It is believed that an Australian meteorologist was the first to use a proper name for a tropical cyclone in the early 20^th century. He named them after certain political figures—those that he adamantly opposed! Naming the storms in this way gave him an opportunity to respond to that politician’s doctrine. It has even been suggested that this custom be brought back into today’s naming process.

Others say that the naming of severe storms stemmed from a 1941 novel written by lexicographer George Stewart. In the book, meteorologists identify storms by human names. It is here that meteorologists with the US Air Force and Navy during World War II may have adopted this practice, naming them after girlfriends and wives.

Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic Ocean were named by the phonetic alphabet from 1950 to 1952, but in 1953 the US Weather Bureau changed back to women’s names. Not until 1979 did the World Meteorological Organization and the US National Weather Service begin naming tropical storms and hurricanes with both men and women’s names.

Ultimately, giving a tropical cyclone or hurricane a proper name has helped meteorologists communicate more easily with the public.