Deadspin’s annual Name of the Year contest took off today, and no one was more surprised to hear that her name was in the running than the former Language Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, Snookie Catholique.
It was her first time hearing about the competition, an annual event founded on an Ivy League campus in 1983 as a way to “discover, verify, nominate, elect and disseminate great names.”
Since moving onto the blogosphere in 2007, the contest has showcased hundreds of interesting, humorous, punny and outright bizarre names, with the public voting in rounds to decide which “name-inee” gets top honour.
Past winners include Amanda Miranda Panda (2015), Shamus Beaglehole (2014), Leo Moses Spornstarr (2013), Taco B.M. Monster (2011) and Nohjay Nimpson (2010). The titles of the various tournament brackets are also pulled from past champions, including Sithole, Bulltron, Dragonwagon and Crotchtangle.
Names are both submitted online and pulled from headlines by the organizers.
Catholique has no idea how her name made it into the contest, but finds it humorous nonetheless.
“I just hope it’s only all in fun and nothing else,” she said.
According to the organizers’ website, fun is indeed the name of the game: “All names included here are, to the best of our knowledge, real. No malice is intended.”
Past Names of the Year
2015 Amanda Miranda Panda
2014 Shamus Beaglehole
2013 Leo Moses Spornstarr
2012 No vote held
2011 Taco B.M. Monster (NOTY High Committee and The People)
2010 Nohjay Nimpson (NOTY High Committee); Steele Sidebottom (The People)
2009 Juvyline Cubangbang (NOTY High Committee); Barkevious Mingo (The People)
2008 Destiny Frankenstein (NOTY High Committee); Spaceman Africa (The People)
2007 Vanilla Dong (NOTY High Committee and The People)
2006 Princess Nocandy
2005 Tanqueray Beavers
2004 Jerome Fruithandler
2003 Jew Don Boney Jr.
2002 Miracle Wanzo
2001 Tokyo Sexwale
2000 Nimrod Weiselfish
1999 Licentious Beastie (INVALIDATED 2006; Runner-up: Dick Surprise)
1998 L.A. St. Louis
1997 Courage Shabalala
1996 Honka Monka
1995 Ballots missing
1994 Mummenschontz Bitterbeetle (INVALIDATED 2006; Runner-up: Scientific Mapp)
1993 Crescent Dragonwagon
1992 Excellent Raymond
1992 Assumption Bulltron (Name of the Decade)
1991 Doby Chrotchtangle
1990 Otis Overcash
1989 Magnus Pelkowski
1988 No vote held
1987 No vote held
1986 No vote held
1985 Godfrey Sithole
1984 No vote held
1983 Hector Camacho
