# If an uncapitalized name begins a sentence, should it capitalized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 11, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578 "2017-02-11T20:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/1 "2017-02-11T20:20:25Z")
For example, look at the Wiki page on [bitcoin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin). Is it in good or proper form to capitalize it when its originator specifically intended that its proprietary name not be capitalized? Or for another example, if some musician decides to spell his or her name in all lowercase letters, should the first name be capitalized in formal writing if it begins a sentence? Is it a hard and fast rule that the first letter of a sentence is always capitalized, no matter what? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/2 "2017-02-11T20:24:53Z")
There’s no real authority on this, and different publications have decided on differnet rules. But my personal view is — YES. A word that starts with a lower-case letter should be capitalized at the start of a sentence. But I might go even deeper than that. If I were to be writing a style guide from my own self, I might just say that proper names _must_ start with a capital letter, always, whether at the start of a sentence or not. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/3 "2017-02-11T20:34:10Z")
The [Chicago Manual of Style](http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/ProperNames/faq0003.html) forbids starting a sentence with a lowercase letter (except for names like eBay) and suggests rewriting if possible. Otherwise, it’s just a matter of style. If you are writing for a particular publication, you just follow whatever they use for their style guide. [QUOTE=Washoe] For example, look at the Wiki page on bitcoin. Is it in good or proper form to capitalize it when its originator specifically intended that its proprietary name not be capitalized? [/QUOTE] That example has nothing to do with whether the word is capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, only capitalization within a sentence. You’ll notice that the Wiki article capitalizes it in the title and at the start of the first sentence. Personally, I would almost always capitalize a word at the beginning of a sentence. I think the rule about capitalizing the first word overrides any convention about non-capitalizing a proper name. After all, most words appearing at the start of a sentence are not normally capitalized. Why should the rule change for uncapitalized proper names? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/4 "2017-02-11T20:38:59Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > There’s no real authority on this, and different publications have decided on differnet rules. Really and truly? What say the MLA and the Chicago Manual of Style? Surely at least one of them must have chimed in on this by now. ---
**Author:** ![joema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9adbd/32.png) [@joema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joema)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/5 "2017-02-11T20:39:46Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > …Is it a hard and fast rule that the first letter of a sentence is always capitalized, no matter what? No there is not. Would you capitalize eBay or iPhone at the start of a sentence or headline? The Chicago Manual of Style says:\* “Brand names or names of companies that are spelled with a lowercase initial letter followed by a capital letter (eBay, iPod, iPhone, etc.) need not be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence or heading, though some editors may prefer to reword.”\* The New York Times has printed headlines with “iPhone” as the first word, and it was not capitalized. However as the Chicago manual says, “some editors may prefer to reword”. Maybe that means avoid the problem by rewording the sentence so it’s not the first word? ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/6 "2017-02-11T20:40:45Z")
nm. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/7 "2017-02-11T20:41:35Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Really and truly? What say the MLA and the Chicago Manual of Style? Surely at least one of them must have chimed in on this by now. They’re just style guides like any other. Any publication can choose to follow one of them or not. And they can choose to follow them, but make exceptions. Style guides are (proposed) policies, not authorities. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/8 "2017-02-11T20:47:09Z")
bell hooks is a writer who styles her name with lowercase initial letters. A quick glance at the internet reveals that her preferences are often not followed, but I did find a NYT headline that begins with a lowercase b: [bell hooks: Buddhism, the Beats and Loving Blackness - The New York Times](https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/bell-hooks-buddhism-the-beats-and-loving-blackness/) ETA, I just noticed that in the byline, her name is given as BELL HOOKS, all caps. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/9 "2017-02-11T20:49:15Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That example has nothing to do with whether the word is capitalized at the beginning of a sentence, only capitalization within a sentence. You’ll notice that the Wiki article capitalizes it in the title and at the start of the first sentence. But that’s exactly what I’m asking. If the author recognizes that a proper name is uncapitalized, is it in proper form to capitalize it if it begins a sentence? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/10 "2017-02-11T20:59:25Z")
The English-language newspapers in Thailand generally cap the first letter of such names if they start a sentence, but there are exceptions. Thailand has a communications satellite in orbit that normally would be rendered Ipstar, but the government insists on spelling it iPSTAR. Rather than having IPSTAR at the start of a sentence, they keep the lowercase beginning. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/11 "2017-02-11T21:00:20Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > But that’s exactly what I’m asking. If the author recognizes that a proper name is uncapitalized, is it in proper form to capitalize it if it begins a sentence? It’s not up to the author. It’s up to \*\*you \*\*whether your rules of style override the eccentricities of a million individuals. If \*\*you \*\*want consistency, you can choose that. If \*\*you \*\*want to avoid the pain and time and challenge of checking every individual who decides to eschew standard orthography \*\*you \*\*can do that. \*\*You \*\*are the boss of **you**. Most professional publications like the consistency and standardization of a style guide because it’s so much easier to tell people to look it up. But again, those are individual organizations making the choice. Unless you are writing for one of those organizations, nothing they say or do is contingent on you. There are no answers. There is no body of experts. There are no general rules. “Proper” has no defined meaning. Sorry, but that’s the only thing any of us can say. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/12 "2017-02-11T21:07:43Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It’s not up to the author. It’s up to \*\*you \*\*whether your rules of style override the eccentricities of a million individuals. If \*\*you \*\*want consistency, you can choose that. If \*\*you \*\*want to avoid the pain and time and challenge of checking every individual who decides to eschew standard orthography \*\*you \*\*can do that. \*\*You \*\*are the boss of **you**. > > Most professional publications like the consistency and standardization of a style guide because it’s so much easier to tell people to look it up. But again, those are individual organizations making the choice. Unless you are writing for one of those organizations, nothing they say or do is contingent on you. > > There are no answers. There is no body of experts. There are no general rules. “Proper” has no defined meaning. Sorry, but that’s the only thing any of us can say. I approve this message. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/13 "2017-02-11T21:20:28Z")
**Absolutely not.** The beginning of a sentence has no special meaning with regard to names as any other position. It would be comparable to enforcing making a person’s name _lower case_ if it appears elsewhere! Think about that for a second. Insisting that you have to right to alter someone’s name is bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/14 "2017-02-11T21:27:06Z")
If your style is to lower case names, then go ahead and lower case names. The way I choose to format my publication and implement consistency is not an imposition on you. Capitalization is a matter of style and convention. It’s not a matter of identity. The written word is just an approximation of human language anyway. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/15 "2017-02-11T21:32:32Z")
Rewording is simple to do and results in even, readable text. It’s the way to go. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/16 "2017-02-11T21:33:28Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > If your style is to lower case names, then go ahead and lower case names. The way I choose to format my publication and implement consistency is not an imposition on you. Capitalization is a matter of style and convention. It’s not a matter of identity. The written word is just an approximation of human language anyway. Exactly. If I’m writing a publication and write everything in lowercase for stylistic reasons, of course the proper names are going to appear in lowercase. Chicago Manual of Style basically says re-write the sentence, as all sentences must begin with a capital letter. I believe AP Style simply says to capitalize, but I can’t find my AP Stylebook for some reason. [Here’s an example in the New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/01/30/reviews/000130.30harrist.html) where they simply capitalized Bell Hooks’s name in all instances. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/17 "2017-02-11T22:14:10Z")
Interesting, because earlier the _Times_ did not capitalize k.d. lang. But it was disconcerting. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/18 "2017-02-11T22:15:19Z")
For what it’s worth, in an online venue such as this, I preserve usernames absolutely, regardless of position in the sentence. There are two main reasons for this: First, if (capitalized) names are capitalized even in the middle of a sentence, that implies that the name rules supersede the position-in-sentence rules, and so for consistency, they ought also to do so at the beginning of a sentence. Second, many usernames here originate from case-sensitive contexts such as Unix usernames, and so changing the capitalization of a username, in any context, would be invalid: A single system could, for instance, have two separate users named “ftg” and “Ftg”. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/19 "2017-02-11T22:21:37Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > **Absolutely not.** The beginning of a sentence has no special meaning with regard to names as any other position. > > It would be comparable to enforcing making a person’s name _lower case_ if it appears elsewhere! > > Think about that for a second. > > Insisting that you have to right to alter someone’s name is bizarre. Ftg has the right principle but is invoking it incorrectly. As noted, there is no special meaning with regard to names. So a name which normally begins with an uncapitalized letter, like ftg, is treated like any other word which normally begins with an uncapitalized letter, like as or so - and the rule is such words are capitalized when they’re the first word of a sentence. ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578/20 "2017-02-11T22:43:41Z")
Here’s an article about the Chicago Manual: [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/books/28chic.html](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/books/28chic.html) \*\*the Chicago Manual says it is not all right to capitalize the name of the writer bell hooks because she insists that it be lower case. “This makes life difficult, however, for those of us who cannot bear to begin a sentence with a lowercase letter,” the manual says. “We advise you to rewrite.”\*\* [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-uncapitalized-name-begins-a-sentence-should-it-capitalized/779578.md?page=2)