propernoun

A proper noun is a noun that names a specific person, place, organization, or thing, distinguishing it from a common noun which refers to a general class. In English, proper nouns are typically capitalized, a convention that signals a unique referent rather than a general category.

Proper nouns cover a wide range of referents, including personal names (Alice, Mahatma Gandhi), geographic names (Paris, Mount Kilimanjaro), institutional names (NASA, the European Union), brands (Nike, Apple), and titles of works (Pride and Prejudice). They can consist of multiple words, such as New York City or The University of Oxford, and may include numbers or special characters in some cases (World War II).

In usage, proper nouns function as full noun phrases and usually do not require an article in English, though certain named entities do take determiners (the United States, the Netherlands). They can appear as subjects, objects, or other complements in sentences. Proper nouns may also serve attributively as in Nike shoes, where the brand name modifies another noun. While most proper nouns are singular, they can be pluralized when referring to multiple individuals sharing a name or when the name itself denotes a family or group (the Kardashians).

Cross-linguistically, the marking of proper nouns varies. Many languages rely on capitalization to distinguish proper nouns, but others use diacritics, articles, or inflectional endings to signal proper-name status. Some languages do not capitalize at all, requiring context to identify named entities. Proper nouns play a central role in reference and identity across writing systems, making them a foundational concept in grammar and lexicography.