In an episode titled “The Library” on the popular TV show Seinfeld, Jerry and Kramer meet a “library investigation officer” named Lt. Joe Bookman. When revealing his name, Kramer wittingly responds, “That’s like an ice cream man named Cone!” While this amusing fictional example is a great use of the type of observational comedy that popularized this long-running sitcom, the idea that a person’s name can correspond to their occupation or personality is seemingly not far from reality. In fact, there have been so many instances of this phenomenon in pop culture and everyday life that it’s even been assigned a name—nominitive determinism.
However, while it’s obvious that countless examples of nominitive determinism exist in our cultural awareness, it’s still a subject of an extensive debate: Does a person’s name determine who they are or who they become, or is it a matter of pure coincidence? The answer is more complicated than it may appear at first glance.
What is Nominative Determinism?
Nominative determinism is a theory that argues that a person’s name can influence their career path, interests, or even personality. The idea has gained significant traction over the last few decades, likely in part because of how amusing it is when it surfaces. When we’re presented with a meteorologist named Amy Freeze or an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. Stephan Bone (both real-world examples, by the way), we can’t help but find ourselves entertained by the explicit serendipity.
But underneath the initial amusement, there’s also a thread of curiosity; did these professionals feel personally or culturally swayed by their names (even subtly) toward their destinies? Or was it pure happenstance?
Where Did This Idea Come From?
Although the term nominative determinism wasn’t coined until the 1990s, the concept has existed for much longer. In 1994, editors at the British magazine New Scientist wrote about a research paper on polar exploration authored by a man named Daniel Snowman. Amused, they jokingly asked readers to submit more examples of people whose names matched their professions, and the response was overwhelming. From that point, nominative determinism became a recurring theme in the publication and began to gain wider cultural traction.
But the roots of the idea go back further. Carl Jung, the famed Swiss psychiatrist, explored something similar in his theory of “synchronicity,” meaningful coincidences that can’t be explained by cause and effect. He noted, for example, the case of the well-known psychiatrist named Freud (from the German word freud, meaning “joy”), whose work explored the unconscious mind and the pursuit of pleasure. Jung’s interest in names and destiny laid some of the intellectual groundwork for today’s fascination with nominative determinism.
There’s also a historical precedent in surnames themselves. In many cultures, last names originated from professions: Smith, Baker, Carpenter, Taylor, Shepherd. These names weren’t assigned randomly, but rather, they reflected the trade of the person or their family. Of course, this is slightly different from nominative determinism; back then, people inherited both the name and the job. But in modern times, when career paths are not tied to one’s surname, seeing someone named Butcher working in a deli still raises eyebrows.
How Psychology Explains Nominitative Determinism
One of the most widely cited psychological theories that supports nominative determinism is implicit egotism. This is defined by the unconscious tendency of people to be drawn toward things that resemble themselves, including the letters in their own names.
In a 2002 study published in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers Pelham, Mirenberg, and Jones found that people were disproportionately likely to work in fields that shared similarities with their names. For example, individuals named Dennis or Denise were more likely to become dentists. People named Lawrence were more likely to become lawyers. The researchers also discovered correlations between people’s names and the cities they lived in, the partners they chose, and even the brands they preferred.
Of course, implicit egotism doesn’t mean people consciously choose careers that match their names. It’s more subtle than that. The theory suggests that our names may influence our preferences, choices, and even sense of identity over time, guiding us toward certain paths more often than chance would predict.
Is There Another Explanation?
While psychology has made notable attempts to explain nominative determinism, the reality is that the cause is far from being completely understood on a scientific level. Beyond the theory of implicit egotism being the most studied possible explanation, there are many other psychological and cultural explanations that have been offered as well. In part two of our nominative determinism series, Nominative Determinism: Fact, Fiction, or Anecdotal?, we further break down these theories and attempt to unlock a more thorough understanding of this fascinating cultural phenomenon.
