The Joy of Nominative Determinism
Can the alignment of names and occupations ever be more than mere coincidence? During my secondary school years, we had a music teacher named Mr Doe and an art teacher called Mr Drewitt. As 13-year-olds, we found this amusing, but also wished Mr Hopkins had been a PE teacher and Mr Cave taught geology instead of history.
Nearby, a geography teacher named Mr Forecast actually taught meteorology classes. There are many such examples of fitting surnames, including a surgeon named Dr Blood, a sailor Mr Boatman, and a Lord Chief Justice called Sir Igor Judge. These cases are entertaining, but is there more to them than coincidence?
Historical Origins of Surnames
In the Middle Ages, people often took surnames based on their professions—Baker, Butcher, Carpenter, Weaver, and others. But in modern times, could a surname influence a person’s career choice in reverse?
The Concept of Nominative Determinism
This idea, called nominative determinism, suggests that people might subconsciously gravitate toward professions, interests, or activities related to their family names.
“Nominative determinism is the notion that people are subconsciously drawn to professions, interests and activities which relate in some way or other to their own family names.”
While examples are often amusing, this hypothesis raises intriguing questions about identity and career paths.
Author's summary: The concept of nominative determinism explores how surnames might subtly influence people’s career choices, blending history and psychology into an intriguing theory.