To add to our understanding of language and cognition in congenitally blind children, the notion of nominal realism was probed. Subjects responded to questions regarding the origin of object names and whether these names could be changed. Inquiry also focused on whether the children assigned animistic qualities to the objects. Results of the investigation indicated that nominal realism, as an attribute of preoperational thought, remains a characteristic of blind children's thinking longer than it does for sighted children. This finding is related to the limitations blindness is thought to impose on children's interactions with objects, and the general delay in (Piagetian) cognitive development observed among congenitally blind youngsters. These results underscore the need for providing appropriate cognitive and linguistic experiences for young blind children.