Abstract Linguistic research on proper names has mostly focused on their semantic and syntactic aspects, with relatively little attention being paid to their phonology. This article provides an exploratory overview of issues surrounding the sound patterns of proper names. Some studies argue that names in general tend to resist alternations due to name‐specific faithfulness, and that complex names can behave like simplex words due to a lack of compositionality, while others point to data that may challenge those views. There is also a body of work that examines the sounds of names in the context of cognitive psychology. By reviewing the relevant literature, this article aims to pave the way for further research in name phonology.