Aptronym

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Charactonym)

An aptronym, aptonym, or euonym is a personal name aptly or peculiarly suited to its owner.

History[edit]

The Encyclopædia Britannica attributes the term to Franklin P. Adams, a writer who coined it as an anagram of patronym, to emphasize "apt".[1]

According to Frank Nuessel, in The Study of Names (1992), an aptonym is the term used for "people whose names and occupations or situations (e.g., workplace) have a close correspondence."[2]

In the book What's in a Name? (1996), author Paul Dickson cites a long list of aptronyms originally compiled by Professor Lewis P. Lipsitt, of Brown University.[3] Psychologist Carl Jung wrote in his book Synchronicity that there was a "sometimes quite grotesque coincidence between a man's name and his peculiarities".[4]

Nominative determinism is a hypothesis which suggests a causal relationship based on the idea that people tend to be attracted to areas of work that fit their name.

Notable examples[edit]

Inaptronyms[edit]

Some names are very inappropriate for what the person does, being called inaptronyms by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post.[92]

See also[edit]

  • -onym
  • Nominative determinism, the hypothesis that a person's name can have a significant role in determining key aspects of their job, profession or even character

References[edit]

  1. ^ "aptronym". Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Online ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
  2. ^ Nuessel, Frank (1992). The Study of Names: A Guide to the Principles and Topics. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780313283567. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  3. ^ Dickson, Paul (1996). What's in a Name? Reflections of an Irrepressible Name Collector. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. ISBN 0-87779-613-0.
  4. ^ Colls, Tom (20 December 2011). "When the name fits the job". BBC News. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Nunn, Gary (31 October 2014). "Reckless by name, reckless by nature? (But at least he's not called Rich White)". TheGuardian.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e Maxwell, Kerry (4 March 2008). "BuzzWord: Aptronym". MacMillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  7. ^ Holley, Shawn (15 May 2020). "20 20 Smart Lists". Page Publishing. ISBN 9781635684766. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  8. ^ Roberts, Sam (2009). Only in New York: An Exploration of the World's Most Fascinating, Frustrating, and Irrepressible City. Fordham University Press. ISBN 9780823281084. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  9. ^ Wighton, Sue (18 June 2012). "Apt names pause to ponder fate". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  10. ^ Picard, Ken (24 December 2014). "Aptronyms 2014: Are Descriptive Monikers Coincidence or Fate?". Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  11. ^ Kirsch, Noah. "Inside Tito's Vodka: How A Man Named 'Beveridge' Built A $2.5 Billion Fortune". Forbes. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Thetford to have Bishop Bishop after royal approval". 15 June 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  13. ^ Bliss was named for an esteemed local physician, and so given the forename "Doctor", see NYT Staff (1881). "How Dr. Bliss Got His Name; From the Elmira Advertiser, July 7" (print). The New York Times (July 9). Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  14. ^ Unger-Hamilton, Clive (2005). Music of the Baroque Era. Naxos Multimedia Ltd. p. 48.
  15. ^ Nordquist, Richard. "Aptronym - Definitions and Examples in English". Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  16. ^ a b Strong, W.F. (10 March 2021). "What's In A Name? For These Famous Texans, Everything". Texas Standard. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  17. ^ Lyn Pesce, Nicole (22 February 2019). "Doug Bowser & Other People Whose Names Perfectly Fit Their Jobs". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019. Some people seem born into their professions. Take Doug Bowser, the incoming president of Nintendo of America, whose surname is the same as one of the videogame company's most recognizable villains. Bowser, after all, is the evil turtle-dragon hybrid that plucky plumbers Mario and Luigi have to keep rescuing the princess from.
  18. ^ Purdy, Kevin (18 April 2023). "Switch modder Bowser released from prison, likely owes Nintendo for rest of life". Ars Technica. Retrieved 20 October 2023. [Gary] Bowser, a key figure in the nominative determinism hypothesis, is often described as a "hacker" but mainly worked in sales and promotion for Team Xecuter (or TX) as 'kind of a PR guy.' The group developed and sold jailbreaking devices dating back to the original Xbox under various brand and release names. While these devices opened up systems for homebrew, Linux, and other uses, they also made it simple to load pirated ROMs onto devices. Team Xecuter benefited from the open source work of Switch hackers, sold devices at a profit to help others hack their Switches, and were far more explicit about the piracy aspects of their exploits than other groups.
  19. ^ "A FIELD DAY WITH APTLY NAMED WORKERS". Chicago Tribune. 7 May 1995. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  20. ^ Berman, Laura (6 September 2017). "Starbucks Adds Fittingly Named Rosalind Brewer, Sam's Club Veteran, as COO". The Street. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  21. ^ Noah, Timothy (17 May 2006). "Wayne Schmuck, Used-Car Distributor". Slate. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  22. ^ O'Neill, Lauren (3 December 2015). "College football player Jake Butt named tight end of the year". CBC News. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  23. ^ Haberman, Clyde (1 September 2011). "When a Person's Name Means What It Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  24. ^ Wilton, David (2008). Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends. Oxford University Press. p. 137. ISBN 9780195375572. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  25. ^ Browne, Ian (24 June 2017). "Boston bets on righty from Sale's alma mater". mlb.com. MLB Advanced Media, LP. Archived from the original on 5 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  26. ^ Gould, Kenny (22 September 2014). "A Cautious Man's Guide to Hot Peppers". Gear Patrol. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  27. ^ "When the name fits the job". 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  28. ^ Bautista, Rafael (21 March 2023). "Meet the Filipina Pianist in Taylor Swift's Eras Tour". Nylon Manila. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023. Karina DePiano, an appropriate last name for someone who plays the piano for a living, is a professional pianist, music director, and producer.
  29. ^ a b c Timothy, Noah (2 May 2006). "Aptronym Watch: Sue Yoo Too!". Slate. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  30. ^ Noguchi, Yuki (7 January 2016). "Global Stocks Plunge After China Halts Trading". NPR. That view was backed up by another China economic policy expert, the aptly named David Dollar.
  31. ^ Faeth, Stan (29 July 2013). "What's in a name? Maybe a career". Greensboro News & Record. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023. Although it was a fascinating story in itself, I was more captivated by the ornithologist's name, which is aptly Carla Dove.
  32. ^ Topaz, Jonathan (24 June 2014). "Stephen Colbert to 'quitter' Jay Carney: Man up!". Politico. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015. What a name for a press secretary. Josh Earnest. His name literally means, 'Just kidding, but seriously.'
  33. ^ "Historic Mark Holders". Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  34. ^ Lora Starling (11 July 2017). Identify Yourself: The Logo for Your Life. Balboa Press AU. pp. 45–. ISBN 978-1-5043-7658-7. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  35. ^ Love, Jordan. "Famous People with Literal Names". Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  36. ^ "Caulkins gave 'em five". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  37. ^ "When the name fits the job". 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
  38. ^ a b Johnson, Theodore R. (14 March 2016). "Do Our Names Shape Our Destinies? Trump's Might". Slate. Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  39. ^ Grotz, Bob (8 June 2023). "Grotz: Eagles making it crystal clear that aptly named (Kenneth) Gainwell will be top runner". Trentonian. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  40. ^ Wiseman, Lauren (23 October 2008). "WILLIAM HEADLINE: 1931 - 2008". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019. CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer said Mr. Headline was 'a decent person who understood the problems that journalists have and dealt with them in a compassionate way. As we used to say it, the best name in news.'... ...Mr. Headline, whose fitting name was Americanized by a Swedish ancestor, was born in Cleveland and raised in East Aurora, N.Y.
  41. ^ a b c "Brief history of names that sound like jobs". POLITICO. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  42. ^ Dowling, Tim (28 June 2009). "The weekend's TV: The Madoff Hustle". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 September 2023. One, the aptly named James Hedges, went to talk to Madoff, but couldn't get him to answer his questions.
  43. ^ "The Art Market: records by the book | Financial Times". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2 September 2023. A new art financing service has been launched in New York by the aptly named James Hedges, a hedge-fund specialist and art aficionado.
  44. ^ "Art Financing Attracts New Players". Art Market Monitor. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  45. ^ "Names Figure in Sports Careers". The Spokesman-Review. 7 January 1912. p. 28. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  46. ^ Johnston, Philip (2 August 2013). "Farewell to a doughty champion of liberty and the public interest". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  47. ^ Parkinson, Hannah Jane (15 December 2018). "Can our names inspire our choices in life?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  48. ^ Furness, Hannah (3 July 2012). "Barclays scandal: a case of nominative determinism?". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020. Likewise, Igor Judge, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, and John Laws, the Lord Justice of Appeal, may have felt a calling.
  49. ^ Brennan, Patricia (31 March 1996). "MR. AND MRS. LOVING'". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  50. ^ Parry, Tom (18 April 2014). "Usain Bolt, Thomas Crapper and others with names perfect for the achievements that brought them fame". mirror. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  51. ^ Madsen, Peter (3 June 2017). "Ever meet someone with a name that matches their career?". The Bulletin. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  52. ^ Malamud, Randy (23 January 2016). "The secret meanings of "Trump": Why it's time to give Donald the "Rick Santorum" treatment". Salon. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  53. ^ Schneider, Andrew (13 February 2012). "Waterworth Takes Helm At Port Of Houston". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  54. ^ "The £31m Cars Aiming To Break The 3000-Mile Barrier In The Daytona 24-Hour Race". The Sportsman. 26 January 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  55. ^ Wilgoren, Jodi (25 May 2003). "A Player Called 'Money' Wins World Poker Title". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  56. ^ Goldstein, Gerry. "When the name fits the game". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  57. ^ Quinn, Gregory (22 October 2015). "What's In A Name: Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge". PANYNJ PORTfolio. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  58. ^ "Dear Prime Minister . . . the art of an epistolary execution". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  59. ^ Totaro, Paola (8 July 2022). "Johnson, the supreme and brazen survivor, finally succumbs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  60. ^ "WNBC legend Gabe Pressman turns 80". The Washington Post. 17 February 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  61. ^ Thomas Heath (29 January 2012). "Profit is more than just a term for this investment adviser". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  62. ^ Sánchez Canales, Gustavo (2016). ""What's in a Name?": Aptronyms and Archetypes in Bernard Malamud's The Assistant and The Fixer". In Aarons, Victoria; Sánchez Canales, Gustavo (eds.). Bernard Malamud: A Centennial Tribute. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814341148. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  63. ^ Clinton, Jared (9 November 2018). "Top 100 Goalies: No. 32 – Jonathan Quick". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  64. ^ Barkowitz, Ed (5 November 2019). "College basketball preview: Notes and quotes about a wide-open season". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  65. ^ Sanchez, Mark W. (5 April 2022). "Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley prompting Knicks' questions". New York Post. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  66. ^ Swaragita, Gisela (11 March 2020). "Dr. Corona vs. coronavirus: Muhammadiyah special center fighting COVID-19 in Indonesia". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020. Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization has officially entered the national battle against the coronavirus by establishing the Muhammadiyah COVID-19 Command Center (MCCC) and putting an aptly named physician, Corona Rintawan, in charge.
  67. ^ "Bowser vs. Bowser: New Nintendo boss shares name with villain". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 March 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  68. ^ Mahon, Tom (20 July 2012). "Rodman's father the original worm". Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  69. ^ "The Rush: Tokyo 2020's first medalist, unique athlete names and behind the scenes in Olympic Village". Yahoo! Sports. 24 July 2021. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  70. ^ Elster, Charles Harrington (2005). What in the Word?. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. p. 109.
  71. ^ Phelps, Luke (23 January 2022). "Tottenham Hotspur looking into deal for Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Toby Savin". The72. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  72. ^ "Talking points from Boxing Day draw". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  73. ^ Koller, Michael (2 February 2009). "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (Nosferatu Eine Symphonie des Grauens) – Senses of Cinema". Senses of Cinema.
  74. ^ Gault, Matthew (18 March 2020). "'It Nearly Brings Me to Tears.' 20 Years On, The Sims' Diehard Fans Could Never Let Go". Time. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  75. ^ a b Sue Wighton (18 June 2012). "Apt names pause to ponder fate". The Courier Mail.
  76. ^ Sawyer, Robert J. (2012). Triggers. New York: Ace Books. p. 186. ISBN 978-1-937007-16-4. Or Larry Speakes," said Eric... "He was the White House spokesman for Ronald Reagan." She smiled. "Exactly. There's a name for that. It's called ... nominative determinism.
  77. ^ "Now, That's a Proper Name". Los Angeles Times. 12 March 2006. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on 13 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  78. ^ "Speed is the name and the game". Motorsport. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  79. ^ Okulski, Travis (30 April 2013). "Ask Formula One Driver And NASCAR Racer Scott Speed Anything You Want". Jalopnik. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  80. ^ "2012 London Olympics: It's the All-Aptronym Team". Wall Street Journal. 7 August 2012. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  81. ^ Roeder, Oliver (2022). Seven Games: A Human History. New York: W. W. Norton. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-324003-77-9. Bernard Suits, a relatively obscure but aptly named scholar ... was perhaps the first true philosopher of games.
  82. ^ Folley, Aris (20 June 2019). "A woman named Marijuana Pepsi earns doctoral degree with dissertation on uncommon names". The Hill. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  83. ^ Scottie Andrew and Brian Ries (21 June 2019). "She knows you think her name is different. But Dr. Marijuana Pepsi's work speaks for itself". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  84. ^ Cambers, Simon (19 January 2023). "She has perfect tennis name: Katie Volynets – 'Volley Nets'". Associated Press. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  85. ^ Karim, Fariha (28 February 2024). "Keith Weed shoots to top of gardening world". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  86. ^ Goldberg, Barbara. "Having the right name at the right, or sometimes wrong, time". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  87. ^ "She's rebuilding one of America's elite wine organizations". Fortune. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  88. ^ Flanagan, Patrick (5 September 2014). "Judge Feldman writes the first sentence of his obituary". theind.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  89. ^ Wordsworth, William (1876). Alexander B. Grosart (ed.). The Prose Works of William Wordsworth. London: Edward Moxon, Son and Co. p. 21.
  90. ^ Swartz, Richard G. (1992). "Wordsworth, Copyright, and the Commodities of Genius". Modern Philology. 89 (4): 482–509. doi:10.1086/392000. JSTOR 438162. S2CID 162203888.
  91. ^ Lederer, Richard (2012). Amazing Words: An Alphabetical Anthology of Alluring, Astonishing, Astounding, Bedazzling, Beguiling, Bewitching, Enchanting, Enthralling, Entrancing, Magical, Mesmerizing, Miraculous, Tantalizing, Tempting, and Transfixing Words. Marion Street Press, LLC. ISBN 9781936863310. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  92. ^ Gene Weingarten (18 July 2006). "Chatological Humor* (UPDATED 7.21.06)". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  93. ^ a b Ng, Huiwen (19 January 2019). "British police officer Rob Banks becomes unlikely Internet star for his ironic name". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  94. ^ Kahn, Andrew (13 July 2021). "Josh Outman? Not Quite". andrewjkahn.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  95. ^ "ZZ Top Drummer Frank Beard Finally Grows One". 103.7 The Hawk. 31 December 2013. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  96. ^ Clarke, Norma (28 December 2014). "Samuel Foote, the one-legged wonder". The Times Literary Supplement. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  97. ^ "Hand of God fails to come to the rescue for plucky Argentina". Independent.ie. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 19 September 2023. During the 1982 FIFA World Cup an Italian defender, ironically named Claudio Gentile [...]
  98. ^ "Toe Poke Daily: Mark de Man, Wolfgang Wolf and the most ironic names in football". ESPN.com. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  99. ^ Jiang, Allan. "The 10 Most Underrated Soccer Players in History". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 19 September 2023. Claudio Gentile is the archetypal hard man, which was ironic considering his last name translates to gentle.
  100. ^ "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  101. ^ Noah, Timothy (8 July 2003). "Matt Gobush, Democrat". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  102. ^ Dunn, Matthew (28 March 2018). "England 1 - Italy 1: Lorenzo Insigne denies Three Lions Wembley win". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  103. ^ Tully-Mcmanus, Katherine (2 March 2023). "Biden drops by: today in Congress". Politico. Huddle (newsletter). Archived from the original on 3 March 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  104. ^ "Robin Mahfood, Food for the Poor President, Has Most Ironic Name Ever". HuffPost. 20 February 2013. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  105. ^ "Doctor I.C. Notting—A classic case of nominative determinism". Improbable. 13 April 2021. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  106. ^ Layla A. Jones (9 January 2020). "What's in a name? From criminal to elite, the history of 'Outlaw'". Billy Penn. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  107. ^ Grosnick, Bryan (27 August 2012). "When The Stats Match The Name". Beyond the Box Score. Archived from the original on 19 August 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.

External links[edit]