Friday, April 03, 2020

Mr Ledger, the accountant - Nominative determinism in action?

Nominative determinism suggests that people gravitate towards areas of work that fit their names.  In this context AccountancyAge ran a competition a while back to find accountants who might have moved into the profession due to their name.

The winning submission came from an accountant called Mike Broadway. It wasn't about himself though:
'I was articled to W D Menzies & Co [now Menzies] in the early 60's and one of the partners was a Mr William Ledger. 
All articled clerks had to take a turn on the switchboard and it was amusing to hear clients asking to speak to "Mr Ledger, the accountant" as if it was a game of Happy Families.

'Our amusement didn't end there, as we also imagined the young William doing National Service as Private Ledger before taking a commission to become, eventually, General Ledger. 
'Bill, as he was known, but not to his face, had in fact served in the Marines, making him "Sails" Ledger.
We finally planned a post-military career for Bill as the warden of a bird sanctuary - wait for it - "Perches" Ledger.
Have you ever encountered any other appropriately named accountants?

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