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I recently learned this has a name: nominative determinism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determ

I recently learned this has a name: nominative determinism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism

gwd 5y ago
When I was growing up, the ophthalmologist our family frequented was named Ivan Doctor. So he was Dr. I. Doctor the eye doctor.
rsynnott 5y ago
My favourite example of this: > UK retailer Shoe Zone has named Terry Boot as its next finance boss after predecessor Peter Foot walked away from the role.
- BizarroLand 5y ago
  That sounds like the premise of an episode of some wacky sitcom where aliens have to masquerade as humans while preparing to take over the world.
jaclaz 5y ago
And, JFYI, it dates quite back in time: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nomen_est_omen https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nomen_est_omen The en.wikipedia "nomen est omen" redirects to the "nominative determinism" page which doesn't highlight enough the origin.
skytreader 5y ago
While we're in the topic of examples, does Usain Bolt count here? I just can't believe the coincidence that the fastest man on the planet would carry that surname. The thing with Bolt is that, not only did he choose that field, he is also biologically gifted to achieve those records. What are the odds, come on! (And I looked it up, Jamaica is an English-speaking territory, though with a creole.) In more personal examples, in my freshman year, I met a fellow freshie whose name is "Justice", though he is more often referred to with a nickname I now forgot. He was in the Political Science program, on track as a---you guessed it---prelaw degree. He would preempt introductions by claiming his name has nothing to do with his choice of degree program. I don't know if he did manage to enter the bar but "Attorney Justice" sounds as absurd as a superhero name to me. I wonder how he's living up to his name now.

I recently learned this has a name: nominative determinism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_determinism

gwd 5y ago

When I was growing up, the ophthalmologist our family frequented was named Ivan Doctor. So he was Dr. I. Doctor the eye doctor.

rsynnott 5y ago

My favourite example of this: > UK retailer Shoe Zone has named Terry Boot as its next finance boss after predecessor Peter Foot walked away from the role.

BizarroLand 5y ago
That sounds like the premise of an episode of some wacky sitcom where aliens have to masquerade as humans while preparing to take over the world.

jaclaz 5y ago

And, JFYI, it dates quite back in time: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nomen_est_omen https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nomen_est_omen The en.wikipedia "nomen est omen" redirects to the "nominative determinism" page which doesn't highlight enough the origin.

skytreader 5y ago

While we're in the topic of examples, does Usain Bolt count here? I just can't believe the coincidence that the fastest man on the planet would carry that surname. The thing with Bolt is that, not only did he choose that field, he is also biologically gifted to achieve those records. What are the odds, come on! (And I looked it up, Jamaica is an English-speaking territory, though with a creole.) In more personal examples, in my freshman year, I met a fellow freshie whose name is "Justice", though he is more often referred to with a nickname I now forgot. He was in the Political Science program, on track as a---you guessed it---prelaw degree. He would preempt introductions by claiming his name has nothing to do with his choice of degree program. I don't know if he did manage to enter the bar but "Attorney Justice" sounds as absurd as a superhero name to me. I wonder how he's living up to his name now.