A really well-chosen set of conditions leads to original challenges. Ionica Smiths challenges you this summer. Episode 3: Do Something Almost Your Name.
Do you know who is the creator of the popular online game Wordle, where you have to guess a word? It’s… John Wardle. I wonder how it went when he was looking for a name. Maybe he wanted something with “word” inside, because it covers the load well and then something on the side. And then it was a small step from Wardle to Wordle.
It’s a good idea to name something very precise after your name. I was thinking of the great street blues Written by Jeroen van Merwijk for Harry Gickers. In that song, the Jekkers wonder what people like Adriaan van Ostade and Peerke Donders did until their name appeared on a street sign. But then he walks past Monseigneur Bekkerslaan (“Well, I’ve never heard of him, though he must have done something about it”) and Jekkers turns him into Monseigneur Jekkerslaan with a felt-tip pen.
There are great examples of beginners: people who have a profession that fits their name perfectly, such as Ferry Cook This cook on the ferry, Henny de Haan who was the president of the Dutch Association of Poultry Farmers or American lawyer Su Yu.
There is also research showing that people like to choose a profession or place of residence that fits their name, such as the 2002 article with a great title: Why Suzy sells seashells at the seaside: implicit vanity and major life decisions. In it, the authors showed, among other things, that Laura and Larry in America relatively much Attorney (Will they then become lab technicians in the Netherlands?), while Dennis and Dennis are largely represented Dentists.
One who was able to use his name in two ways was William Crush, who worked with an American in 1896 shighway company. He came up with a publicity stunt involving the collision of two old locomotives, which could then attract thousands of people (by train, so that the railroad company made a lot of money from the event). A special village was set up along the path for this scene and Crush modestly called it Crush – and the event was called “Crash at Crush”. Also one letter different from his last name.
Unfortunately, the collision went completely wrong, the boilers exploded, debris flew into the air, two spectators died and others were injured. Crush was fired the same night, but was rehired the next day, rumored for a bonus and worked for the same railroad company until his retirement. However, I do not advise you to follow his example literally.
But what can you do with your name except with one letter? Kornald Maas can go in all kinds of directions and can, for example, become a prime minister (Cornald Bass), an astronaut (Cornald Mars) or a gastroenterologist (Cornald Mag). My former assistant Stephanie Brackenhoff objected that this is especially nice for people with a short family name, so what can you think of her name? A day later, I texted her: “Autosloperij Wrackenhoff”. If her astronomy promotion fails, she now has a brilliant plan. And I also have that for myself: I can immigrate to New Zealand and start a candy store: Ionica Sweets.
Did you accept this challenge? Send a message with the results to [email protected].
