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Nominative determinism

Started by: Jazzy (8656) 

Also referred to as "aptronyms", New Scientist journalist John Hoyland coined the term "nominative determinism" for these strange cases of people who seem inexorably drawn to their profession by virtue of their name.
He was led to the subject after a being alerted to a scientific paper by authors JW Splatt and D Weedon on the subject of incontinence, on the same day as seeing a book on the Arctic by a Mr Snowman.

Mollys Eye Specialist name is Seawright

Anybody know any real life others?


Started: 30th Jun 2015 at 12:54
Last edited by Jazzy: 30th Jun 2015 at 12:54:35

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Sara Blizzard, meteorologist (television weather presenter) for the BBC

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:13

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Thomas Crapper, manufacturer of Victorian toilets.

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:14

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Rich Fairbank, founder and CEO of Capital One Financial Corp.

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:15

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Bob Flowerdew, gardener and Gardeners' Question Time panelist

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:16

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 


Jim McGovern, Scottish politician

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:18

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Marina Stepanova, former Soviet hurdler, first woman to run under 53 seconds in the 400 m hurdles

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:21

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

former Archbishop of Manila, Jaime L. Sin who in 1976 was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI, thus becoming known as "Cardinal Sin"

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 14:22

Posted by: momac (12504) 

My dads name was Jim McGovern....a fine name.

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 15:22

Posted by: ayrefield (4465)

Seen on Mother Nature Network:-

• Ray Ban: The Weather Channel (retired)
• Storm E. Field: WABC, New York; WCBS, New York; WWOR,N.Y./N.J. (retired)
• Amy Freeze: WABC, New York
• Sunny Haus: KARE, Minneapolis
• Dewey Hopper: KPNX, Phoenix (retired)
• Dallas Raines: KABC, Los Angeles
• Stormy Rottman: KBTV/KUSA, Denver, Colo. (deceased)
• Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz: WCAU, Philadelphia
• Larry Sprinkle: WCNC, Charlotte, N.C.
• Ken Weathers: WATE, Knoxville, Tenn.


Read more: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/stories/16-meteorologists-with-ridiculous-names#ixzz3eYlOJDzJ

Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 16:35

Posted by: jo anne (34756) 

Some good ones there and I have come across examples in real life, but just can't re-call them!

It's an interesting subject - could people be shaped by name / named by nature?

Replied: 3rd Jul 2015 at 10:52

Posted by: Anne (4419) 

One of my aunts knew of a farmer whose name was Pitchfork.

Replied: 3rd Jul 2015 at 11:00

Posted by: Jazzy (8656) 

Splatt and Weedon's incontinence study are my favorites, I did check in case it was an urban myth, but they are genuine.

Replied: 3rd Jul 2015 at 11:57

Posted by: jo anne (34756) 

From Twitter today:

@MooseAllain: It’s pleasing to see that the MP for Stevenage is called Stephen.

Stephen McPartland - so there's an MP in his surname too

Replied: 21st Oct 2015 at 10:07

Posted by: xxstuartxx (5799)

Dr. Richard Chopp, urologist (Does vasectomies).

A proctologist by the name of Dr. HellBraun. (Think about it.)

The book "The Imperial Animal" by Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox.

Replied: 21st Oct 2015 at 15:56

 

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