Nominative determinism is the
phenomenon where peoples lives are reflected in their name. This subject was much publicised in the
science periodical,
New Scientist.
However, the subject appeared in 1975 in a paper called "Put the Blame on Name" by Lawrence Casler and even earlier in "Synchronicity; An Acausal Connecting Principle" by C. Jung in 1952. In this paper, Jung asks if this phenomenon was purely conicidental or was some subconcious behaviour at work?
The Chinese were the first to use surnames as a way of honoring there ancestors. The family name is placed before their individual names. The Romans used a three name system from around 300 B.C. using the form "given-name + clan-name + family-name" but it disappeared when the Empire collapsed. Single names were then used throughout Europe for 600 years until surnames were reintroduced in Venice and their used spread through Europe. In England, when the Domesday Book was compiled by William the Conquerer, surnames were required but hereditary names were uncommon until the end of the 13th century.
Surnames arose from a variety of sources. For instance, occupations like Baker, Smith and Carpenter. Places were also used as a basis for names, like Hill and Brook. Nicknames were sometimes adopted as surnames. These may have reflected appearance, like Long or Stout, or been used to describe something less tangible, like Poor or Strong. More vulgar nicknames were altered over time to make them more acceptable.
Some surnames stem from the parents name. Typically, these were from the father (patronymic), they were rarely from the mother (matronymic). Scandanavians append -son to indicate, say, John's son (Johnson). Similarly, the Norman-French word for child, Fitz, is prefixed to the name, as in FitzPatrick. Other cultures use their own prefix for father, i.e. Mac'Donald and O'Brien.
Clearly, in the past, the origin of names has roots in the way people led their lives but now hereditary names are commonplace and we will usually live with the name we are born with, the pattern is reversed.
Examples
These are examples pulled from many sources
Cardinal Sin, the Archbishop of Manila
J. W. Splatt and D. Weedon published a paper on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology.
"Effects of tactile stimulation" by Mr Finger
"Sequelae of orgasm in male guinea pigs" by Mr Grunt
"Animal behaviour" by Lionel Tiger and Robin Fox
"Juvenile delinquency" by Lively and Reckless
John Doolittle & Tom DeLay argued against any action on the ozone hole
The Journal of Geophysical Research ran an article on "Substorm detonation" by O. A. Hurricane et al.
Orson Swindle works for the Federal Trade Commission in the US
K. G. Forecast was a member of the Government Statistical Service in the UK
I could go on, but I leave it up to you to add your own.
Sources
Surnames: What's In A Name? - http://clanhuston.com/name/namehist.htm
What's In A Name? - http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/3452/names.htm
http://www.newscientist.com