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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[–] TragicNotCute@lemmy.world 31 points 16 hours 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.

[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 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

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 hours ago

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.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 23 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours 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.

[–] woop_woop@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours 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.

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 3 points 14 hours ago

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

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 5 points 15 hours ago

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

[–] lurch@sh.itjust.works 13 points 16 hours ago

Many surnames were introduced by profession.

[–] xylogx@lemmy.world 8 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I once had a coworker named Fanny Weiner.

[–] ryathal@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 hours ago

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