People celebrate Nametag Day on the first Thursday in March, which is on March 6 this year, by — you guessed it — wearing name tags. On this day, people become more human and pay more attention to the people who pass by them or who they pass by every day. With over seven billion people in the world, it can be easy to feel alone and small. Nametag Day allows everyone to be in the spotlight a little. On Nametag Day, you’re not a nameless Joe passing by in the neighborhood. Instead, when you pass by, everyone knows your name and connects with you, which is the whole aim of Nametag Day.
History of Nametag Day
Every year, on the Thursday of Celebrate Your Name Week, Nametag Day is celebrated. The event began in 1997, when Jerry Hills, a well-known American onomatologist, founded the week. Hills understood the roles names play in our everyday lives and felt that they were not given the attention they deserve. This is why we have Nametag Day, a day to celebrate names by calling people by the names on their tags. Hills wanted people to meet and connect with each other, learn more about families and communities, and have fun while it.
The purpose of Nametag Day is to get people to socialize and connect. A name tag is a badge or label that displays the name of the wearer. Hills was inquisitive about names and believed that people should not live within the same environment for years without knowing each other.
Calling people by their first names can create a sense of connection, familiarity, and eventually, community. A name tag is in itself a type of ice breaker — it serves as an introduction, and people can pick it up from there. The more people are involved in Nametag Day, the higher the chance of creating true communities. Perhaps if everyone wore name tags, like an episode of the T.V. series, “Seinfeld,” suggested, then we would have better friendships, firmer relationships, and more human people. Maybe this way, the world can one day become a true global village.
Nametag Day timeline
A man in New York named John Kennedy offers to make engraved disks to help soldiers with identification but is turned down by the War Department.
The popular “Hello, My Name Is…” name tags are introduced by C-Line Products.
The name tag is introduced as a plastic identification tag for soldiers.
Filmmaker Michael Morganstern creates a name tag project to experiment with social interaction by sharing 200,000 name tags.
Nametag Day FAQs
Why do people wear name tags?
People generally wear name tags for easy identification. In large organizations, they are used for quick recognition, while in some, they are used to make customers feel more comfortable.
What sides are name tags worn on?
For right-handed people, name tags are worn on the right side. Since most people greet with their right hand, the gaze of the person greeting often follows the hand back to the name tag.
Who wears name tags?
Anyone can wear a name tag. From the police to the military to waiters, bankers, employees, or politicians, anyone who wants to be identified easily can wear a name tag.
Nametag Day Activities
Wear a name tag
The first step is to wear a tag with your name on it. If you want an even better conversation starter, you can design your name tag with creative elements that make people ask questions.
Ask someone their name
You know that guy you pass on the street every day without saying a word? Maybe today, you can ask for his name and strike up a conversation with him. You might find out something interesting or make a valuable friend.
Call people by their names
Using people's names to address them creates a sense of familiarity and friendliness. Call individuals by their first names on Nametag Day, especially service members who have name tags affixed to their uniforms. It might be the beginning of a wonderful relationship.
5 Facts About Name Tags That Will Blow Your Mind
It started with laundry
The use of name tags by the military can be traced to laundry tags, which were used to identify clothing belonging to different people.
They were originally a punishment
Back in 34 A.D., the Roman Emperor Nero invented name tags as a form of punishment for offenders.
It means ‘touch’
Quite aptly, the phrase ‘name tag’ comes from the Middle English word ‘tek,’ which means ‘touch’ or ‘tap.’
Fingerprint name tags
During World War I, U.S. Navy officials’ tags’ had a print of the sailors’ right index finger on the back.
Social Security Tags
From 1969 to 2015, the army put soldiers’ social security numbers on their dog tags
Why We Love Nametag Day
It makes the world a true community
Imagine living in a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone’s name. You’ll feel safer and less lonely when you are with people whose names you know.
It makes people feel special when they are called by name
Everyone deserves to feel special, and Nametag Day is the perfect day to make someone feel like they matter to you. Too many times, we feel invisible in a dog-eat-dog world, and Nametag Day can be a day to remind someone that they truly are special and important.
We get to meet new people
The best thing about Nametag Day is all the new people we meet and the new friends we make. Some great friendships have been formed simply because one person read out someone’s name from a name tag.
Nametag Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | March 3 | Thursday |
| 2023 | March 2 | Thursday |
| 2024 | March 7 | Thursday |
| 2025 | March 6 | Thursday |
| 2026 | March 5 | Thursday |
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