this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2025
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Showerthoughts

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Nominative predeterminism?

Edit: word

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I mean, it’s their names.

In 1869, Goldman Sachs was founded by Marcus Goldman in New York City in a one-room basement office next to a coal chute. In 1882, Goldman's son-in-law Samuel Sachs joined the firm.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

That doesn't really make it any less crazy.

Imagine working at a smithy called Smiths run by Joe Smith, who is a Smith. That's at least as wild.
It's so on the nose that if you read it in a book you'd roll your eyes and call it lazy writing

[–] [email protected] 8 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

That's actually the origin of several last names like Smith. Carpenter, Miller, Cooper, waller, Fisher, Chandler, Carter, black, and barker are believed to have originated from professions.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (1 children)

I'm aware, that's pretty common knowledge.

I'ma write a book about someone who works for a tailor named Taylor Tailor at their tailor shop called Tailor's Tailoring which is run out of a trailer. It'll be tailor Taylor Tailer's Tailor's Tailoring tailoring trailer. It will be a very serious book, because none of this is in the least but funny.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

Please actually do. Somehow I feel like it would be a delight to read. I guess I just like dry humor

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Goldman for "son of gold".

And Sachs as the same Germanic root of "Saxon" one of the groups who conquered England.

Two insanely wealthy old money names.

When they say "started next to a coal chute" it makes it sound like it was a small business...

But Goldman was insanely wealthy and the company's first investments were "IOUs".

It was basically a loan racket, the "office" was where the poor people were who needed high interest loans because a bank wouldn't loan.

They "started from the bottom" as much as Drake did when he went into rapping.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Son of gold would be "goldson". "Goldman" would be a moniker for someone who worked with gold (miner, jeweler, gilder) or possessed/wore a lot of it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

Drake raps? I thought he just gets bored and starts mumbling and someone records it and puts it to music.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

Being their real names doesn't keep it from sounding like a joke name.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago

Many surnames were introduced by profession.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I once had a coworker named Fanny Weiner.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

I had a professor who went by Bill, because he was a William Williamson.