The Joy of Nominative Determinism
Can the alignment of names and occupations be more than mere coincidence? In secondary school, our music teacher was Mr Doe, and the art teacher was Mr Drewitt. As 13-year-olds, we found this amusing, though we wished Mr Hopkins had been a PE teacher and Mr Cave had taught geology instead of history.
Nearby, a geography teacher named Mr Forecast actually taught meteorology classes. There are many such fitting names: a surgeon named Dr Blood, a sailor called Mr Boatman, and a Lord Chief Justice named Sir Igor Judge. These examples entertain us, but could this alignment be more than chance?
In the Middle Ages, surnames often came from occupations—Baker, Butcher, Carpenter, Weaver, and so on. But in modern times, might a surname influence a person’s career choice? Surprisingly, some suggest it could.
“Nominative determinism” is the idea that people are subconsciously drawn to professions, interests, or activities related to their family names.
This hypothesis suggests that names might subtly shape life paths beyond just historical occupational labels.
Author's summary: Names may influence career choices by drawing people toward professions connected to their surnames, a theory known as nominative determinism.