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Lindsay Sleeper
(lemmy.nz)
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this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2026
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Nominative Determinism
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Nominative determinism is the hypothesis that people tend to gravitate towards areas of work 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 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 light-hearted speculation that some sort of psychological effect was at work.
This is a community for posting real-world examples of names that by coincidence are funny in context. A link to the article or site is preferable, as well as a screenshot of the funny name if it's not in the headline. Try not to repost, and keep it fun!
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I know a Dr. Payne who is a dentist and a Dr. Kokane who studies addiction using cocaine.
One of my relatives said she knew a gynecologist named Dr. Hole.
Had an obgyn in my old town named Dr. Beaver.
There are quite a few people with the last name Butts. Wonder how many of them are proctologists.
If it wasn't for the bullying I'd absolutely name my child Seymour if I was a Butts
Former coworkers last name was Boob.
Sadly she was a horticulturist not a plastic surgeon. She fainted at the sight of blood.
This guy is pretty close
Kind of a stretch - gastroenterology covers the whole digestive system from the esophagus down. A proctologist is a "butt doctor".
Bro literally planned his entire life around a pun
Shoutout to Dr Killam, family loves that guy
Meanwhile someone made the CHOICE to name the fictional Doctor Killdare.