1. Words From People's Names
Some words originated from people's names. Generally, these people served the world in some
special way and then gained immortality through the word named after them. Since these name
words often have unique spellings, they can present problems for spellers.
Word Person
America Amerigo Vespucci
ampere Andre Ampere
boycott Captain Charles Boycott
braille Louis Braille
Celsius Anders Celsius
chauvinism Nicolas Chauvin
dahlia Anders Dahl
diesel Rudolf Diesel
Fahrenheit Gabriel Fahrenheit
guy Guy Fawkes
herculean Hercules
macadam John McAdam
martinet Jean Martinet
maverick Samuel Maverick
nicotine Jean Nicot
ohm Georg Simon Ohm
pasteurize Louis Pasteur
poinsettia Joel Poinsett
quixotic Don Quixote
sandwich Earl of Sandwich
saxophone Antoine Sax
sideburns Ambrose Burnside
silhouette Etienne de Silhouette
spoonerism Reverend William Spooner
volt Count Alessandro Volta
watt James Watt
zeppelin Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin