Nominative determinism
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
Sara Blizzard, meteorologist (television weather presenter) for the BBC
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:13
Thomas Crapper, manufacturer of Victorian toilets.
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:14
Rich Fairbank, founder and CEO of Capital One Financial Corp.
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:15
Bob Flowerdew, gardener and Gardeners' Question Time panelist
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:16
Jim McGovern, Scottish politician
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:18
Marina Stepanova, former Soviet hurdler, first woman to run under 53 seconds in the 400 m hurdles
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 13:21
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
My dads name was Jim McGovern....a fine name.
Replied: 30th Jun 2015 at 15:22
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
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
One of my aunts knew of a farmer whose name was Pitchfork.
Replied: 3rd Jul 2015 at 11:00
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
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
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