Last revision: Nov. 29, 2018
This list consists of widely-used words which are derived from names of people, but are not obviously so. Stuart Kidd, Charles Turner, Philip Bennett, and James Landau contributed to this section.
| WORD | NAMED FOR |
|---|---|
| ABELIA | Clark Abel (1780-1826), British botanist |
| ADAMSITE | Roger Adams (1889-1971), American chemist |
| ALDRIN | Kurt Alder (1902-1958), American chemist |
| ALEXANDRINE | Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.), King of Macedonia |
| ALEXANDRITE | Alexander I of Russia (1777-1825) |
| ALGORITHM | al-Khowarizmi (c800 - c850), Arab mathematician |
| AMISH | probably for Jakob Amman, 17th century Swiss Mennonite bishop |
| AUGUST | Augustus Caesar (63 B.C. - A. D. 14) |
| AXEL | Axel Paulsen (1856-1938), Norwegian figure skater |
| BACITRACIN | Margaret Tracy (ca. 1936- ), child in whose tissues it was found |
| BAKELITE | Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944), Belgian-born American chemist |
| BAUD | J. M. E. Baudot (1845-1903), French inventor |
| BÉCHAMEL SAUCE | Marquis Louis de Béchamel (d.1703), steward of Louis XIV of France |
| BEEF STROGANOFF | Count Pavel Alexandrovich Stroganoff (1772-1817), Russian diplomat |
| BEGONIA | Michel Bégon (1638-1710), French patron of botany |
| BIRO | József László Bíró (1899-1985), Hungarian inventor |
| BLOODY MARY | Mary I Tudor (1516-1558), English queen (probably) |
| BLOOMER | Amanda Bloomer or Amelia Jenkins Bloomer (1818-1894), American feminist |
| BLUETOOTH | Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson, a King of Denmark and Norway |
| BOBBY | Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850), founder of London police force |
| BOUGAINVILLEA | Louis Antoine de Bougainville (1729-1811), French explorer |
| BOWDLERIZE | Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), British doctor |
| BOWIE KNIFE | James Bowie (1796-1836), American pioneer |
| BOYCOTT | Charles C. Boycott (1832-1897), English land agent |
| BOYSENBERRY | Rudolph Boysen, American botanist |
| BRAILLE | Louis Braille (1809-1852), French teacher, writer and musician |
| BROMELIAD | Olaf Bromelius (1639-1705), Swedish botanist |
| BROUGHAM | Lord Henry Peter Brougham (1778-1868), British statesman |
| BUDDLEIA | Adam Buddle (c.1660-1715), English rector and botanist |
| BUHLWORK | A. C. Boule (1642-1732), French cabinet maker |
| BUNKUM, BUNK | Col. Edward Buncombe, Revolutionary War hero (see note) |
| BUNSEN BURNER | Robert Wilhelm Bunsen (1811-99), German chemist |
| BURKE | William Burke, hanged in 1829 |
| CAESAREAN SECTION | Gaius Julius Caesar, who according to legend was born in this manner (c. 101 - 44 B. C.) |
| CAESAR SALAD | Cesar Cardini (1896-1956), Tijuana, Mexico restaurateur |
| CAMELLIA | George Josef Kamel (1661-1706), Moravian Jesuit missionary |
| CARDIGAN | James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (1797-1868), British cavalry officer |
| CASANOVA | Giovanni Jacopo Casanova de Seingalt (1725-98), Italian adventurer |
| CATHERINE WHEEL | St. Catherine of Alexandria (d. ca. 307), Christian martyr |
| CHATEAUBRIAND | Vicomte Francois Rene De Chateaubriand (1768-1848), French novelist |
| CHESTERFIELD (overcoat) | Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773), Eng. statesman & author |
| CLERIHEW | Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956), English writer |
| CZAR | Gaius Julius Caesar (c. 101 BC - 44 BC) |
| DAHLIA | Anders Dahl (1751-1789), Swedish botanist |
| DAVENPORT (sofa) | Alfred Henry Davenport (1845-1905), American businessman |
| DECIBEL | Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) |
| DERBY | Edward Stanley, 12th earl of Derby, founded the race, 1870 |
| DERRICK | Goodman Derick, a well-known Tyburn hangman, circa 1600 |
| DERRINGER | Henry Deringer (1786-1868), American gunsmith |
| DIESEL | Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913), German automotive designer |
| DOBERMAN PINSCHER | Ludwig Dobermann, 19th century German dog breeder |
| DOILY | Mr. Doyley, a 17th century London draper |
| DOLOMITE | Deodat de Dolomieu (1750-1801), French geologist |
| DOM PERIGNON | Dom Petrus Pérignon (1638-1715), French Benedictine monk |
| DRACONIAN | Draco, Athenian lawgiver, circa 650 B. C. |
| DUNCE | John Duns Scotus (c. 1265-1308), Scottish theologian (who was actually very smart) |
| EGGS BENEDICT | Commodore E. C. Benedict (1834-1920), American yachtsman and banker |
| EPICURE | Epicurus (342?-270 B. C.), Greek philosopher |
| EUSTACHIAN TUBE | Bartolommeo Eustachio (1524-1574), Italian anatomist |
| FALLOPIAN TUBE | Gabriel Fallopius (1523-1562), Italian anatomist |
| FERRIS WHEEL | George Washington Gale Ferris (1859-96), American engineer |
| FILBERT | Saint Philibert (d. 684), Frankish abbot whose feast day marks the ripening season of the nuts |
| FORSYTHIA | William Forsyth (1737-1804), British botanist |
| FRANGIPANI | Marquis Frangipani, 16th century Italian nobleman |
| FREESIA | Friedrich Heinrich Theodor Freese (d. 1876), German physician |
| FRISBEE | William Russell Frisbie, pie shop owner in Bridgeport CT |
| FUCHSIA | Leonard Fuchs (1501-1566), German botanist |
| GALVANIZE | Luigi Galvani (1739-1798), Italian physiologist |
| GARDENIA | Alexander Garden (1730-91), Scottish-American botanist |
| GARIBALDI | Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-82), Italian patriot and soldier |
| GATLING GUN | Richard J. Gatling (1818-1903), American inventor |
| GEIGER COUNTER | Hans Geiger (1882-1945), German physicist |
| GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE | Sam German, American chocolate maker |
| GERRYMANDER | Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), Governor of Massachusetts (he pronounced the g as in gray) |
| GLADSTONE BAG | William Ewart Gladstone (1809-98), British statesman and prime minister |
| GRAHAM CRACKER | Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), American dietetic reformer |
| GREENGAGE | Sir William Gage (1777-1864), English botanist |
| GROG | Old Grog, nickname of Sir Edward Vernon (1684-1757), British admiral |
| GUILLOTINE | Joseph Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814), French physician |
| GUPPY | Robert J. L. Guppy (1836-1916), British scientist from Trinidad |
| GUY | Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), British terrorist |
| HANSOM | Joseph Aloysius Hansom (1803-82), English architect |
| HAVELOCK | Sir Henry Havelock (1795-1857), British general in India |
| HOBSON’S CHOICE | Thomas Hobson (1544-1631), English liveryman |
| HOOLIGAN | probably Patrick Hooligan |
| JACQUARD | Joseph Marie Jacquard, 18th cent. French inventor |
| JACUZZI | Roy Jacuzzi and Candido Jacuzzi (1903-1986), American inventors |
| JEREMIAD | Jeremiah, Old Testament prophet |
| JEROBOAM | Jeroboam, first king of the northern kingdom of Israel |
| JULY | Gaius Julius Caesar (c. 101 - 44 B. C.) |
| K RATION | Ancel Keys, American biologist and Defense Dept. researcher |
| KAISER | Gaius Julius Caesar (c. 101 - 44 B. C.) |
| KLIEG LIGHT | John H. (1869-1959) and Anton T. Kleigl (1872-1927), American lighting experts |
| KNICKERBOCKERS | Dietrich Knickerbocker, pseudonym of Washington Irving (1783-1859), American author |
| LADYBUG | Our Lady, the Virgin Mary |
| LEOTARD | Jules Léotard (1839-70), French acrobat |
| LEVIS | Levi Strauss (1830-1902), Bavarian immigrant to the USA and clothing merchant |
| LISTERINE | Joseph Lister (1827-1912), pioneer in antiseptic surgery |
| LOBELIA | Matthias de Lobel (1538-1616), Flemish botanist and physician |
| LOBSTER NEWBURG | Ben Wenberg (see note below) |
| LOGANBERRY | Judge James H. Logan (1841-1928), horticulturist in California |
| LUDDITE | Ned Ludd, 18th cent. Leicestershire workman who destroyed machinery (see note below) |
| LYNCH | Capt. William Lynch (1742-1820), plantation owner in Virginia |
| MACADAMIA NUT | John Macadam (1827-1865), Australian scientist |
| MACADAMIZE and MACADAM | John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), Scottish engineer |
| MACH | Ernst Mach (1838-1916), Austrian physicist |
| MACKINTOSH | Charles Macintosh (1766-1843), inventor of the waterproofing process |
| MAGNOLIA | Pierre Magnol (1638-1715), French botanist |
| MANSARD | François Mansart (1598-1666), French architect |
| MARIGOLD | Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus |
| MARTINET | Col. Jean Martinet, 17th century French drillmaster |
| MASOCHISM | Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (1836-1895), Austrian novelist |
| MASONITE | William H. Mason, American inventor |
| MAUDLIN | Mary Magdalene, Biblical figure |
| MAUSOLEUM | Mausolus, 4th century B. C. king of Caria, Asia Minor |
| MAVERICK | Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870), Texas cattle owner |
| MELBA TOAST and PEACH MELBA | Dame Nellie Melba (1861-1931), Australian soprano |
| MENNONITE | Menno Simons (1492-1559), Dutch religious reformer |
| MESMERIZE | Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), Austrian physician |
| MICKEY FINN | Michael Finnish, American saloon keeper who allegedly drugged his customers (see note) |
| MORSE CODE | Samuel Finley Breese Morse (1791-1872), American artist and inventor |
| MULLIGAN | David Bernard Mulligan (1904-1973), Canadian amateur golfer |
| NACHO | Ignacio Anaya (?-1975), Mexican Maitre d' |
| NAMBY-PAMBY | Nickname of Ambrose Philips (1674-1749), English poet |
| NICOTINE | Jean Nicot (c. 1530 - 1600), French ambassador to Portugal |
| ORRERY | Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery (1676-1731), for whom one was made |
| OSCAR | Oscar Pierce, American wheat and fruit grower and uncle of an Academy executive director |
| PAP SMEAR | George Papanicolaou (1883-1962), American physician |
| PASTEURIZE | Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), French chemist |
| PAVLOVA | Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), Russian ballerina |
| PETER PRINCIPLE | Laurence J. Peter (1919-1990), American (Canadian-born) educator |
| PLATONIC | Plato (c. 427-347 BC), Greek philosopher |
| POINSETTIA | Joel Roberts Poinsett (1779-1851), U. S. minister to Mexico |
| POMPADOUR | Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise De Pompadour (1721-1764), French aristocrat |
| PRALINE | César de Choiseul, Count Plessis-Praslin (1598-1675), French soldier and diplomat |
| PULLMAN | George Mortimer Pullman (1831-97), American inventor |
| PYRRHIC | Pyrrus (c. 318 - 272 B. C.), king of Epirus |
| QUISLING | Maj. Vidkun Abraham Quisling (1887-1945), pro-Nazi Norwegian leader |
| RAFFLESIA | Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles (1781-1826), British colonial administrator in Indonesia |
| RAGLAN | Fitzroy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788-1855), British field marshall |
| RASTAFARIAN | Ras Tafari, precoronation name of Haile Selassie (1892-1975), Emperor of Ethiopia |
| RICKETTSIA | Howard T. Ricketts (1871-1910), American pathologist |
| ROB ROY | Robert McGregor (1671-1734), Scottish outlaw |
| RORSCHACH TEST | Hermann Rorschach (1884-1922), Swiss psychiatrist |
| RITZY | César Ritz (1850-1918), Swiss hotelier |
| SADISM | Marquis Donatien Alphonse François de Sade (1740-1814), French soldier and novelist |
| SALISBURY STEAK | James J. Salisbury, 19th century English physician |
| SALMONELLA | Daniel Elmer Salmon (1850-1914), American veterinarian |
| SANDWICH | John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-92), English diplomat |
| SANFORIZED | Sandford Lockwood Cluett (b. 1840), American inventor |
| SAXHORN | Antoine-Joseph Sax, also known as Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), Belgian inventor |
| SAXOPHONE | Antoine-Joseph Sax, also known as Adolphe Sax (1814-1894), Belgian inventor |
| SEQUOIA | Sequoya (c. 1770-1843), Cherokee Indian who invented the Cherokee syllabary |
| SHRAPNEL | Henry Shrapnel (1761-1842), British army officer |
| SIDEBURNS | Gen. Ambrose Everett Burnside (1824-1881), Union soldier |
| SILHOUETTE | Etienne de Silhouette (1709-1767), French minister of finance in 1759 |
| SIMONY | Simon Magus, 1st cent. astrologer from Samaria: Acts 8:18-19 |
| SPOONERISM | Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), of New College, Oxford |
| SOUSAPHONE | John Phillip Sousa (1854-1932), American composer and bandleader |
| STETSON | John Bauerson Stetson (1830-1906), American hat-maker |
| TARMAC | John Loudon McAdam (1756-1836), Scottish engineer (the word is short for "tarmacadam") |
| TATTERSALL | Richard Tattersall (1724-1795), British auctioneer |
| TAWDRY | St. Audrey (St. Etheldreda, c. 630 - 679), queen of Northumbria |
| TEDDY BEAR | Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), U. S. president |
| TEDDY BOY | King Edward VII of Great Britain (1841-1910) |
| TETRAZZINI | Luisa Tetrazzini (1874-1940), Italian opera singer |
| THEREMIN | Lev Theremin (1896-1993), Russian engineer |
| THESPIAN | Thespis, 6th century B. C. Greek poet |
| TIMOTHY GRASS | Timothy Hanson, 18th century American farmer (probably) |
| TOMMY GUN | Gen. John Taliaferro Thompson (1860-1940), U. S. soldier |
| TONTINE | Lorenzo Tonti (1620-1695), Neopolitan banker |
| TONY (award) | Mary Antoinette Perry (1888–1946) American actress, director, and producer |
| TUPPERWARE | Earl Silas Tupper (1907-1983), American landscaper and inventor |
| UZI | Uziel Gal (1923-2002), Israeli inventor |
| VALENTINE | Valentine, 3rd century Christian martyr |
| VERNIER | Pierre Vernier (1580-1637), French mathematician |
| WELLINGTON BOOT | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852), British soldier and statesman |
| WISTERIA | Caspar Wistar (1761-1818), American physician |
| ZEPPELIN | Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin (1838-1917), German general and aeronautical pioneer |
| ZINNIA | Johann Gottfried Zinn (1727-1759), German botanist |
Bunkum, bunk. This word actually comes from the name of Buncombe County, North Carolina; the county was named in honor of Col. Edward Buncombe, a Revolutionary War hero. The word originated after the congressman from that county defended an irrelevant speech in Congress by claiming that he was speaking to Buncombe.
Chicken à la king is said to be named for E. Clark King, proprietor of a New York hotel.
Mickey Finn. According to MWCD11, the term is "probably from Mickey (Michael) Finnish fl1903, American saloon keeper who allegedly drugged his customers."
The OED On-Line entry includes the following:
< the name of ‘Mickey’ Finn, a Chicago saloon-keeper of the late 19th and early 20th cent. who was alleged to have drugged and robbed his customers: see J. E. Lighter Hist. Dict. Amer. Slang (1997) II. 549 and the following:Lobster Newburg. According to Dictionary of Words and Phrases by William and Mary Morris, the term is named for Ben Wenberg, a West Indies ship captain who came up with this dish by adding the ingredient cayenne to his famous recipe at Delmonico's Hotel. As the story goes, Mr. Wenberg had a falling out with the hotel owner, who, as revenge, reversed the first three letters of a dish which had previously been called Lobster Wenberg; hence, "Lobster Newberg." [Jim Lizzi]1903 Chicago Daily News 16 Dec. 1/7: The complete defense advanced by ‘Mickey’ Finn, proprietor of the Lone Star saloon ... described ... as the scene of blood-curdling crimes through the agency of drugged liquor.
1903 Inter-Ocean (Chicago) 17 Dec. 1 (heading), Lone Star Saloon loses its license. ‘Mickey’ Finn's alleged ‘knock-out drops’ ... put him out of business.
Hooker. It seems to be widely believed that the term hooker is derived from the name of Civil War General Joseph Hooker. However, dictionaries indicate that the word has the same derivation as hooker in the sense of "one that hooks," and in fact the OED2 shows a use of the term in 1845 in N. E. Eliason, Tarheel Talk: "If he comes by way of Norfolk he will find any number of pretty Hookers in the Brick row not far from French's hotel."
Cobb salad is probably named for Robert H. Cobb, American restaurateur, according to MWCD11.
Crapper. This word is widely believed to have come from the name of a Thomas Crapper. However, the word apparently derives from the word crap, which is found in middle English.
Condom. It is said that the device was invented by a Dr. Condom. However, most dictionaries have "origin unknown." The OED2 has: "Origin unknown; no 18th-cent. physician named Condom or Conton has been traced though a doctor so named is often said to be the inventor of the sheath."
Luddite. MWCD10 has "perhaps" on the origin of this word in the above table.
Rafflesia. Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles said that that the world's largest flower, Rafflesia arnoldii, named after him, "has blooms a yard wide, weighs as much as twenty-four pounds, and has a memorably horrible smell." Sir Thomas Raffles has at least two plants named for him, as Nepenthes rafflesiana is one of the largest species of carnivorous plants. This pitcher plant from Borneo thrives on the flesh of a variety of invertebrates and the occasional mouse or frog whose skeletons have been found in the pitchers digestive fluid. According to Guinness, rats and birds have also been consumed by the Nepenthes rafflesiana pitcher plant.