Is there a word for it?

[Bert]

When someone's name suits the job they do? Like Mr Taylor, who is a tailor, or Mr Coates, who sells coats.
Do you know any that are not quite so obvious, where the link between the name and the occupation is a bit more tenuous?

[sandyRoe]

Mr Fletcher the arrow maker
Mr Cooper the barrel maker

[grasscarp]

You could say that their name was apposite (i.e. appropriate)

[rojash]

Mr Whippy the mobile chippy (that would confuse 'em)

[Philtaz]

You couldn't make this up.

How can I put this delicately.....?

Where I work there is a gynaecologist whose surname begins with Kh

The rest of the name is 3 letters and rhymes with 'Front'.

[VHG]

I used to work for a company who supported computer software and one the people who phoned in a lot was called Keith Gardenhire.

I often wondered how he a got a surname like Gardenhire.

If you search the web his name still appears as an IT person.

[MarkRae]

http://thebendergroup...php?navVal=1&optVal=0

[VHG]

How would you like this as a surname

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wanker_(surname)

If AB censors it the name is W*nk*r

[daffy654]

aptronym

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptronym

[The Builder]

A friend of my father's was an undertaker ........... called Berryman :o)

[Philtaz]

Forgot to mention a former Army colleague whose surname was Sergeant.

Caused no end of problems when his name would be called out on parade....!

[annadomino]

Undertaker here is called R. Boddy.

[daffy654]

One of our local police officers is called PC Andy Sargent

[VHG]

>>>Army colleague whose surname was Sergeant.

In the book Catch 22 (a very funny anti-war novel) there is one guy whose surname is Major.

His father was so fond of the army he gave him a first name and middle name of Major Major, so his full name was Major Major Major.

Of course when he joined the army he became a major so he was Major Major Major Major.

http://en.wikipedia.o...jor_Major_Major_Major

[grasscarp]

I remember a news item a few years back when a PC Robin Banks joined the force.

[atalanta]

It is called nominative determinism. The New Scientist magazine has had so many sent in that they called a halt to it.

[Bambiagain]

A few year ago, I think New Scientist ran a series of these in its back pages and gave them a name. My memory being what it is, I can't for the life of me remember what they called them, but it was a good name. Not very helpful, am I?

[Bambiagain]

Atlanta, thank you.

[JonnyBoy12]

Wayne Kerr the taxi driver, perhaps?

[Quizmonster]

Of course, many surnames were originally given BECAUSE of the trade of the person concerned. Thus, tailor, smith, fletcher, cooper and so on were apt descriptions rather than names, as such. The one thing anyone alive now with the surname Taylor can be sure of is that some ancestor of his/hers actually WAS a tailor. It's hardly surprising, therefore, that name and job often match nowadays, too.