Nominative determinism
Updated: 12/11/2025, 9:36:59 AM Wikipedia source
Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people tend to gravitate toward areas of work or interest that fit their names. The term was first used in the magazine New Scientist in 1994, after the magazine's humorous "Feedback" column noted several scientific studies carried out by researchers with remarkably fitting surnames. These included a book on polar explorations by Daniel Snowman and an article on urology by researchers named Splatt and Weedon. These and other examples led to lighthearted speculation that some sort of psychological effect was at work. Since the term appeared, nominative determinism has been an irregularly recurring topic in New Scientist, as readers continue to submit examples. Nominative determinism differs from the related concept of the aptronym, and the Latin idea of nomen est omen ("the name is a sign"), in that it focuses on causality. An aptronym merely means the name is fitting, without saying anything about why it has come to fit. The idea that people are drawn to professions that fit their name was suggested by the psychologist Carl Jung, citing as an example Sigmund Freud who studied pleasure and whose surname means 'joy'. A few recent empirical studies have indicated that certain professions are disproportionately represented by people with appropriate surnames (and sometimes given names), though the methods of these studies have been challenged. One explanation for nominative determinism is implicit egotism, which states that humans have an unconscious preference for things they associate with themselves.
Tables
| Specialty | Surname frequency | Surname examples |
| Cardiology | 8 (1 in 213) | Hart, Pump, Payne |
| Dermatology | 4 (1 in 243) | Boyle or Hickey |
| General medicine | 63 (1 in 101) | Mysore, Safe, Warning |
| General surgery | 56 (1 in 91) | Gore, Butcher, Boyle, Blunt |
| Paediatric medicine | 46 (1 in 119) | Boys, Gal, Child, Kinder |
| Plastic surgery | 7 (1 in 140) | Carver, Mole, Price |
References
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- Nomen est omen is a Latin phrase meaning "the name is the sign". It is attributed to the Roman playwright Plautus.https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/nomen_est_omen
- Others have extended the area of influence; for example researchers Keaney et al. entitled their study into the relation
- Over the years New Scientist has reported on other variations on the theme, including 'onomatopoeic nominative determini
- Studies have shown that most people like the name given to them. Extensive research also has found a strong effect calle
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