Names are deeply tied to identity, culture, and belonging. When someone’s name is consistently mispronounced, shortened without permission, or avoided altogether, it can signal that who they are is inconvenient or invisible. For marginalized students and professionals, names are often one of the first things that get altered—sometimes voluntarily, sometimes under pressure in an effort to “fit in.”

Reflective Activities

After engaging with the stories and videos in this chapter, choose 1-2 of these questions to reflect on:

• What do you think it communicates—intentionally or not—when someone consistently mispronounces or avoids using another person’s name?
• Have you ever changed, shortened, or altered your name (or seen others do so) to make it easier for others? What feelings or pressures were involved in that decision?
• How can names carry layers of cultural, familial, or historical significance? Why is it important to recognize this in academic and professional settings?
• What are some common microaggressions related to names (e.g., “That’s too hard to say” or “Do you have a nickname?”), and how might they impact someone’s sense of belonging?
• As a student or educator, what steps can you take to make sure everyone’s name is learned, used respectfully, and valued in your classroom or workplace?

classroom activities

Name Story Circles

In small groups, invite students to share the story of their name ( i.e. meaning, origin, who gave it, any changes they’ve made, and nicknames). Encourage reflection on how their name has shaped interactions in school, work, or life. This activity can also be done online as a forum question to build community. Consider keeping the question open for interpretation and allowing students to choose how they would like to respond.

Alternative: Have students prepare a short professional introduction that includes how to pronounce their name and what it means to them. Use this to build confidence in using their full name in interviews or networking.

Pronunciation Practice with Intention

Create space early in the term for students to record or share the correct pronunciation of their names. Encourage professors and peers to practice, using name pronunciation tools like NameCoach or Pronouncenames.com.

Before the first day of class, I will send an online survey to students, and one of the questions asks them about their preferred name and pronoun. I will record this on the main class list (along with a phonetic version) and use it at the start of each class until I learn their individual names.

Microaggression simulations and Case Studies

In groups, present short scenarios where someone is misnamed, corrected, or questioned. Discuss in class how each situation could be handled more respectfully, especially in business or customer-facing settings.

Analyze real-world business examples (e.g., hiring biases due to name-based assumptions on résumés). Connect respectful name use to diversity, equity, and customer/client relations in professional contexts.

Related Resources

Belonging Starts with a Name

Video from Dr. Gordon Cobb, an instructor in the Music department on strategies to remember student names:

The name

Below is a powerful video that I show in class when introducing why names matter. At The Name website you can access the video and a number of related resources explaining why Names Matter.

This film hopes to elevate the importance of a name, and how meaningful gestures—like pronunciation and understanding its meaning—create a greater sense of belonging for us all