First Pitch

"Heroes get remembered, but legends never die."

– George Herman Ruth Jr., aka Babe Ruth

In the baseball game of life, your name is your home base. It's where you start, where you finish, how you're cheered, and how you're remembered. Names shape our identities, influence our experiences, and connect us to culture, history, and personal meaning. From the moment we are named, we carry an identity that others recognize, respond to, and interpret—whether consciously or unconsciously. A name can feel like a gift, a burden, an honor, a battleground, a touchstone and a legacy, sometimes all at once!

Just ask Babe Ruth. The name George Herman Ruth Jr. doesn't necessarily conjure up a sports icon. But as a young ballplayer under the guardianship of his team’s owner, Jack Dunn, his teammates jokingly called him “Dunn’s Babe.” The name hit a home run, and soon, "Babe" became bigger than the man himself. It wasn’t just a name—it was a legend in the making.

Ruth would go on to rack up countless nicknames—the Sultan of Swat, the Colossus of Clout, the Great Bambino—and asked about them, he reportedly said "Call me anything you want, just as long as you don’t call me late for dinner!" Yet he himself quietly dropped the "Jr." from his name, perhaps unsurprising for a man with a fraught relationship with his parents, who earned so many other names, and who later would call the educator who introduced him to baseball, Brother Matthias, "the father I needed."

At the Museum of Names, we explore the profound significance of names beyond genealogy. Names are more than labels; they are reflections of power, emotion, and psychology. They influence self-perception, shape first impressions, and impact all aspects of our lives. They can be celebrated, changed, reclaimed, or hidden, but they are seldom neutral.

As we build the Museum, we invite you to reflect on your own name. What does it mean to you? How has it shaped your experiences? Join us in exploring the linguistic, psychological, and social dimensions of names—because names matter.

The game is just beginning. Step up to the plate.