I recently came across the odd fact that one of the leading researchers on the brain in the twentieth century was—wait for it: Lord Brain. For real. His full name and title were Walter Russell Brain, 1st Baron Brain. What is even better, he was the longtime editor of the research journal Brain. There are actually important papers about the brain, written by Lord Brain, in the journal Brain.
This got me thinking: are there other people whose names are peculiarly appropriate to what they are or are famous for having done? I can only think of two other examples:
Bernie Madoff, who “made off” with billions.
Thomas Crapper, about which Wikipedia says: “Thomas Crapper (baptized 28 September 1836 – 27 January 1910) was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co. Ltd. in London. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, Crapper did not invent the toilet, nor is the word crap derived from his name. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and did develop some important related inventions, such as the ballcock. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several Royal warrants.”
Are there others? The rules are (a) the name must be real, not a nickname, (b) the person must have had the name before he or she did whatever makes the name fit, and (c) the famous thing must not be named after the person.
July 2nd, 2009 | 2:08 pm
A bit off-topic here, but in my home county of Howard County, Maryland there once resided a Crapster family, the scion of which (most recently), was one Mortimer Crapster. As recently as the late 1940s, a local newspaper mentioned a “Mrs.” Mortimer Crapster. Despite much research, I have been unable to find any evidence of the family name in this county beyond that date. Either they all moved away, died out or, more likely in my opinion, changed their name. After all, tastes do change, do they not?
July 2nd, 2009 | 2:45 pm
Hmmm…some are a stretch:
1. Judge Learned Hand
July 2nd, 2009 | 2:58 pm
I note that the term for such a thing is apparently “aptronym” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptronym
There is a nice list therein, though Judge Learned Hand springs to mind.
July 2nd, 2009 | 3:12 pm
Not sure if this is what you’re looking for, but there’s the late Cardinal Sin from the Philippines.
July 2nd, 2009 | 5:16 pm
The authors of The Imperial Animal, Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox.
July 2nd, 2009 | 5:21 pm
Jay: That reminds me of an old joke.
Apparently, there was a priest who sired a child, but did not want to confess to his own bishop. So, he flew to the Philippines to confess to the archbishop there. When he entered the confessional, he said, “Bless me, Sin, for I have fathered.”
July 2nd, 2009 | 5:25 pm
Back in the 90s there was a Notre Dame running back named Joey Goodspeed.
July 2nd, 2009 | 6:46 pm
The pitcher Early Wynn.
July 2nd, 2009 | 10:55 pm
Judge John Wisdom (5th Cir.)
Dr. David J. Mitten (hand doctor, Roch. NY)
Dr. Harold Stopp (noted for vasectomies, Roch. NY)
July 3rd, 2009 | 12:33 am
Dr. Payne, dentist. Google reveals more than one of these. But I once met someone who told me that a Dr. Payne had an office in the same building as an oral surgeon, Dr. Dalbert Fear. Even better, when there was empty space in the building, the real estate agent to contact was Mr. Jeff Harshe.
Hopefully none of these names are actually descriptive!
July 3rd, 2009 | 1:35 am
I’m a medical student in Philadelphia (Jefferson Medical College), and the director of the first year neuroscience block here is named Dr. George Brainerd. “Brain-nerd”. Really.
(I should also mention he’s a fantastic teacher and a warm, thoughtful man.)
July 3rd, 2009 | 10:04 am
Sir Henry Head, British neuroanatomist
July 3rd, 2009 | 12:09 pm
Boyd Skinner, M.D. — Dermatologist, Pensacola, Fla.
Dennis H. Peters, Urologist, also Pensacola, Fla.
We also had a Dr. Payne at one point, but he died…
Ya can’t make this stuff up…
July 3rd, 2009 | 1:43 pm
During the 1890s, on my father’s side, a Lawless married a Crook. Really!!
July 3rd, 2009 | 11:12 pm
An obscure one: The Greek general Nikias’ name was from the word for “victory”. His record was flawless until he led the expedition to Sicily in 415. He was killed and his forces annihilated in the worst disaster the Athenian forces ever suffered.
July 4th, 2009 | 1:33 pm
When my first child was born, I asked my wife, who was laying in bed recovering if we might name the little baby-girl, Ophelia. We named her Amy.
July 5th, 2009 | 11:49 pm
As an undergrad at Penn I always wondered whether the Penn Police chief had been picked just for his name: Chief Rambo. I mean, who´d want to mess with him?
Well, it turns out more than a few local thugs, including a 14 year old girl who held up a student on campus… ah well.
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