Aptonyms

123 entries and counting

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Highlighted in yellow is the part of the name that makes it an aptonym.

Aaron Ember

Last name

Orientalist who died in house fire

"Ember" literally means a glowing coal

Amit Datta

Last name

Privacy engineer

"Datta" ≈ "data," his research subject

Amy Freeze

Last name

TV meteorologist

"Freeze" is weather term

Amy Webb

Last name

Futurist

"Webb" suggests digital world

Annie Polland

Last name

President at Tenement Museum

Focuses largely on Jews from Poland ≈ Polland

Ariel Mayse

Last name

Jewish-studies scholar

"Mayse" = Yiddish "story," studies Hasidic tales

Barry Gardiner

Last name

UK climate envoy

"Gardiner" suggests someone who tends to plants/forests

Bee Wilson

First name

Food Writer

Writes about honey and bees

Bezalel Bar-Kochva

Last name

Historian of Jewish rebels

"Bar-Kochva" = "son of the star," apt for ancient hero study

Bill Medley

Last name

Righteous Brothers singer

"Medley" = song mix

Bobby Flay

Last name

Celebrity chef

"Flay" = to skin or grill

Brad Slaughter

Last name

Meat-department manager

"Slaughter" relates to meat processing

Brian Healy

Last name

CTO, People Matter

"Healy" echoes "heal," apt for HR/well-being platform

C. Emlen Urban

Last name

Architect

"Urban" pertains to city design

Celeste Kidd

Last name

Developmental-psych professor

Studies how kids learn

Chad Gold

Last name

Fintech exec

"Gold" = money

Chris McCracken

Last name

Chiropractor

"Crack-en" evokes spinal adjustments

Christian Guy

Last name

UK social-justice exec

"Guy" is simply "man," highlighting generic humanity

Chrystia Freeland

Last name

Deputy PM of Canada

"Freeland" connotes national freedom

Corey Savory

Last name

VP, Customer experience (grills)

"Savory" links to food flavor

Dale Limberhand

Last name

Plaintiff in arm-injury case

"Limber-hand."

Dan Price

Last name

Wage-equality advocate

"Price" relates to pay

David Mapes

Last name

Wisconsin pioneer ferryman

"Mapes" ≈ "maps," explorer

Dom Crisp

Last name

Chef

"Crisp" = snack texture

Donald Popadick

Last name

Nude jogger

Provocative surname matches notoriety

Dr. Bonebrake

Last name

Orthopedist

Name describes broken bones

Dr. Glasser

Last name

Eye doctor

"Glass" relates to lenses

Dr. Wiseman

Last name

Psychiatrist

"Wise-man" connotes counselor

Edward Greene

Last name

Botanist

"Green(e)" relates to plants

Elisha Qimron

Last name

Scholar of Hebrew

Studies the Qumran scrolls

Ella Trout

Last name

Devon fisherwoman hero

"Trout" is a fish

Eric Saund

Last name

AI/ML consultant

"Saund" ≈ "sound," apt for signal-processing work

Erik Best

Last name

Performance coach

"Best" denotes excellence

Faris Atchoo

Last name

Internal-medicine doctor

"Atchoo" is a sneeze sound

Gary Wood

Last name

Landscaper

"Wood" is landscaping material

Gregory & Timothy Weed

Last name

N/A

"Weed" links to plants

Harold Rainwater

Last name

Urologist

"Rain-water" evokes liquid flow

Harry Beaver

Last name

OB-Gyn

Informal anatomical pun

Hasia Diner

Last name

Food historian

"Diner" is an eatery

Heidi Saas

Last name

Tech entrepreneur

"SaaS" = software-as-a-service

Igor Judge

Last name

Lord Chief Justice

"Judge" is the head of the judiciary

Jack Farmer

Last name

Co-founder, LettUs Grow

"Farmer" aligns with urban-agriculture startup

James Grossweiner

Last name

Dermatologist

"Gross-weiner" pun on skin irregularities

James McCann

Last name

Food-retail investor

"Can" evokes canned goods

James Sell

Last name

Real-estate agent

"Sell" is core to his work

Jonathan Law

Last name

Trial attorney

"Law" is the profession itself

Justin Fields

Last name

NFL quarterback

Plays on the field

Kalman Magen

Last name

IDF commander

"Magen" = "shield" in Hebrew

Karen Horney

Last name

Psychoanalyst

"Horney" mirrors Freud-era libido themes

Kelly Allbutt

Last name

Body-positivity blogger

"All-butt" pun on figure

Ken Hurt

Last name

Dentist

"Hurt" hints dental pain

Keri Waters

Last name

CEO & Founder, Buoy Labs

"Waters" evokes the company's smart-water-management product

Kostja Mirkovic

Last name

Sales-ops VP

"Mirko" (Slavic) = "peace," ironic sales battler

Larry Speakes

Last name

White-House press aide

"Speaks" describes the job

Laura Hamm

Last name

Deli manager

"Ham" is deli meat

Leon Leonwood Bean

Last name

Founder, L.L.Bean

"Bean" apt for outdoors (bean boots)

Leonard Labowitz

Last name

Scientist

"Labo-witz" sounds like "lab"

Leonard Slye

Last name

Cowboy actor (Roy Rogers)

"Slye" ~ "sly," ranch allegory

Les McBurney

Last name

Retired firefighter

"McBurney" echoes fire & burns

Leticia Webster

Last name

Dictionary researcher

"Web-ster" ties to lexicography

Lonzo Ball

Last name

NBA player

"Ball" is central to basketball

Manley Power

Last name

Royal-Navy admiral

"Power" reflects military might

Marc Rich

Last name

Financier

"Rich" = wealthy

Margaret Court

Last name

Tennis legend

Plays on the court

Mark Coeckelbergh

Last name

AI ethics scholar

"Co-ckel-berg" sounds like "cackle-borg," tech pun

Mary Quant

Last name

Miniskirt pioneer

"Quant" ≈ "quantity," fashion production

Masheika Allgood

Last name

NGO advocate

"All-good" signals benevolence

Matt Penneycard

Both names

VC partner

"Penny-card" references money/investment

Meghan Biro

Last name

HR journalist

"Biro" is a pen; apt for a writer

Meir Dizengoff

Last name

Tel-Aviv founder

"Dizengoff" avenue named after him—name became place

Mentor Graham

First name

Lincoln's teacher

"Mentor" literally means tutor

Michael Docktor

Last name

Pediatric gastroenterologist

"Docktor" = "doctor"

Michael Vickers

Last name

Anglican vicar

"Vickers" sounds like "vicar"

Mike Riggs

Last name

Rigging-handbook author

"Riggs" suits rigging

Mister Love

Last name

Registered sex offender

"Love" links (darkly) to sexual conduct

Molly Maleckar

Last name

Director, Models & Theory

"Maleckar" sounds like "model-maker," suiting her computational-model focus

Moshe Maimon

Both names

Jewish researcher and writer

Writes and translates works related to Moshe ben Maimonides

Nancy Pfund

Last name

Impact-investing partner

"Pfund" mirrors "fund"

Norman Brest

Last name

Cardiac specialist

"Brest" near chest area

Odd Nerdrum

First name

Painter, Kitsch movement

"Nerd-rum" fits eccentric artistry

Oded Galor

Last name

Growth-theory economist

"Galor" echoes "galore," abundance

Paige Worthy

Both names

Marketing writer

"Page-worthy" = worth reading

Patrick Pichette

Last name

Ex-Google CFO

"Pichette" (Fr. "small coin") relates to money

Paul Paulos

Both names

St. Paul police sergeant

Given-name/locale repetition

Paula Price

Last name

Former Macy's CFO

"Price" is core to retail finance

Penny Pennington

Both names

CEO, Edward Jones

"Penny" & "penni-ngton" evoke coins

Perry Roussis

First name

Perinatologist

"Perry-natologist" = perinatal doctor

Peter Grey

Last name

Color-theory author

"Grey" is a hue

Phoebe Judge

Last name

Host of "Criminal" podcast

"Judge" suits a crime storyteller

R.H. Grove

Last name

Forestry author

"Grove" is a woodland

Rachel Botsman

Last name

Thought Leader on Bots

"Bots-man" echoes "bots," the topic of her work

Raj Beri

Last name

Uber grocery head

"Beri" = Hindi "berries," produce

Raj De Datta

Last name

Data-commerce CEO

"Datta" ≈ "data"

Richard Smalley

Last name

Nanotech Nobel laureate

"Small-ey" fits nanoscale science

Rick Mount

Last name

Basketball sharp-shooter

"Mount" evokes elevation; also pun on rim

Robin Mahfood

Last name

CEO, Food For The Poor

"Mah-food" sounds like "my food"

Russell Brain

Last name

Neurologist

Studies the brain

Sally Ride

Last name

Astronaut

"Ride" describes space travel

Sam Bankman-Fried

Both names

FTX founder

"Bank-man" in finance; "Fried" after collapse irony

Scott Motion

Last name

IT-process manager

"Motion" matches process movement

Scott Speed

Last name

Formula-1 driver

"Speed" epitomizes racing

Scott Wellman

Last name

Former GM of Puritan Medical Products

He was at the forefront of wellness

Sean Cash

Last name

Food economist

"Cash" suits economics

Shelley Whitehouse

Last name

Blogger

"Whitehouse" evokes notable residence, suits commentary

Smith & Green

Both names

Law firm

Classic "law-yer" surnames

Stephen Sondheim

Last name

Composer of musicals

"Sound-heim" hints to sound/home of music

Stephen Wang

Last name

Urologist

"Wang" slang for male organ

Steven Cook

Last name

Cookbook author

"Cook."

Steven Kopp

Last name

Former police chief

"Cop-p" homophone matches policing

Storm Field

Both names

Meteorologist

Studies storms

Stuart Farrimond

Last name

"Doctor Stu" food scientist

"Far-rimond" sounds like "fair-amount," a cooking pun

Sue Yoo

Both names

Lawyer

Sounds like "sue you"

Suzanne Harms

Last name

Project director, GAIN

"Harms" ties to child-maltreatment research

Timothy Mango

Last name

Fruit distributor

"Mango" is produce

Tinker Hatfield

First name

Nike shoe designer

"Tinker" is one who invents and tweaks designs

Tom Cheesewright

Last name

Future-of-food thinker

"Cheese-wright" is a food maker

Usain Bolt

Last name

World-record sprinter

"Bolt" = a lightning-fast dash

Vania Stambolova

Last name

Olympic hurdler (who stumbled)

"Stam-bolova" sounds like "stumble over"

Walter Sheets

Last name

Band leader

"Sheets" are music scores

Whitney Sales

Last name

Startup-sales coach

"Sales" describes her specialty

William Bullet

Last name

Ballistics namesake

"Bullet" fits ammunition

William Wordsworth

Last name

Poet

"Words-worth" denotes literary value

Yudel Pen

Last name

Artist

An artist is a frequent user of the pen