aptronym

An aptronym, aptonym, or euonym is a personal name aptly or peculiarly suited to its owner.

History

The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' attributes the term to Franklin P. Adams, a writer who coined it as an anagram of ''patronym'', to emphasize "apt".

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. Psychologist Carl Jung wrote in his book ''Synchronicity'' that there was a "sometimes quite grotesque coincidence between a man's name and his peculiarities".

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

* Jules Angst, German professor of psychiatry, who has published works about anxiety (angst)
* Michael Ball, English footballer
* Colin Bass, British bassist in the rock band Camel
* Lance Bass, bass singer for the American pop boy band NSYNC
* Mickey Bass, American bassist and musician
* Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone
* Bert "Tito" Beveridge, founder of Tito's Vodka
* Sara Blizzard, meteorologist and television weather presenter for the BBC
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