Athletic team names are a fascinating yet understudied topic in onomastics. Inspired by the work of Nuessel (1994 Nuessel, Frank. 1994. Objectionable sports team designations. Names: A Journal of Onomastics 42(2): 101–119.[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) and Smith (1997) and framed by the extensive toponymy approach described by Tent (2015 Tent, Jan. 2015. Approaches to research in toponymy. Names: A Journal of Onomastics 63(2): 65–74.[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), this study proposes a taxonomy of team names and mascots used by high schools in the United States. A list of 20,853 schools procured from the Clell Wade Coaches Directory catalyzed the study, and content analysis of school websites and social media accounts determined the mascots of ambiguous team names. The results include seven general categories: humans, fauna, flora, inanimate objects and phenomena, deities and spiritual beings, mythological creatures and beings, and schools not using team names. Most schools use an animal or human mascot, and prevailing themes among all names include a strong degree of convention in their selection, a high frequency of bellicosity in their character, and a small but notable observance of local distinctiveness in their presence.

运动队的名字是一个令人着迷但未被研究的话题。受Nuessel（1994年）的启发 内塞尔，弗兰克。1994年。令人反感的运动队指定。名称：肿瘤学杂志42（2）：101 – 119。[Taylor＆Francis Online]  ，[Google Scholar]和Smith（1997），并由Tent（2015 一月，帐篷。2015年。地名研究的方法。名称：肿瘤学杂志63（2）：65 – 74。[Taylor＆Francis Online]，[Web of Science®]  ，[Google Scholar]），该研究提出了美国高中使用的队名和吉祥物的分类法。从《克莱尔·韦德教练指南》中采购的20,853所学校的清单推动了这项研究，对学校网站和社交媒体帐户的内容分析确定了模棱两可的团队名称的吉祥物。结果包括七个大类：人类，动植物，植物群，无生命的物体和现象，神灵和灵性生物，神话生物和生物以及不使用团队名称的学校。大多数学校都使用动物或人类的吉祥物，所有名称中普遍的主题包括：选择上的习俗高度一致，性格上的好战频度以及在场时对当地独特性的小而显着的遵守。