Many last names in America are “occupational”—they reflect the professions of our ancestors. “Fletchers” made arrows, “Coopers” made barrels, “Sawyers” cut wood, and so on. Sometimes the alignment of one’s last name and one’s career is purely coincidental—see, for instance, poker champion Chris Moneymaker, world record-holding sprinter Usain Bolt, and the British neurology duo, who sometimes published together, of Russell Brain and Henry Head. Such serendipitous surnames are called “aptronyms,” a favorite word of mine.

Brian Christian, The Most Human Human: What Artificial Intelligence Teaches Us About Being Alive (2011)