The scientific conference “Migration Onomastics – Personal Names in the Context of Migration Movements” will take place from September 29 to 30, 2025, at the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz.

In the context of migration, personal names are retained, adapted, or abandoned, thus reflecting individual or group-specific migration histories. The conference aims to explore anthroponyms as a valuable subject for migration research. We invite discussions especially on grammatical adaptation processes, transliteration, situational variation, and changes in given, family, or full names.

The current schedule is available on the conference website. Please note that – since almost all submissions were in German – the majority of conference presentations, including the discussions, will be held in German. Therefore, a basic knowledge of German is highly recommended.

As part of the conference, the Henning Kaufmann Prize for Name Research will also be awarded to Dr. Rita Heuser. The award ceremony, including a keynote lecture, will take place on Monday, September 29, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:15 p.m.). The award ceremony and evening lecture will also be conducted exclusively in German.

Participation is free of charge, made possible through funding by the Digital Family Names Dictionary of Germany and the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz.

Registration: Please register by August 31, 2025. You may register for individual events. After completing your booking, you will receive a confirmation and ticket via email. Please present this ticket – either printed or digital – at the registration desk at the start of the event. If you need to make changes to your booking, please do so in good time via the booking system.

Organization: Anne Rosar and Theresa Schweden