Repertoires of ‘migrant names’: an inquiry into mundane identity production

This paper examines how, when and where personal names are produced as ‘migrant names’. Drawing on 21 interviews with young Irish Latvian migrants in the UK, I demonstrate how mundane stories, linguistic details, repertoires about migrant embodied, mobile, relational, produce everyday social distinctions. Empirical analysis unpacks changes naming stories throughout participants’ multiple migration trajectories Ireland, Latvia, UK beyond. argue for a geographically sensitive take because they such through recognisable of displacement then re-emplaced certain spaces times. The makes three main original contributions. first is to interdisciplinary literatures names, specifically significance temporal spatial contexts relationalities underpinning production names. Second, it brings geographies identities novel understandings ethnic national power relations practices, including an emphasis process ambiguous whiteness. Finally, contribute much-needed methodological propositions pseudonymise research.