Misplaced Pages

An aptronym, aptonym, or euonym is a personal name aptly or peculiarly suited to its owner (e.g. their occupation).

Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post coined the word inaptonym as an antonym for "aptonym".

The word "euonym" (eu- + -onym), dated to late 1800, is defined as "a name well suited to the person, place, or thing named".

History

The Encyclopædia Britannica says that the term was allegedly invented by a columnist Franklin P. Adams, who coined the word "aptronym" as an anagram of patronym, to emphasize "apt". The Oxford English Dictionary reported that the word appeared in a Funk & Wagnall’s dictionary in 1921, defined as "a surname indicative of an occupation: as, Glass, the glazier". Psychologist Carl Jung wrote in his 1960 book Synchronicity that there was a "sometimes quite grotesque coincidence between a man's name and his peculiarities".

In the 1966 book What's in a Name?, Paul Dickson, among other peculiar types of surnames, has a section on aptronyms which includes a list of aptronyms selected from his large collection. The latter originated from the one received from professor Lewis P. Lipsitt of Brown University and further expanded with the help of Dickson's friends, mostly from newspapers and phone books. Some newspaper columnists collect aptronyms as well.

Notable examples

This section may contain excessive or irrelevant examples. Please help improve the article by adding descriptive text and removing less pertinent examples. (June 2024)

• Jules Angst, Swiss professor of psychiatry, who has published works about anxiety (angst)
• Michael Ball, English footballer
• Lance Bass, bass singer for the American pop boy band NSYNC
• Layne Beachley, Australian former world champion surfer
• Alexander Graham Bell, developer of the telephone
• Bert "Tito" Beveridge, founder of beverage company Tito's Vodka
• Ian Bishop, Church of England bishop
• Doctor Willard Bliss, physician who treated President James A. Garfield (his given name was "Doctor")
• Sara Blizzard, meteorologist and television weather presenter for the BBC
• Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter
• Doug Bowser, president of Nintendo of America (Bowser is a character from a flagship Nintendo franchise, Super Mario)
• Russell Brain, 1st Baron Brain, neurologist
• Rosalind Brewer, executive at Starbucks and former director at Molson Coors Brewing Company
• Rosalind Canter, British Olympic equestrienne (woman who rides horses professionally), winner of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games
• Christopher Coke and his father Lester Coke, Jamaican drug lords and cocaine traffickers
• Thomas Crapper, British sanitary engineer often erroneously referred to as the inventor of the flush toilet
• Ed Currie, a world-record holding chili pepper breeder
• Mark De Man, Belgian football defender (marking an opposing player)
• David Dollar, American economist
• Carla Dove, American ornithologist who specializes in bird strikes
• Josh Earnest, the third press secretary for the Obama administration
• Rich Fairbank, American billionaire and CEO of the Capital One bank, which holds the Fairbanking Mark for offering fair banking products
• Cecil Fielder and Prince Fielder, father-and-son baseball players (fielder)
• Jeff Float, American swimmer
• Bob Flowerdew, British gardener and TV/radio presenter
• Amy Freeze, American meteorologist
• William Headline, former Washington bureau chief for CNN
• Thomas Hogg, 17th-century New Englander accused of fathering deformed piglets by having sex with a sow.
• Sunny Hostin, American television host
• John Hunter, Scottish hunter and writer
• Selwyn Image, English artist and designer
• Fielder Jones, baseball center fielder
• Igor Judge, English judge and Lord Chief Justice
• John Laws, English judge and Lord Justice of Appeal
• Michael Lord, British member of the House of Lords.
• Richard and Mildred Loving, plaintiffs in Loving v. Virginia, which legalized interracial marriage throughout the United States
• George McGovern, American politician and senator in the federal government
• Chris Moneymaker, American poker player and 2003 World Series of Poker champion
• David W. Music, American composer of church music
• Eugenius Outerbridge, inaugural chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; namesake of the Outerbridge Crossing, the outermost bridge between New York and New Jersey
• Gabe Pressman, American journalist
• Francine Prose, American novelist
• Corona Rintawan, Indonesian physician who led Muhammadiyah's command center for the COVID-19 pandemic
• Bob Rock, Canadian music producer best known for his works with rock acts such as Metallica and Aerosmith
• Mat Sadler, English football manager who played for and now manages Walsall, nicknamed "The Saddlers"
• Tennys Sandgren, American tennis player
• Marilyn vos Savant, American columnist who has been cited for having the world's highest-recorded IQ (savant)
• Toby Savin, English football goalkeeper (saving)
• Kayla Sims, American YouTuber and Twitch streamer, best known for playing The Sims 4
• Daniel Snowman, British historian and author of book on polar explorations
• Scott Speed, American racecar driver who has raced in a variety of motorsport, including Formula One and Formula E
• Dávid Strelec, Slovak football forward ("Strelec" is the Slovak word for "shooter" or "striker")
• Eugène Terre'Blanche, South African white nationalist (Terre'Blanche translates to "white land" in French)
• George Francis Train, entrepreneur who was heavily involved in the construction of the eastern portion of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States
• Alexander Burns Wallace, creator of the rule of nines, a system for estimating bodily surface area affected by burns
• Keith Weed, president of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Anthony Weiner, American politician involved in sexting scandals
• Emily Wines, American wine professional and board chair of the Court of Master Sommeliers
• William Wordsworth, English poet and advocate for the extension of British copyright law
• Early Wynn, baseball pitcher, member of the 300 win club
• Tiger Woods, American professional golfer; a wood is a type of golf club
• Mary Yu, associate justice of the Washington Supreme Court who officiated the state's first same-sex marriage

Inaptonyms

• Rob Banks, British police officer
• Grant Balfour, baseball pitcher ("ball four")
• Frank Beard, an American musician who, until c. 2013, was the only member of rock band ZZ Top without a beard
• Don Black, white supremacist
• Peter Bowler, cricketer (in fact, primarily a batsman)
• Samuel Foote, a British actor who lost a leg in a horseriding accident in 1766, and made jokes on stage about "Foote and leg, and leg and foot"
• Claudio Gentile, Italian footballer known for his strength
• Matt Gobush, spokesperson for Al Gore during his campaign for the 2000 presidential election, which Gore eventually lost to rival George W. Bush
• Ciro Immobile, Italian footballer known for eluding defenders
• Colleen Lawless, an American lawyer and judge
• Danielle Outlaw, former Philadelphia Police Commissioner
• Jaime Sin, Catholic prelate. Upon being made a cardinal in 1976, he gained the further inaptronymic title of "Cardinal Sin"
• Bob Walk, baseball pitcher

See also

• Autological word
• -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
• Occupational surname

References

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. ^ Aptronym: Usage and Examples, Merriam-Webster
4. "aptronym". Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Online ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2008. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2008.
5. The Desk Standard Dictionary of the English Language, Funk & Wagnalls, 1921, p. 21
6. ^ Dickson, Paul (1996). What's in a Name? Reflections of an Irrepressible Name Collector. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. pp. 25–34. ISBN 0-87779-613-0.
7. 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.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ Maxwell, Kerry (4 March 2008). "BuzzWord: Aptronym". MacMillan Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
10. 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.
11. Wighton, Sue (18 June 2012). "Apt names pause to ponder fate". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. "Thetford to have Bishop Bishop after royal approval". 15 June 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
15. 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.
16. Nordquist, Richard. "Aptronym - Definitions and Examples in English". Archived from the original on 14 April 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
17. ^ 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.
18. 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.
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. Young, Pamela (30 November 2018). "New Eventing World Champion: Rosalind Canter". Horse Sport. Retrieved 27 July 2024. Having led the idyllic childhood existence galloping around the family farm... Canter emerged into adulthood, not only with an appropriate surname, but also with a solid basis for her chosen career.
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. "Thomas Crapper: Who Was the Man Who Didn't Invent the Flushing Toilet? | HistoryExtra".
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. Timothy, Noah (2 May 2006). "Aptronym Watch: Sue Yoo Too!". Slate. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.'
32. "Historic Mark Holders". Archived from the original on 30 May 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
33. 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.
34. Love, Jordan. "Famous People with Literal Names". Archived from the original on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
35. "Caulkins gave 'em five". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
36. "When the name fits the job". 20 December 2011. Archived from the original on 27 March 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
37. ^ 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.
38. 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.
39. Bering, Jesse (6 January 2012). "In early America, farm animals took the blame for zoophilic sex". Slate.
40. "'The View's Sunny Hostin Says Jesus Would Attend a Pride Parade". www.out.com. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
41. Hunter, J.A. (1952). Hunter. New York: Harper & Brothers. p. 13.
42. Adams, Steven (1996). The Arts & Crafts Movement. North Dighton, Massachusetts: JG Press. p. 60.
43. "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.
44. 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.
45. Parkinson, Hannah Jane (15 December 2018). "Can our names inspire our choices in life?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
46. 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.
47. "Suffolk: Ex-MP 'Lord Lord' has a decision to make". 23 November 2010.
48. 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.
49. Madsen, Peter (3 June 2017). "Ever meet someone with a name that matches their career?". The Bulletin. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
50. 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.
51. Schneider, Andrew (13 February 2012). "Waterworth Takes Helm At Port Of Houston". Houston Public Media. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
52. 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.
53. "Hymnology". hymnology.hymnsam.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
54. 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.
55. "WNBC legend Gabe Pressman turns 80". The Washington Post. 17 February 2004. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. "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.
59. O'Connor-Simpson, Matt (21 March 2024). "Crunch time for Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney! Meet the teams trying to stop Wrexham's historic promotion from League Two". Goal.com.
60. "Match Preview: County v Walsall". Stockport County. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
61. White, Carter (6 August 2023). "Preview: Blackburn vs. Walsall - prediction, team news". Sports Mole. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
62. "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.
63. Elster, Charles Harrington (2005). What in the Word?. Orlando, FL: Harcourt. p. 109.
64. Phelps, Luke (23 January 2022). "Tottenham Hotspur looking into deal for Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Toby Savin". The72. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
65. "Talking points from Boxing Day draw". Barnsley Chronicle. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
66. 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.
67. "Brief history of names that sound like jobs". POLITICO. 19 April 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
68. "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.
69. "Speed is the name and the game". Motorsport. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
70. 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.
71. "Keď Thiago Motta synovi na tréningu niečo hovoril, nič nerozumel, ale len kýval hlavou, "si, si". Na druhý deň už bol na vedľajšom ihrisku". Športweb.sk (in Slovak). 24 July 2024. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
72. van der Vat, Dan (4 April 2010). "Eugene Terre'Blanche obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
73. "Eugene Terre'Blanche: South African white supremacist leader". The Times. 5 April 2010.
74. "White diehard was part killer thug, part buffoon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 April 2010.
75. Karim, Fariha (28 February 2024). "Keith Weed shoots to top of gardening world". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
76. 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.
77. "She's rebuilding one of America's elite wine organizations". Fortune. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
78. Wordsworth, William (1876). Alexander B. Grosart (ed.). The Prose Works of William Wordsworth. London: Edward Moxon, Son and Co. p. 21.
79. 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.
80. 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.
81. Dominic Holden (8 December 2012). "Who's Marrying the First Gay Couple? Judge Mary Yu". The Stranger.
82. ^ 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.
83. Kahn, Andrew (13 July 2021). "Josh Outman? Not Quite". andrewjkahn.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
84. "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.
85. 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.
86. "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
87. "Toe Poke Daily: Mark de Man, Wolfgang Wolf and the most ironic names in football". ESPN.com. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
88. 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.
89. "An Irishman's Diary". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
90. Noah, Timothy (8 July 2003). "Matt Gobush, Democrat". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
91. Dunn, Matthew (28 March 2018). "England 1 - Italy 1: Lorenzo Insigne denies Three Lions Wembley win". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
92. 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.
93. 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.
94. 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

• Aptonyms-wiki (based on the extinct Canadian Aptonym Centre)
• Noah, Timothy. "Charol Shakeshaft, Topped! A Yellow Pages of aptronyms". Slate. Retrieved 12 April 2021.

• Names
• Semantics
• Types of words
• Word play