An aptronym is a name that "suits the nature or occupation of its bearer," as the erudite Dr. Gilleland explains. Some examples from my experience:
1. During part of my tenure at the University of Dayton, the secretary of the Philosophy Department was Mrs. Betty Hume.
2. While a graduate student in Boston in the 1970s, I heard tell of a knee specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital, one Dr. Patella.
3. A number of philosophers bear aptronymic names: John Wisdom, Gerald Vision, J.J.C. Smart, and others that escape me at the moment.
4. Wasn't Jimmy Carter's main spokesman a man by the name of Larry Speakes?
5. Joe Bastardi, Fox News meterologist, is not an aptronym because he is not a name, and his demeanor and delivery suggest that his name isn't either.
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