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Nominative Determinism: Is Your Name Destined To Be Your Job?
Coincidence or whimsical chance? Does your name destined to be your job?
As we all know, the biggest Ponzi scheme done by Bernard Madoff has been unraveled by the FBI agents in the last quarter of 2008. The news created a ripple effect not only to American investors but also made a great buzz around the world as high-profile people and institutions were involved in this scam.
Amusingly, Bernard Madoff surname is pronounced “mayd-off”. And literally, he “made off” with a lot of money from his clients.
Therefore…
Is Madoff’s name a mere coincidence of a name’s meaning or he is just doomed to dupe his investors? Interesting, huh?
New Scientist, a weekly international science magazine and website covering recent developments in science and technology popularized the term ‘nominative determinism’ wherein there is an instance that a person’s name match their hobby, profession or even destiny.
As quoted by Wikipedia:
Synonyms and/or related concepts include aptronym, apronym, aptonym, jobonymns, namephreaks, onomastic determinism, Perfect Fit Last Names (PFLNs), psychonymics, and classically nomen est omen. ND researchers are comiconomenclaturists.
A key related word is Aptronym, allegedly coined by United States newspaper columnist Franklin P. Adams, meaning a name aptly suited to its owner. The distinction is subtle but fundamental: as post-hoc vs propter-hoc, so Aptronym vs Nominative Determinism.
Here are some examples of nominative determinism. Check how odd is the relationship of the name to their profession, hobby or destiny:
Jaime Cardinal Sin was a former Archbishop of Manila, Philippines. His name should not be confused with ‘cardinal sin’ which is synonymous for seven deadly sins. A classic example of nominative determinism, Sin was even featured in ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ due to his astounding name.
Mr. Headline served as a Washington bureau chief for 12 years during the formative years of CNN. He also headed the Voters News Service during the United States 2000 Presidential election.
Igor Judge is the current Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales. Lord Judge in consequence is eligible to sit as a member of the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords and was also created as a Baron Judge of Draycote in October 1, 2008.
Larry Speakes started his career at Washington DC as a press secretary to Senator Jones Eastland of Mississippi in 1968. He then became a Whitehouse spokeman to US Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan from 1977 to 1987. In 1994, Speakes assumes the top PR position at the US Postal Service and moved to assume the Head of Advertising at the Postal Office.
Spellings is the 8th and the incumbent United Stated Secretary of Education. In September 2005, Spellings announced the formation of the Commission of the Future of the Higher Education recommending a national strategy for reforming a post-secondary education. Her term will end on January 20, 2009 when she will be succeeded by Arne Duncan.
Scott Andrew Speed is an American race car driver. He started his career in karting at the early age of 10. In 2001, he began his Formula One career for Red Bull Racing but briefly ended it 2007 European Grand Prix wherein he landed in the 21st position. Speed now turned his racing career towards NASCAR stock car racing. He recently competed in the 2008 TUMS QuikPak 500.
She is inevitably the wife of McDonald’s CEO Frank Turner. As we all know, McDonalds is famous around the world because of its hamburger patties.
Wolfgang is a German football coach and a former player. He was the manager of German football club VFL Wolfsburg from 1998 to 2003.
Morgan Sparks was an American scientist and engineer who helped develop the microwatt bipolar junction transistor in 1951, which was a critical step in making transistors usable for every-day electronics.
Honestly, whether true or not, the nominative determinism is really something to think about. I mean, gone are the days that a person is named because of his work. But interestingly, it really seems that a name chosen to a person will have a meaning to your existence in this earth.
Amazing isn’t it? 
ano kaya yung name ko?
waaaa
Reply from Snow
hehee…baka naman sis, ‘Blogger’ ang maiden name mo..hehehe…
joanjoyce’s last blog post..2009 Golden Globe Winners
sana naman di maging tutuo sa apelyido ko yan, kasi ang tunog e ‘nagdadala ng krus’
Reply from Snow
hmmm, de la cruz ba ang surname mo kuya roy.
Roy’s last blog post..Pacquiao-Hatton match – in jeopardy
O eto baka makatulong sa gustong maghanap ng meaning ng names nyo hehehe http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/
Reply from Snow
wow, tama ka ambo…akmang-akma nga yung sa akin…heto yung response na nakuha ko:
You are powerful and determined
You are confident, self assured, and capable. You are not easily intimidated.
You master any and all skills easily. You don’t have to work hard for what you want.
You make your life out to be exactly how you want it. And you’ll knock down anyone who gets in your way!
You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It’s easy to get you excited… which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don’t stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.
You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily.
You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind.
A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.
You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you… especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You’re a strong person.
You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.
You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you.
You never give up, and you will succeed… even if it takes you a hundred tries.
You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice.
You are usually the best at everything … you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic “Type A” personality.
You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.
You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You’re always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can’t handle you. You’re very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you’re likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.
You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.
You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you.
At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.
You are the total package – suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don’t always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don’t have as much going for them as you do.
Ambo’s last blog post..Twitter : A Powerful Social Networking Tool
If so, I should be a saint: San Gennaro
Reply from Snow:
Kapag sa akin ia-apply yan malamang translation ng name ko eh…parang saintly rin…naku, hindi bagay – nakakahiya sa mga santo!
Enduring Wanderlust’s last blog post..Things To Do In NYC (For Free)
Amazing indeed.
The other day tho, while looking for funny shows in Pinas in youtube I stumbled upon “Joey de Leon (in the rival network) playing Wowwowee” sabi ko riot to – so I clicked only to find out that the payer’s name is Joey de Leon.Hehehe.
Mine most Indian clients say, “I am the King” referring to my name. Lion King siguro.
Reply from Snow
Wow, kay ganda ng name mo…
waheheeh, papano na si kengkay, hahaha
Reply from Snow
si kengkay??? eh di komikerang blogger! hehehe…
while i believe in destiny, one’s name is irrelevant. mathematically speaking, those mentioned are a mere speck with billions of other people whose names do not interact with what they do.
but i think it has something to do, not with nominal determinism, but with a person’s inclination to do what he/she believes he/she is destined to do and become.
it’s like the subconscious mind at work. if you believe, you’ll be famous, just keep on thinking about it, and pretty soon you’ll be.
on the metaphysical side, it’s like consciousness programming. tell the universe what you need, and it will provide you with it.
Reply from Snow
I somewhat agree buraot…parang human magnet, so to speak.
BURAOT’s last blog post..The Curse of the Winter Mist
ot: makikiboto po ang video ng wife ko, start na kasi ng voting sa medicol video contest! salamat!
Reply from Snow
ok, noted!
itot’s last blog post..Vote And Win 500 Pesos Plus Medicol Gift Packs
@To All
Coincidentally, yung cyber name ko eh Snow. So, does it mean – I am destined to be a white skinned forever. *shock*
Nominative Determinism: Is Your Name Destined To Be Your Job?…
A blogger’s perspective on how the ‘New Scientists Study’ proves the coincidence of a person’s name to his/her destiny….
yep, parang human magnet.
parang yung isang kakilala ko na medyo damatans na. feeling pa rin nya playvoy sya. sabi ko sa sarili ko… Bakeeeeet?
minsan kwento nya… “alam mo buraot, di ko nga alam kung bakit i’m such a chick magnet..”
ang kapal. pero dahil yun ang lagi nya iniisip, naniniwala na rin sya.
wahahahahhah!
Reply from Snow
naku oo nga – tama ka…malaki yung paniniwala niya over his personality. nice point!
Hello Snow,
Whatevah! Basta I love my name.
Di po ako N ha. Sa love ko ang name ko e. I just have the best of both worlds. Ngek! 
Dati gusto kong i-explain yong tagline ko after sa title ng site ko. Hmmm, maibalik nga yon.
Pero winner si Jaime Cardinal Sin at Lord Justice Judge. Wala ng makakatalo.
Reply from Snow
oo nga eh, sobrang swak na swak silang dalawa.
Sofie’s last blog post..How I started designing websites and blogging?
if i’d be king, then my name is fitting for that.
as for madoff, the first three letters of his name is all i can think about him.
ceblogger’s last blog post..Australian Open 2009 Men’s Tennis Finals Predictions
Nice post! GA is also my biggest earning. However, it?s not a much.
This is quite a up-to-date information. I think I’ll share it on Digg.
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you have a good sense of humour.
[...] at Butner Prison in North Carolina for stealing billions of dollars from innocent clients and for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in the [...]