Aptronym
An aptronym, aptonym or euonym is a personal name aptly or peculiarly suited to its owner. The Encyclopaedia 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."
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.[2] Psychologist Carl Jung wrote in his book Synchronicity that there was a "sometimes quite grotesque coincidence between a man's name and his peculiarities".[3]
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]
- Jules Angst, German professor of psychiatry, who has published works about anxiety[4]
- Colin Bass, British bassist in the rock band Camel[4]
- Sara Blizzard, meteorologist (television weather presenter) for the BBC[4]
- Josh Earnest, the third press secretary for the Obama Administration (Stephen Colbert observed, "What a name for a press secretary. Josh Earnest. His name literally means, 'Just kidding, but seriously.'"[5])
- Marilyn vos Savant, American columnist who has been cited for having the world's highest recorded IQ[6]
- Anthony Weiner, American politician who has had multiple sexting scandals.
- William Wordsworth, English poet and advocate for the extension of British copyright law[7][8]
Inaptronyms[edit]
Some aptronyms are ironic rather than descriptive, being called inaptronyms by Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post.[9] A notable example is the former Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Sin who in 1976 was made a cardinal by Pope Paul VI, thus becoming known as "Cardinal Sin".[4]
- Don Black, White supremacist[4]
- Peter Bowler, cricketer (in fact, primarily a batsman)[4]
- Samuel Foote, a comic actor who lost a leg in a horseriding accident in 1766, and made jokes on stage about "Foote and leg, and leg and foot"[10]
- Larry Playfair, NHL defenseman known for his fighting[11]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "aptronym". Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Online ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- ^ Dickson, Paul (1996). What's in a Name? Reflections of an Irrepressible Name Collector. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. ISBN 0-87779-613-0.
- ^ "When the name fits the job" BBC. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Nunn, Gary. "Reckless by name, reckless by nature? (But at least he's not called Rich White)".
- ^ Topaz, Jonathan (24 June 2014). "Stephen Colbert to 'quitter' Jay Carney: Man up!". Politico. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ Elster, Charles Harrington (2005). What in the Word?. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. p. 109.
- ^ Wordsworth, William (1876). Alexander B. Grosart, ed. The Prose Works of William Wordsworth. London: Edward Moxon, Son and Co. p. 21.
- ^ Swartz, Richard G. (1992). "Wordsworth, Copyright, and the Commodities of Genius". Modern Philology. JSTOR. 89 (4): 482–509. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ^ Gene Weingarten (July 18, 2006). "Chatological Humor* (UPDATED 7.21.06)". Washington Post.
- ^ Clarke, Norma (28 December 2014). "Samuel Foote, the one-legged wonder". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- ^ "6 Biggest Goons In Buffalo Sabres' History". Rant Sports. 19 January 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
External links[edit]
- Aptonyms-wiki (based on the extinct Canadian Aptonym Centre)
- "Charol Shakeshaft, Topped!", A Yellow Pages of aptronyms. reader-submitted aptronyms by Slate's Timothy Noah
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