Aptronym
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An aptronym is a name aptly suited to its owner. Fictional examples of aptronyms include Mr. Talkative and Mr. Worldly Wiseman in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678), and the principal cast of the Mr Men (1971).
A related phrase is nominative determinism, popularised by New Scientist magazine, suggesting, with tongue firmly in cheek, that people's life choices are influenced by their names. The distinction is subtle but fundamental: as post-hoc versus propter-hoc, so aptronym versus nominative determinism.
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[edit] Examples
- Gilbert Arenas, basketball player. (Basketball is played in an arena)
- Lloy Ball, American volleyball player
- Michael Ball, footballer, currently at Manchester City
- Layne Beachley, Australian world champion surfer
- George Best, one of the best footballers for Manchester United
- Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter, 100m and 200m world record holder
- Samantha Bond, appeared in 4 films of the James Bond series, playing Miss Moneypenny
- Lord Brain, neurologist
- Brian Cashman, general manager of the New York Yankees, who consistently have the highest payroll in MLB
- Margaret Smith Court, tennis player
- Thomas Crapper, manufacturer of Victorian toilets. (Note that the word "crap" predates Mr Crapper.)
- Billy Drummond, American jazz drummer.
- Cecil Fielder and son Prince Fielder, baseball players
- Eric Gagné, French-Canadian major league baseball pitcher, whose last name translates from French to "win"
- Learned Hand, judge
- Henry Head, an English neurologist
- Derek Jeter, New York Yankees shortstop (jeter is French for "to throw")
- Mort Kunstler, American painter, whose name in German directly translates as "artist"
- Mario Lemieux, French-Canadian NHL Hall-of-Fame player, whose family name in French directly translates as "the better" or indirectly as "the best"
- Chuck Long, former NFL quarterback for the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams
- George McGovern, former South Dakota politician and presidential candidate.
- Bernard Madoff, alleged architect of the world's biggest Ponzi scheme, who "made off" with investors' billions
- Bill Medley, singer, one half of The Righteous Brothers
- Chris Moneymaker, amateur winner of 2003 World Series of Poker, which earned him $2.5 million
- Mike Musick, musician, former music teacher
- Vince Offer, infomercial salesman
- Alexandra Penney, author of the 1982 bestseller "How to Make Love to a Man," who lost all but a small fraction of her wealth in the Madoff scandal.
- Antonio da Ponte, designer of the Rialto Bridge ("da Ponte" translates as "of the bridge").
- Alto Reed, saxophonist with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
- Bob Rock, rock music producer, including Metallica and Bon Jovi
- Martin Short, actor, stands well below male average height at estimated 5'6" (167cm)
- Anna Smashnova, tennis player
- Brenda Song, singer
- Margaret Spellings, Education Secretary under George W. Bush
- Larry Speakes, presidential spokesman under President Ronald Reagan
- Lake Speed, former Nascar driver
- Scott Speed, Nascar racing driver, formerly Formula One, GP2 and A1GP
- Charlie Spikes, former Major League Baseball player
- Dana Strum, bass guitarist of the rock band Slaughter
- Willie Thrower, former NFL quarterback; first African-American quarterback in NFL during modern era (post WWII)
- John Tory, former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party
- Tiger Woods, golfer (Wood is a type of golf club)
- William Wordsworth, poet
- Marilyn vos Savant, a columnist famous for her extremely high IQ and penchant for puzzle solving
[edit] Other Examples
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. A sampling from the list:
- James Bugg, exterminator
- Dan Druff, barber
- Rev. James R. God, minister of the Baptist Church in Congress, South Carolina
- Priscilla Flattery, Environmental Protection Agency publicist
- William Headline, Washington, D.C. bureau chief for CNN
- C. Sharpe Minor, an organist
- U.S. Navey, member of the United States Marine Corps
- Quentin Jammer, NFL cornerback
- Ima Assman proctologist
- Robert Killingback, chiropractor
Some aptronyms are ironic rather than descriptive. The former Archbishop of Manila, Jaime L. Sin known as "Cardinal Sin," is a notable example. Dickson's book also lists a Rev. Richard Sinner of Fargo, North Dakota. Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post has called these "inaptonyms"[1]
[edit] Other issues
Aptronyms may be called "aptonyms" by other writers. San Francisco columnist Herb Caen used the term "namephreaks". Washington Post columnist Bob Levey prefers the term PFLNs, or Perfect Fit Last Names.
There does not yet seem to be a standard terminology for this linguistic curiosity.
[edit] References
- "aptronym". Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica Online ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.. 2008. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/30911/aptronym. Retrieved on 2008-07-19.
- Dickson, Paul. What's in a Name? Reflections of an Irrepressible Name Collector. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996. ISBN 0-87779-613-0
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- List of 125+ Aptonyms
- "Charol Shakeshaft, Topped!", a list of reader-submitted aptronyms by Slate's Timothy Noah.
- Article about Zimbabwean English naming conventions
