate names. This back-and-forth isn’t just a political battle; it incurs duplicate expenses for new signs, updated school uniforms, and revised official communications, doubling the financial burden on taxpayers.
Confronting the “Erasing History” Argument
A frequent counterargument against renaming is that it “erases history” or “sanitizes” the past. Opponents argue that changing names makes it easier to forget historical figures or events, even if controversial. For example, some might say that renaming Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty makes us forget the legacy of Confederate General Braxton Bragg.
However, proponents argue that renaming isn’t about erasing history; it’s about choosing which history to honor and how we choose to remember. S. Anwar, a historian, notes that renaming cities isn’t new and has happened throughout history. The argument isn’t to forget General Bragg, but to question whether a federal installation, representing the entire nation, should bear his name given his role in defending slavery.
Renaming can be seen as an act of historical re-evaluation, not erasure. It acknowledges that society’s values evolve. Kirsten Fermaglich, an associate professor of history, highlights how name changing is a complex narrative.
It reflects societal values and our collective understanding of justice. Instead of forgetting, we are actively engaging with history by deciding what we elevate and celebrate in the public sphere.
Names as Collective Memory
Names are powerful anchors for collective memory. They connect us to places, people, and shared experiences. Conservation architect Arunima Shankar emphasizes that roots form a significant part of identity, and places are associated with names to create collective memory. Altered names affect a shared sense of place.
The renaming of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty, and Fort Benning to Fort Moore, after Congress passed a law banning Confederate names for federal installations, shows a national commitment to this idea. These new names honor different aspects of American military history, focusing on ideals of freedom and distinguished service rather than figures associated with division.
Ultimately, the debate around renaming isn’t just about words on a map or a building. It’s about who we are, what we believe, and the legacy we choose to carry forward. Each name change, whether significant or subtle, pushes us to examine our past and redefine our future.
