Nominative Determinism
Monkey Hear Monkey Do
There are more dentists called Dennis than ought to be expected.
Georges gravitate to Georgia, and Louis to Louisiana.
You’re more likely to find Doctors Ball, Cox, Dick, and Waterfall in the urology department than elsewhere in the hospital.
It’s been said that Lee, Lou and Liv are more likely to live, love and laugh than, let’s say, Sadie.
These connections may be caused by “implicit egotism”. Or perhaps subtle associations connected to the sounds that we hear, the letter shapes we see.
Sounds have power. Sometimes phonemes say more than words.
Can you help me publish a 700 year-old story about King Arthur and a kitten?
Sources for this article include the academic papers Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Implicit Egotism and Major Life Decisions, When Tex and Tess Carpenter Build Houses in Texas: Moderators of Implicit Egotism, and Nominative Determinism in Hospital Medicine, as well as the book The Secret Universe of Names: The Dynamic Interplay of Names and Destiny by Roy Feinson.