# When the usual name is a no-go **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2024, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056 "2024-09-10T12:52:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/81 "2024-09-11T20:14:09Z")
If you’re going to tell me thats what you really meant, OK, but thats an utterly irrelevant distinction. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/82 "2024-09-11T20:39:10Z")
Long time lurker, first time poster, so PLEASE be kind to me. I always found it funny that the Ronald Reagan State Building in Downtown Los Angeles had to change its name from the “Ronald Reagan State Office Building” because of the propensity of people to shorten long names…which led to some people calling it the “Ronald Reagan SOB”. [https://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/40th-anniversary-special-the-buildings-that-shaped-downtown/article\_ab2bcbc0-77c8-11e2-a8cf-001a4bcf887a.html](https://www.ladowntownnews.com/news/40th-anniversary-special-the-buildings-that-shaped-downtown/article_ab2bcbc0-77c8-11e2-a8cf-001a4bcf887a.html) ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/83 "2024-09-11T20:57:40Z")
Nixon famously had the Committee to Re-Elect the President, but it turns out it’s easy to capitalize the E in RE-Elect. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/84 "2024-09-11T20:58:22Z")
An auspicious debut, **Tokushizu**. Welcome to the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Tokushizu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@Tokushizu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tokushizu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/85 "2024-09-11T20:59:30Z")
Thank you❣️ ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/86 "2024-09-11T22:25:54Z")
There is a school in Texas now called Sam Houston State Univeristy, but originally called Sam Houston Institute of Technology. I first became aware of it under its original name because someone there hosted the first TeX archive. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/87 "2024-09-11T23:27:18Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If you’re going to tell me thats what you really meant, OK, but thats an utterly irrelevant distinction. It is exactly what I said. ---
**Author:** ![GoodZuckerbergs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@GoodZuckerbergs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodZuckerbergs)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2024, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/88 "2024-09-11T23:43:40Z")
> [@Nyvaak](#): > > The name of the town starts with P, and I guess they pitied the kids who would otherwise have had to say, “_I go to P.M.S._” I used to attend P.M.S. when I was in school, but only for first period. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/89 "2024-09-12T02:37:21Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > There is a school in Texas now called Sam Houston State Univeristy, but originally called Sam Houston Institute of Technology. I first became aware of it under its original name because someone there hosted the first TeX archive. You fell for a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Nyvaak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Nyvaak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nyvaak)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/90 "2024-09-12T06:57:59Z")
> [@GoodZuckerbergs](#): > > I used to attend P.M.S. when I was in school, but only for first period. Oh my ! ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/91 "2024-09-12T09:41:18Z")
I always wondered who had to tell Saddam Hussein what the initials of “Saddam Hussein International Airport” spelled out. (He was a Sunni). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/92 "2024-09-12T09:51:34Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > There is a school in Texas now called Sam Houston State Univeristy, but originally called Sam Houston Institute of Technology. Some years ago, Calgary International Airport added a new International Departures and US Departures terminal. It was finished during the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Local comedians made much of the fact that it should be called “the Stephen Harper International Terminal.” Actually, the new terminal doesn’t have any kind of name. It’s just part of Calgary International, made up of the the D Gates (International) and E Gates (United States). ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/93 "2024-09-12T10:54:59Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Jacksonville FL was originally named Cowford. Portland OR was originally Stumptown, as was Whitefish MT. St Paul MN was originally Pig’s Eye. Helena MT was originally Last Chance Gulch. Regina SK was originally Pile of Bones. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/94 "2024-09-12T13:09:10Z")
She really was; we dated briefly. 😄 ---
**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:** [September 12, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/95 "2024-09-12T13:43:24Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Portland OR was originally Stumptown, No it wasn’t. “[Stumptown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicknames_of_Portland,_Oregon#Stumptown)” was a nickname due to all the stumps as it was platted and built out. The original developers flipped a coin to decide on the name based on their hometowns: Portland Maine and Boston Mass. The development started after that and nickname ensued. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/96 "2024-09-12T19:21:44Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > No it wasn’t. “[Stumptown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicknames_of_Portland,_Oregon#Stumptown)” was a nickname due to all the stumps as it was platted and built out. How is a nickname not a name? If it was what people called it, that’s its name. It wasn’t official, but that’s true of any name of an unincorporated area. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/97 "2024-09-12T19:24:42Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Rio de la Plata (River Plate) Doesn’t that mean Silver River? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/98 "2024-09-12T20:09:18Z")
Both, plate is an archaic word for silver. Silver is a better translation for modern language. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/99 "2024-09-12T20:45:45Z")
This, basically though “Siver River” is more “Rio de plata” than “Rio de _la_ plata”, the latter is more “River of _the_ silver”, meaning the silver they expected to find here. I say “more” because you still can interpret “Rio de la plata” as “Silver River” if you squint a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2024, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056/100 "2024-09-12T21:32:36Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > There is a school in Texas now called Sam Houston State Univeristy, but originally called Sam Houston Institute of Technology. I first became aware of it under its original name because someone there hosted the first TeX archive. I heard the same story about Stevens Institute of Technology, in Hoboken, New Jersey, supposedly originally called Stevens-Hoboken Institute of Technology. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056.md?page=6)