What are good examples of naval nominative determinism?
Short answerCaptain Coward was conspicuously ill-named because he was known for aggressive action, while Captain Manly Power offers another memorable historical name.
NotesCaptain Coward's Falklands reputation supplies an example of a surname at odds with the behaviour associated with its owner. The joke rests on an officer remembered for aggression rather than timidity. Captain Manly Power supplies a second memorable naval name. These anecdotes concern individual reputations and names, without suggesting that names determine an officer's conduct.