List of eponyms (L–Z)

An eponym is a person (real or fictitious) whose name has become identified with a particular object or activity.

Here is a list of eponyms:

A–K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z

L

• Rudolf Laban, Slovakian choreographer - labanotation.
• Lazarus of Bethany, Biblical character - Lazarus sign, Lazarus syndrome, Lazarus taxon.
• René Lacoste, French tennis player - Lacoste
• Ferruccio Lamborghini, Italian car builder – Lamborghini
• Vincenzo Lancia, Italian car builder– founder, Lancia
• Francesco Landini – Landini cadence, might be described in its most characteristic form as a variation on the harmonic progression in which an unstable sixth (usually major) expands to a stable octave.
• Edwin Henry Landseer, British painter and sculptor – Landseer (dog)
• Paul Langerhans, German biologist – Islets of Langerhans, Langerhans cell, Langerhans cell histiocytosis
• Samuel Pierpont Langley, American astronomer and physicist – langley a measurement of solar radiation.
• Lev Davidovich Landau – Landau pole, Landau damping
• Chris Langton – Langton's ant
• Bent Larsen – Larsen's Opening
• Pierre Charles Alexandre Louis – Angle of Louis
• Giovanni Paolo Lascaris – Lascaris towers, Lascaris Battery
• Lawrence of Rome – San Lawrenz
• Ernest Lawrence, American physicist – lawrencium
• Bruce Lee, American-Chinese actor – Bruceploitation
• Peter Lee – Peterlee, a town in County Durham
• Alfredo di Lelio – Alfredo sauce
• Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, Russian head of state – Leninism, Lenin's Testament, for various places see Lenino and List of places named after Lenin
• John Lennard-Jones – Lennard-Jones potential
• Jules Léotard, French acrobat – leotard
• Leudonus – Lothian
• Lars Levi Læstadius – Laestadianism
• Alice Liddell, British child – Alice in Wonderland syndrome
• Liechtenstein dynasty – Liechtenstein
• Abraham Lincoln, American president – Lincoln Records; ships USS Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72); Lincoln is a slang term for the United States five dollar bill
• Charles Lindbergh, American pilot – Lindbergh Law .
• Joseph Lister, British physician – Listerine mouthwash
• Little Goody Two-Shoes, British literary character - The English derogatory term "goody two-shoes" for someone who is irritatingly bland and nice.^[1]
• David Livingstone, Scottish explorer – Livingstone daisy, Livingstone, Zambia
• Ignacio de la Llave – Veracruz-Llave
• Veronica Lodge, American comics character – the Veronica search engine
• Fritz London – London force
• Ruy López de Segura, Spanish monk – Ruy Lopez opening in chess
• John De Lorean – De Lorean
• Hendrik Lorentz, Dutch physicist – Lorentz force, Lorentz transformation
• Lothar – Lorraine, French province
• Allan Haines Loughead – Lockheed Corporation later to become Lockheed Martin in 1995
• Louis XIV of France, French king – Louisiana
• Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria – Alberta
• H. P. Lovecraft, American novelist – Lovecraftian horror
• Hubert von Luschka – foramina of Luschka (outlets for cerebrospinal fluid in the brain); Luschka's crypts; Luschka's joints
• Saint Lucy of Syracuse – Saint Lucia
• Martin Luther, German religious leader – Lutheranism
• Alois Lutz, Austrian figure skater – Lutz jump
• Charles Lynch – lynching, lynch law
• Trofim Lysenko – Lysenkoism

M

• Ernst Mach, Czech-Austrian physicist – Mach number
• Karel Hynek Mácha, Czech novelist and poet – Lake Mácha (Czech: Máchovo jezero), in the Czech Republic
• Niccolò Machiavelli, Italian politician and writer – Machiavellianism.
• John Macdonald, New Zealand psychologist - Macdonald triad.
• Charles Macintosh, Scottish inventor – mackintosh
• Alexander Mackenzie, American explorer – Mackenzie River, Mackenzie Bay
• Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician – Maclaurin series, Maclaurin's inequality, Sectrix of Maclaurin, Trisectrix of Maclaurin.
• Douglas MacLean, American film actor - MacLean smile.
• Rowland Hussey Macy, American businessman – Macy's
• George Maduro, Dutch resistance fighter - Madurodam.
• Gaius Maecenas, Roman patron of literature and the arts – maecenas (arts patron)
• Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer – Strait of Magellan, Large Magellanic Cloud, Small Magellanic Cloud
• François Magendie, French physiologist – foramen of Magendie.
• Pierre Magnol, French botanist – magnolia
• Heinrich Gustav Magnus, German chemist - Magnus effect, Magnus' green salt.
• Jules Germain François Maisonneuve, French surgeon – Maisonneuve fracture.
• Nestor Makhno, Ukrainian revolutionary leader - Makhnovism.
• Aimable Pélissier, duke of Malakoff, French marshall - Malakofftorte.
• Mrs. Malaprop, a character in The Rivals, a play by Richard Brinsley Sheridan – malapropism.
• G. Kenneth Mallory American physician, and Soma Weiss, Hungarian physician - Mallory-Weiss syndrome.
• Marcello Malpighi, Italian surgeon - Malpighian corpuscles, Mapilghian tubule system, Malpighian pyramids, Malpighiaceae
• Thomas Malthus, British economist – Malthusian, Malthusianism, Malthusian Growth Model, Malthusian catastrophe
• Giorgio and Gregorio Mamo, Maltese land owners – Mamo Tower
• Benoît Mandelbrot, Polish mathematician – Mandelbrot set.
• Mani, Mesopotamian religious leader - Manichaeism.
• Russ Manning, American comics artist - Russ Manning Award
• Manolete, Spanish bullfighter - "Manoletina technique".
• François Mansart, French architect - mansarde (syoniem for an attic)
• Antoine Marfan, French physician – Marfan syndrome
• Henrietta Maria of France, French-born English queen – Maryland
• Queen Mariana of Austria or Marie-Anne of Austria, Austrian-born Spanish queen – Mariana Islands, Mariana Trench
• Pierre Marie, French neurologist – Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease
• Saint Marinus, Christian saint – San Marino
• Mark the Evangelist, Christian saint – Saint Mark's Tower
• Benjamin Markarian, Armenian astrophysicist – Markarian galaxies
• Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer, British businessmen – Marks and Spencer
• Henry Martin, American businessman – Martinizing Dry Cleaning
• Géza Maróczy, Hungarian chess player – Maróczy Bind
• Marplot, the main character in Susanna Centlivre's plays The Busy Body and Marplot in Lisbon – marplot (an officious meddler or busybody who disrupts the plans of others)
• Mars, Greek-Roman mythological character - Martius (month), Mars (planet)
• Frank Mars, American businessman - Mars (chocolate bar)
• Frank Marshall, American chess player – Marshall Defense
• George C. Marshall, American general - Marshall Plan.
• John Marshall, British explorer – Marshall Islands
• Maurice Martenot, French inventor – Ondes Martenot
• Lionel Martin, British businessman – Aston Martin
• Glenn Luther Martin, American businessman - Glenn L. Martin Company (later Lockheed Martin).
• Jean Martinet, French militarian – martinet (a disciplinarian).
• Maurice Martenot, French inventor – Ondes Martenot.
• Groucho Marx, American comedian and film actor - Groucho glasses
• Karl Marx, German philosopher and economist - marxism
• Mary, mother of Jesus – numerous communities and geographic features (either named St. Mary or having the word Lady in them), a large number of cathedrals, churches, and religious orders, the ladybird
• Mary the Jewess, ancient alchemist - Bain-marie to warm substances such as Elixir to germinate precious metals.
• Alfieri Maserati, Italian businessman – Maserati.
• Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, British astronomers – Mason–Dixon Line
• John L. Mason, American inventor – Mason jar
• C. Johan Masreliez, Swedish inventor - Masreliez's theorem
• Alonzo C. Mather, American businessman – Mather Stock Car Company
• Harold Matson and Elliot Handler, American businessmen – Mattel.
• Jujiro Matsuda, Japanese businessman – Mazda (also possibly inspired by Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda)
• Queen Maud of Norway, Norwegian queen – Queen Maud Gulf (Canada), Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, Queen Maud fromage.
• Maurice of Nassau, Dutch politician – Mauritius
• Paul Mauser and Wilhelm Mauser, German businessmen - Mauser gun
• Maussollus, Carian king – mausoleum
• Max und Moritz, German comics/literary characters - Max & Moritz Prize
• Hiram Maxim, American gun inventor – Maxim gun
• James Clerk Maxwell, British physicist – maxwell, Maxwell equations.
• Louis B. Mayer, American film producer – Louis B. Mayer Pictures which later merged into Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer (or MGM).
• Walther Mayer and Leopold Vietoris, Austrian mathematicians - Mayer-Vietoris axiom, Mayer-Vietoris theorem.
• Thabo Mbeki, South-African president - Mbekite.
• John Loudon McAdam, Scottish engineer – macadam process of road construction, tarmac (tar+macadam) road surface
• Charles McBurney, American surgeon – McBurney's point (aka McBurney's sign), a sign of acute appendicitis.
• Joseph McCarthy, American politician - McCarthyism.
• Dick McDonald and Mac McDonald, American businesspeople – McDonald's Corporation
• James Smith McDonnell, American businessman - McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, later to become McDonnell Douglas.
• Giuseppe Meazza, Italian association football player and manager – Stadio Giuseppe Meazza.
• Medusa, Greek mythological character - Medusa (biology), Medusa piercing, Medusa pepper, Medusaceratops.
• Megara, Greek mythological character - The French word "mégère" (a hysterical woman ^[2])
• Heinrich Meibome, German physician - Meibomian gland
• Henri Meige, French neurologist - Meige's syndrome
• Georg Meissner, German anatomist – Meissner's corpuscles
• Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld, German physicists – Meissner effect (or Meissner–Ochsenfeld effect)
• Lise Meitner, Austrian-Swedish physicist – meitnerium.
• Meiji, Japanese emperor - Meiji Shrine
• Nellie Melba, Australian opera singer – Melba toast, Peach Melba, Melba (a suburb of Canberra, Australia)
• William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, British Prime Minister – Melbourne.
• Gregor Mendel, Czech botanist – Mendelian inheritance, Mendel Polar Station.
• Dmitri Mendeleev, Russian chemist – mendelevium, periodic table of Mendeleev
• Prosper Ménière, French physician – Ménière's disease
• Mentor, Greek mythological character – mentor (a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person), mentoring programs.
• Gerard Mercator, Flemish cartographer - Mercator projection.
• Nicholas Mercator, German mathematician - Mercator series.
• Ismail Merchant, British film producer, and James Ivory, American film director - Merchant Ivory Productions.
• Giuseppe Mercalli, Italian seismologist – Mercalli intensity scale of an earthquake
• Mercury Greek-Roman mythological character - Mercury (planet), Mercury (element) and Mercury poisoning.
• Robert Mertens, Russian-German biologist - Mertensian mimicry, Robert Mertens' day gecko, Mertens' water monitor.
• Meirion, son of Cunedda, Welsh king – Merionethshire
• Charles Merrill, American businessman - Merrill Lynch
• Franz Anton Mesmer, German hypnotist – Mesmerism, "to mesmerize".
• Wilhelm Messerschmitt, German engineer - Messerschmitt.
• Charles Messier, French astronomer - Messier object.
• Ioannis Metaxas, Greek Prime Minister - Metaxism.
• Robert Metcalfe, American electrical engineer – Metcalfe's law
• Methuselah, Biblical character – A Methuselah (nickname for a very old person), Methuselah (6 litre wine bottle see Wine bottle#Sizes)
• Saint Michael, Biblical character – Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Arkhangelsk, and numerous other places with St Michael or Archangel in them.
• André Michelin, French businessman - Michelin, Michelin guide.
• Giovanni Michelotti, Italian businessman - Michelotti.
• Carl Miele, German businessman - Miele
• Jacques Mieses, German chessplayer – Mieses Opening
• Caspar Milquetoast, American comics character – Milquetoast (a weak, ineffectual or bland person.)
• Hermann Minkowski, German mathematician – Minkowski addition, Minkowski inequality, Minkowski space, Minkowski diagram, Minkowski's theorem.
• Marcel Minnaert, Belgian-Dutch astronomer - Minnaert resonance, Minnaert function.
• Minthe, Greek mythological character - Mentha
• Ernesto Miranda, American criminal – Miranda Warning
• Miriam, Biblical character – bain-Marie ^[3][4]
• Frederic Mistral, French writer and poet - Mistralien.
• Mithridates VI of Pontus, king - mithridatium, mithridatism.
• Walter Mitty, American literary character - a "Walter Mitty" (a hopeless dreamer).
• Mobutu, Zaïrese president - Mobutism.
• August Ferdinand Moebius, German astronomer and mathematician - Moebius strip
• Paul Julius Möbius, German neurologist - Möbius syndrome.
• Morgan le Fay, British mythological character - fata morgana.
• Andrija Mohorovičić, Croatian seismologist – Mohorovičić discontinuity
• Gert Molière, German mathematician - Molière radius.
• Molière, French playwright - Molière shoes (low-heeled shoe with laces, typically worn in the 17th-18th century ^[5])
• Jacob Anton Moll, Dutch physician - Moll's gland
• Vyacheslav Molotov, Russian politician – Molotov cocktail
• James Monroe, American president – Monroe Doctrine, Monrovia
• Marilyn Monroe, American film actress - Monroe piercing
• Romeo Montague, British theatrical character – romeo (affectionate nickname for a male lover).
• Montanus, Christian religious leader - Montanism
• Moses Montefiore, British banker - Montefiore Medical Center.
• Maria Montessori, Italian educator - Montessori education
• The Montgolfier Brothers, French inventors - Montgolfier balloon.
• William Fetherstone Montgomery, Irish obstetrician - Glands of Montgomery.
• Monty Python, British comedy collective – Pythonesque
• Robert Moog, American inventor – Moog synthesizer.
• Gordon Moore, American businessman – Moore's law.
• Jean Moreau de Sechelles, French politician – Seychelles
• José María Morelos, Mexican revolutionary – Morelos
• Prince Morgan the Old of Gwent, Welsh king – Glamorgan
• Ernst Moro, Austrian physician – Moro reflex
• Giorgio Moroder, Italian music producer - Moroder sound
• Samuel Morse, British inventor – Morse code.
• Morpheus, Greek mythological character - morfine.
• John Morton, English archbishop of Canterbury – Morton's Fork (a choice between two equally unpleasant alternatives), Morton's fork coup.
• Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert, American musicians – A&M Records.
• Rudolf Mössbauer, German physicist – Mössbauer effect.
• Lord Louis Mountbatten, British naval officer – Mountbatten pink.
• Mickey Mouse, American cartoon character – Mickey Mousing, Mickey Mouse degrees
• Mowgli, British-Indian literary character - Mowgli syndrome.
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, German-Austrian composer – Mozartkugel, Mozart effect, Mozart Medal, the word 'Mozart' became synonymous for '(musical) child prodigy' and 'virtuoso'
• Erasto B. Mpemba, Tanzanian physicist – Mpemba effect
• Antonín Mrkos, Czech astronomer – The comets 18D/Perrine-Mrkos, 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, 124P/Mrkos and 143P/Kowal-Mrkos.
• Muhammad, Saudi-Arabian religious leader - Muhammadanism
• Fritz Müller, German biologist - Müllerian mimicry
• Walther Müller, German physicist – Geiger–Müller tube
• David Mulligan, American hotel manager – Mulligan.
• Baron Munchausen, German baron – Munchausen syndrome, Munchausen syndrome by proxy
• Ian Murdock, American software engineer, and Debra Murdock, his wife. – Debian project for free software, made after combining Ian's and his wife's name Debra.
• Edward A. Murphy, Jr., American engineer - Murphy's law.
• William Lawrence Murphy, American inventor – Murphy bed.^[6]
• The Muses, Greek mythological characters - a muse, musaeum, museum.
• Mytyl and Tytltyl, Belgian theatrical characters - Mytyl school and Tyltyl school.

N

• Ashot Nadanian – Grünfeld Defence, Nadanian Variation
• Oskar Naegeli – Naegeli–Franceschetti–Jadassohn syndrome
• Miguel Najdorf – Sicilian Defence, Najdorf Variation
• Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer – Nansen passport
• John Napier – neper, unit of relative power level, Napier's bones, method for performing multiplication
• Napoleon I, French general and emperor – Napoleonic code and Napoleonic Wars
• Napoleon I of France, French emperor – Napoleon Opening
• Narcissus, Greek mythological character – narcissism
• John Forbes Nash, British mathematician – Nash equilibrium, Nash embedding theorem
• Thomas Nash, American Revolutionary War hero – Nashville, Tennessee
• Joachim Neander, German poet – Neanderthal (valley) was named after him, and thus the Neandertal fossil found there
• Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian king – nebuchadnezzar, 15 litre wine bottle
• Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian politician – Nehru jacket, Nehru Planetarium
• Baby Face Nelson, American criminal – Baby Face Finlayson, formerly from The Beano comic
• Horatio Nelson, British admiral – Nelson (New Zealand)
• Henri Nestlé, German-Swiss businessman – Nestlé
• Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople – nestorianism
• John von Neumann, Hongarian-American mathematician and computer programmer – Von Neumann machine, Von Neumann probe, Von Neumann architecture, John von Neumann Theory Prize, IEEE John von Neumann Medal
• Rolf Nevanlinna – Nevanlinna theory,
• Isaac Newton, British mathematician and physicist – newton – unit of force, Newton's law of cooling, Newton's law of gravitation, Newton's laws of motion, Newton's rings, Newtonian reflecting telescope
• Jean Nicot, French explorer – nicotine
• Arthur Nielsen, American market analyst – Nielsen ratings, Nielsen Media Research.
• Mike Nifong – Nifonged
• Aron Nimzowitsch – Nimzo–Indian Defence
• Richard Nixon, American president – Nixonomics, Nixon mask
• Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and activist – Nobel Prizes, nobelium
• Emmy Noether, German mathematician – Noether's theorem, Noetherian rings
• Ian Norman and Gerry Harvey – Harvey Norman
• Edward Lawry Norton – Norton's theorem
• Pedro Nunes, Portuguese mathematician and inventor - nonius

O

• Oceanus, Greek-Roman mythological character - ocean.
• Robert Ochsenfeld and Walter Meissner, German physicists – Meissner–Ochsenfeld effect (Meissner effect).
• William of Ockham, British philosopher – Occam's Razor.
• Odysseus, Greek mythological character - odyssey.
• Oedipus, Greek mythological character - Oedipus complex.
• Oengus I of the Picts, Pictian king – Angus.
• Georg Ohm, German physicist – ohm, Ohm's Law.
• Onan, Biblical character – onanism.
• Ongull, Scandinavian landowner – Anglesey.
• Jan Oort, Dutch astronomer – Oort cloud.
• Adam Opel, German businessman – Opel.
• William of Orange, Dutch politician - Orangism.
• Leonard Ornstein, Dutch physicist - Ornstein-Zernike equation, Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process.
• Orpheus, Greek mythological character - orphism (religion), orphism (art), Orphean warbler.
• Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, British nobleman – the orrery.
• Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist and chemist – oersted, unit of magnetic field strength.
• George Orwell, British novelist – Orwellian.
• Robert Bayley Osgood, American physician and Carl B. Schlatter, Swiss physician – Osgood–Schlatter disease.
• Osman I, Turkish sultan - Ottoman Empire.
• Wilhelm Ostwald, Latvian-German chemist - Ostwald process.
• Nikolaus Otto, German engineer and inventor - Otto engine.
• John Owen, British chess player – Owen's Defence.
• Robert Owen, Welsh social reformer and activist - Owenism.

P

• Giuseppe Pace, Maltese bishop – Paceville
• David Packard and William Hewlett, American business people – Hewlett–Packard
• Larry Page, American businessman – PageRank algorithm
• František Palacký – Palacký University, Olomouc
• Pan, Greek mythological character – panflute, the word panic, Peter Pan
• Peter Pan, British theatrical character – Peter Pan syndrome.
• Pandora, Greek mythological character - Pandora's box.
• Sancho Panza, Spanish literary character - a Sancho Panza (a trusty and admiring servant), sanchism (witty saying ^[7] or a more concrete, worldwise view ^[8]).
• Paparazzo, a press photographer in Federico Fellini's film La Dolce Vita – paparazzi
• Vilfredo Pareto, Italian economist – Pareto principle, Pareto efficiency, Pareto distribution, Pareto index
• Bernard Parham, American chess player – Parham Attack
• James Parkinson, British physician – Parkinson's disease
• Rosa Parks, American activist – Rosa Parks Highway
• Blaise Pascal, French mathematician – pascal, Pascal's triangle, Pascal's Wager or Pascal's Gambit, Pascal programming language, Pascal's theorem
• Louis Pasteur, French chemist – Pasteurization
• Saint Paul – Saint Paul (Minnesota), São Paulo, St Paul's Island, St. Paul's Bay, St. Paul's Bay Tower, and numerous other localities, churches and cathedrals
• Vincent de Paul, French humanitarian activist and priest - Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
• Antoine de Paule, Maltese knight – Paola, Malta
• Wolfgang Pauli, Austrian-Swiss physicist – Pauli exclusion principle
• Axel Paulsen, Norwegian figure skater – Axel jump.
• Mr. Pecksniff, British literary character – Pecksniffian ^[9]
• Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, Russian biologist – Pavlovian conditioning
• Anna Pavlova, Russian ballet dancer – Pavlova.
• Pelagius, British philosopher - Pelagianism.
• Giuseppe Peano, Italian mathematician – Peano axioms
• Jean Charles Athanase Peltier, French physicist – Peltier effect, Peltier coefficient, Peltier plate
• William Penn, British-American politician and explorer – Pennsylvania
• James Cash Penney, American business man – J.C. Penney
• Roger Penrose, British mathematician – Penrose diagram, Penrose tiling,^[10] Penrose triangle, Penrose stairs, Penrose chickens
• Ramon Perellos y Roccaful, Maltese knight – Perellos Redoubt, Perellos Tower
• Dom Pérignon, French monk – Dom Pérignon.
• Juan Perón, Argentine president - Peronism.
• Louis Perrier, French physician and business man - Perrier
• Antoinette Perry, American actress and theatre director – Tony Award ^[11]
• St. Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ – Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Petersburg, Peterborough, and numerous other localities, churches and cathedrals.
• Arno Peters, German historian - Gall-Peters projection.
• Alexander Petrov, Russian chess player – Petrov's Defence
• Armand Peugeot, French car builder and business man – Peugeot.
• Phaeton, Greek mythological character - Phaeton (carriage)
• François-André Danican Philidor, French composer and chess player – Philidor Defence.
• Philip II of Macedon, Macedonian king - Philippic.
• Philip II of Spain, Spanish king – Philippines.
• Gerard Philips, Dutch businessman – Philips.
• Samuel Pickwick , British literary character – Pickwickian,^[9] Pickwickian syndrome.
• Lester Piggott, British horse race jockey – Lester Award
• Joseph Pilates, German physical trainer – the Pilates Method
• Józef Piłsudski, Polish general and president - Piłsudskiite
• James Pimm, British businessman – Pimm's
• Pinocchio, Italian literary character – Pinocchio Syndrome, Pinocchio paradox
• Harold Pinter, British playwright - Pinteresque, Pinter puzzle
• Vasja Pirc, Slovenian chess player – Pirc Defence.
• Giovanni Battista Pirelli, Italian businessman and engineer - Pirelli, Pirelli calendar.
• William Pitt the Elder, British Prime Minister – Pittsburgh
• Max Planck, German physicist – Planck's constant, Planck's law of black body radiation
• Joseph Plateau, Belgian physicist – Plateau's laws, Plateau's problem
• Plato, Greek philosopher – Platonic solids, Platonic love, Neoplatonism.
• Henry Stanley Plummer, American physician – Plummer's disease, Plummer-Vinson syndrome, Plummer's nail.
• Friedrich Carl Alwin Pockels, German physicist – Pockels effect, Pockels cell.
• Joel Roberts Poinsett, American politician and botanist – poinsettia
• Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille, French physicist – poise, Poiseuille's Law
• Joseph Polchinski – Polchinski's paradox.
• Charles Ponzi, Italian criminal – Ponzi scheme
• Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani, Italian chess player – Ponziani Opening
• Eugène Poubelle, French lawyer, administrator and diplomat – poubelle, French word for "dustbin"
• Pierre Poujade, French politician – Poujadism
• Ferdinand Porsche, Italian car designer – Porsche
• Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin, Russian general – Potemkin village
• Percivall Pott, British surgeon – Pott's disease, Pott's fracture
• Pierre Poujade, French politician - Poujadism.
• Enoch Powell, British politician - Powellism
• Elvis Presley, American rock 'n' roll singer – Elvis impersonator, Elvis taxon.
• Priapus, Greek mythological character – priapism
• Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, British prince – Prince Edward Island
• Procrustes, Greek mythological character – Procrustean bed
• William Procter and James Gamble, British businesspeople – Procter & Gamble.
• Prometheus, Greek mythological character - Prometheism, Promethium.
• Proteus, Greek mythological character - the adjective "protean" (versatile, mutable, capable of assuming many forms), Proteus syndrome, Proteus effect.
• Karl Prusik, Austrian mountaineer - Prusikclimbing technique of going up or down a rope using knots.
• Nikolay Przhevalsky, Russisch biologist – Przewalski's horse
• James Puckle, British inventor - Puckle gun
• Hermann, Fürst von Pückler-Muskau, German prince - Fürst-Pückler-Eis (Prince Pückler ice-cream).
• Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian businessman – Pulitzer Prize
• Jan Evangelista Purkyně, Czech anatomist and physiologist – Purkinje cell, Purkinje effect, Purkinje shift, Purkinje images, Purkinje fibres.
• Pyrrho, Greek philosopher - Pyrrhonism.
• Pyrrhus of Epirus, Greek general – Pyrrhic victory
• Pythagoras, Greek mathematician – Pythagorean theorem, Pythagorean triple, Pythagorean tuning, Pythagorean expectation, Pythagorean hammers, Pythagorean trigonometric identity, Pythagoreanism, Neopythagoreanism.

Q

• Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian war criminal – the term "quisling" became a synonym in many European languages for traitor

R

• Thomas Stamford Raffles, British governor – Rafflesia
• Richard Rainwater, American businessman - Rainwater, Inc.
• C. V. Raman, Indian physicist – Raman spectroscopy, Raman effect
• Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician – Ramanujan prime, Ramanujan theta function, Ramanujan's sum, Ramanujan's master theorem, Landau–Ramanujan constant, Ramanujan–Soldner constant, Ramanujan–Petersson conjecture, Rogers–Ramanujan identities, Hardy–Ramanujan number
• John Rambo, American literary and film character - a "Rambo" (a reckless person who disregards orders and uses violence to solve problems),^[12] "Rambo strategy", "Rambo lawyer" (one who habitually engages in "all manners of adversarial excess, including personal attacks on other lawyers, hostility, boorish and insulting behavior, rudeness and obstructionist conduct"^[13] or embraces "a 'take no prisoners' attitude.",^[14] "Rambo knife" (nickname for a Bowie knife in several languages).
• William John Macquorn Rankine, Scottish engineer, physicist and mathematician – degree Rankine, Rankine cycle
• Aleksandar Ranković, Yugoslav politician - Rankovićism
• Raphael, Italian painter – Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
• Satyajit Ray, Indian film director - Satyajit Ray Memorial Award.
• John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, British physicist and mathematician – Rayleigh scattering
• Maurice Raynaud, French physician – Raynaud's disease
• Ronald Reagan, American film actor and president – Reagan Era, Reaganomics, Reagan doctrine Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), Ronald Reagan Trail
• René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French biologist – degree Réaumur.
• Martin de Redin, Spanish military and politician – De Redin towers
• Orville Redenbacher, American businessman - Orville Redenbacher.
• Serge Reding, Belgian weightlifter - Prix Serge Reding
• Dorothy Reed Mendenhall, American physician, and Carl Sternberg, Austrian pathologist – Reed–Sternberg cell
• Rehoboam, Hebrew king – 4.5 litre wine bottle (see Wine bottle#Sizes)
• Edgar Reitz, German film director - Edgar Reitz Filmproduktion
• Eliphalet Remington, American businessman - Remington Arms, Remington Products
• Alfred Renard, Belgian engineer - Société Anonyme Avions et Moteurs Renard.
• André Renard, Belgian politician - Renardism
• Louis Renault, French industrialist - Renault
• Alfred Rényi, Hongarian mathematician - Rényi entropy
• Ernst Renz, German circus owner - Circus Renz
• Richard Réti, Slovakian chess player – Réti Opening
• Nicolas-Edme Rétif, French novelist - retifism
• Paul Reuter, German-British journalist and businessman – Reuters news agency
• Douglas Reye, Australian physician – Reye's syndrome
• R.J. Reynolds, American businessman - R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
• Rhea, Greek mythological character - Rhea (a type of bird genus).
• Cecil Rhodes, British explorer and industrialist – Northern Rhodesia (Now Zambia), Southern Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe), Rhodes Scholarship
• Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli, Italian knight – Fort Ricasoli
• Isaac Rice, German-American businessman and chess player – Rice Gambit
• Nina Ricci, Italian fashion designer - Nina Ricci (brand)
• Charles Richter, American seismologist – Richter magnitude scale
• Gerrit Rietveld, Dutch architect and furniture designer - Rietveld chair, Gerrit (software), Rietveld (software),
• Sydney Ringer, British pharmacologist – Ringer's solution and Lactated Ringer's solution given via the IV route to patients
• Heinrich Adolf Rinne, German physician - Rinne test
• Robert L. Ripley, American comics artist - Ripley's Believe It Or Not
• Eliyahu Rips, Latvian-Israeli mathematician - Rips machine
• César Ritz, Swiss hotel owner – Ritz Hotel, Hôtel Ritz, "ritzy" (term for something luxurious).
• Ron Rivest, American computer scientist – the first letter of the name RSA (the "R" in this asymmetric algorithm for public key cryptography is taken from Rivest)
• Hal Roach, American film producer - Hal Roach Comedies
• Paul Robert, French novelist - Petit Robert
• Oral Roberts, American evangelist - Oral Roberts University
• Yves Rocher, French businessman - Yves Rocher (company)
• John D. Rockefeller, American businessman – Oysters Rockefeller, Rockefeller Foundation
• John D. Rockefeller, Jr., American businessman – Rockefeller Center
• Nelson Rockefeller, American politician - Rockefeller Republican
• Norman Rockwell, American painter and illustrator - Rockwellesque.^[15]
• Diogo Rodrigues, Portuguese explorer - Rodrigues Island
• Alvah Roebuck and Richard Sears, American businesspeople – Sears, Roebuck, now Sears
• Leonard James Rogers , British mathematician - Rogers-Ramanujan identity
• Otto Röhm and Otto Haas, German businessmen - Rohm & Haas
• Roland, French knight - "to give a Roland for an Oliver" (offering to give as good as one gets ^[16]
• Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, British businesspeople – Rolls–Royce
• Moritz Heinrich Romberg, German physician – Romberg's test, Parry-Romberg syndrome, Howship-Romberg sign
• Nicola Romeo, Italian businessman – Alfa Romeo
• Romulus, Roman mythological character – Rome
• Vasco Ronchi, Italian physicist – Ronchi test, Ronchi ruling
• Pierre de Ronsard, French poet - Rosa 'Eden'
• Wilhelm Röntgen, German inventor – röntgen, unit of dosage of X-rays or gamma radiation
• Andrés Quintana Roo, Mexican politician – Quintana Roo
• Alice Roosevelt, American presidential daughter – Alice blue.
• Theodore Roosevelt, American president – Teddy bear.
• Gioacchino Rossini, Italian composer – Tournedos Rossini
• Erik Rotheim, Norwegian engineer - Erik Rotheim gold medal.
• Eugène Rousseau, French chess player – Rousseau Gambit
• Rota, Saxon landowner ("Rota's land") – Rutland
• Henry Isaac Rowntree, British businessman – Rowntree's
• Henry Royce and Charles Rolls, British businesspeople – Rolls–Royce
• Ruaidhrí mac Raghnaill, Hebridean magnate, Clann Ruaidhrí
• Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish painter - Rubenesque (term used to describe chubby, obese women ^[17]).
• Ernő Rubik, Hungarian inventor – Rubik's Cube, Rubik's Clock, Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Revenge
• Heinrich Daniel Ruhmkorff, German inventor - Ruhmkorff commutator, Ruhmkorff coil
• Rumpelstiltskin, German fairy tale character - Rumpelstiltskin principle ^[18][19]
• Johan Ludwig Runeberg, Finnish poet - Runeberg torte
• Carle David Tolmé Runge, German mathematician and physicist – Runge's phenomenon
• Damon Runyon, American journalist and writer - Runyonesque, Damon Runyon Stakes, Damon Runyon character ^[20]
• Bertrand Russell, British philosopher - Russell's paradox, Russell's teapot
• Jim Russell, Australian cartoonist - Jim Russell Award
• Reverend John Russell, British reverend and businessman – Jack Russell Terrier
• Henry Norris Russell, American astronomer, and Ejnar Hertzsprung, Danish astronomer – Hertzsprung–Russell diagram
• Lord Rutherford, New Zealand physicist – rutherfordium.
• Johannes Rydberg, Swedish physicist – Rydberg constant, Rydberg formula, Rydberg unit, Rydberg atoms
• Herbert John Ryser, American mathematician - Ryser's formula

S

• Sabellius, Christian theologist - Sabellianism
• Franz Sacher, Austrian confectioner - Sachertorte
• Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, German novelist – masochism
• Marquis de Sade, French novelist – sadism.
• Sheikh Safi-ad-din Ardabili, Persian sheikh – Safavid Dynasty, Safavids
• Claude Henri de Saint-Simon, French philosopher - Saint-Simonianism.
• Jan Salie - Dutch literary character - A "jan salie" (Dutch expression for a person without any energy or charisma.^[21]
• Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater – Salchow, Figure skating jump
• Daniel Elmer Salmon, American pathologist - salmonella
• Salmanazar V, Biblical king – 9 litre wine bottle (see Wine bottle#Sizes)
• Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets, a Russian mine official – samarskite, the mineral after which the chemical element samarium has been named.
• Samson, Biblical character – A Samson (someone who is physically strong)
• John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, British earl – sandwiches and South Sandwich Islands.
• Matthew Henry Phineas Riall Sankey, Irish civil engineer - Sankey diagram.
• Rick Santorum, American politician - spreading santorum
• Edward Sapir, American anthropologist - Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
• Sappho, Greek poet – sapphism (lesbianism).
• Pierre-Auguste Sarrus, French inventor – Sarrusophone.
• Satan, Biblical character - Satanism, Satan's bolete
• Satyr, Greek mythological characters - satire
• Muhammad bin Saud, Saudi royal – Saudi Arabia.
• Sigurd Johannes Savonius, Finnish inventor and architect - Savonius wind turbine
• Adolphe Sax, Belgian inventor – saxophone.
• Wilhelm Schlenk, German chemist - Schlenk flask, Schlenk line.
• Alfred von Schlieffen, German general - Schlieffen Plan
• Bernhard Schmidt, German optician and inventor – Schmidt camera, aka "Schmidt telescope".
• Walter H. Schottky, German physicist – Schottky diode
• Erwin Schrödinger, Austrian physicist – Schrödinger equation, Schrödinger's cat, Schrödinger's Kittens – a book
• Edward W. Scott, American businessman – The second letter of the company name BEA Systems, is taken from his first name.
• Robert Scott, British explorer – Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
• Ebenezer Scrooge, British literary character – scrooge (a stingy miser) ^[9]
• Glenn T. Seaborg, American physicist and chemist – seaborgium.
• Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, American businessmen – Sears, Roebuck; stores bear only the Sears name
• Chief Seattle, Native American tribal leader – City of Seattle
• Thomas Johann Seebeck, German physicist – Seebeck effect
• Jerry Seinfeld, American comedian and actor - "Seinfeldian conversation" (a conversation about nothing).^[22]
• Josef Sekanina, Czech mineralogist – mineral Sekaninaite
• Harry Gordon Selfridge, American business man – Selfridges
• Edgar Selwyn and Archibald Selwyn, American film producers who used the last three letters of their name along with the first four of Samuel Goldfish to create Goldwyn Picture Corporation, which later merged into Metro–Goldwyn–Mayer (or MGM)
• Claude de la Sengle, Maltese knight – Senglea
• The Serendip princes, Indian fairy tale characters – serendipity
• Raoul Servais, Belgian animator and film director - Servaisgraphy (film technique).^[23][24][25]
• William Shakespeare, British playwright - Shakespearean, Shakespearean actor, Shakespearean age, Shakespeare quadrangle, Shakespeare (programming language),
• Adi Shamir, Israeli computer scientist – the second letter of the name RSA, an asymmetric algorithm for public key cryptography, is taken from Shamir
• Roger Shepard, American cognitive scientist – Shepard tone
• Shiva, Indian mythological character - Shaivism
• Shmoo, American comics character - Shmoo plot
• Henry S. Shrapnel, British general and inventor – shrapnel.
• Henry Miller Shreve, American inventor and steamboat captain - Shreveport, Louisiana.
• Shylock, British theatrical character - a "shylock" (someone who practices usury, a loan shark) ^[26][27]
• Jean Sibelius, Finnish composer – Sibelius notation program, Sibelius Software Ltd
• Werner von Siemens, German business man – siemens, Siemens AG.
• Rolf Sievert, Swedish physicist – sievert (unit of radiation dose equivalent).
• Etienne de Silhouette, French politician – silhouette
• Simon Magus or "Simon the Magician", Biblical character - simony
• Issac Merritt Singer, American inventor – Singer Corporation
• Sisyphus, Greek mythological character - Sisyphean labour, Sisyphus beetle, Sisyphus effect, Sisyphism.
• Sixtus IV, Italian pope – Sistine chapel.
• Henrik Sjögren, Swedish physician - Sjögren's syndrome
• Alexander Skene, Scottish gynaecologist – Skene's gland
• BF Skinner, American psychologist – Skinner box
• Emil Škoda, Czech car designer – Škoda
• Delia Smith, British cook - Delia effect, Delia dish ^[28]
• Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson, American gun inventors – Smith & Wesson
• Maria Ann Smith, British-Australian businesswoman – Granny Smith
• Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, British nobleman – Derby (horse race), particularly the Epsom Derby
• Oliver R. Smoot, American student – smoot.
• The Smurfs, Belgian comics characters - Smurf (Smurf language), Smurf attack, Smurfing.^[29]
• Hermann Snellen, Dutch ophtmalmologist – Snellen chart
• Willebrord Snellius, Dutch astronomer and mathematicianc – Snell's law
• Snot, a Saxon landowner ("Snot's home" + shire) – Nottinghamshire
• Socrates, Greek philosopher – Socratic Method, Socratic dialogue.
• Alexey Sokolsky, Ukrainian-Belarussian chess player – Sokolsky Opening
• Sól, Norse mythological character - Sunday.
• Daniel Solander, Swedish botanist – Solander box
• Solomon, Biblical character – Judgment of Solomon , Solomon Islands.
• Somhairle mac Giolla Brighde, King of the Isles, Clann Somhairle
• Sondermann, German comics character - Sondermann Award
• John Philip Sousa, American composer – Sousaphone
• Edwin Southern, British biologist – Southern blot
• Thomas Spencer, British business people – Marks and Spencer
• William Archibald Spooner, British teacher – spoonerism
• Joseph Stalin, Russian head of state – Stalinism and neo-Stalinism (also see De-Stalinization), see List of places named after Joseph Stalin, Joseph Stalin Museum, Stalinist architecture, Stalin Society, Stalin Prize, Stalin Peace Prize, Iosif Stalin tank
• Johannes Stark, German physicist – Stark spectroscopy, Stark effect
• Howard Staunton, British chess player – Staunton Gambit.
• Stendhal, French novelist - Stendhal syndrome
• Jan Steen, Dutch painter - "een huishouden van Jan Steen" (a messy scene, like the ones in his paintings.^[30])
• Jozef Stefan and Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicists – Stefan–Boltzmann constant.
• Charles Stent, British dentist - a "stent" (tooth filling)
• Stentor, Greek mythological character - stentorian (being loud-voiced)
• Karl Sternberg, Austrian pathologist – Reed–Sternberg cell ^[31]
• John K. Stewart and Arthur P. Warner, American business people – Stewart–Warner
• Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, Dutch mathematician Riemann-Stieltjes integral
• Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, sr., Dutch engineer - Stieltjeskanaal
• George Gabriel Stokes, Irish physicist and mathematician – stokes, unit of viscosity
• Marshall Harvey Stone, American mathematician – Stone–von Neumann theorem, Stone–Čech compactification, Stone's representation theorem for Boolean algebras, Stone space, Stone–Weierstrass theorem, Stone's representation theorem for distributive lattices, Stone duality, Stone's theorem on one-parameter unitary groups, Banach–Stone theorem
• Antonio Stradivari, Italian violin builder – Stradivari
• Leo Strauss, German-American philosopher - Straussianism.
• Levi Strauss, American business man – Levi Strauss & Co.
• William Strauss, American historian - Strauss-Howe generational theory
• Barbra Streisand, American actress and singer – Streisand effect (censorship that has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely.)
• Count Stroganov (possibly Count Pavel Alexandrovitch Stroganov or Count Grigory Stroganov), Russian aristocrat – Stroganoff
• John McDouall Stuart, Scottish explorer – Stuart Highway, Central Mount Stuart
• Rashid Sunyaev and Yakov B. Zel'dovich, Russian physicists – Sunyaev–Zel'dovich effect
• Superman, American comic book character – the word "superman" is used for people able to achieve seemingly impossible things.
• Michio Suzuki, Japanese business man – Suzuki
• Sage Kambu Swayambhuva, Indian mythological character – Cambodia
• Theodor Svedberg, Swedish chemist – svedberg (unit of sedimentation rate)
• Svengali, British literary character - a svengali (one who manipulates or controls somebody), Svegali defense.
• Swiebertje, Dutch literary and TV character - Swiebertje (Dutch term for a "tramp"), Swiebertje-effect (Dutch term for actors who become identified with one specific role, which often hurts their further career.) ^[32]
• Thomas Townshend, viscount of Sydney, British politician - Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
• Syrinx, Greek mythological character - syringe, "syrinx" (singing organ of songbirds).

T

• Tan Aik Kah, Malaysian physician – TAN (Tegumental Angiomyxoma–Neurothekeoma) syndrome) ^[33]
• James Mourilyan Tanner, British paediatrician – Tanner stage
• Tarik-ibn-Ziyad (from Arabic djebl al-Tarik or "mountain of Tarik"), Muslim commander – Gibraltar
• Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player – Tarrasch Defense, Tarrasch Trap, Tarrasch rule
• Tarzan, British literary character - Tarzanesque, Tarzan yell, Tarzan pants (loin cloth in leopard motif)
• Abel Tasman, Dutch explorer – Tasmania, Tasman Sea, Tasman Region, Abel Tasman National Park, Tasman Bay
• J. R. D. Tata, French-Indian aviator and businessman – Tata
• Jacques Tati, French film director and comedian – Tati-esque
• Stéphanie Tatin and Caroline Tatin, French restaurant owners – Tarte Tatin
• Frederick Winslow Taylor, American engineer - Taylorism
• Shirley Temple, American film actress – Shirley Temple Soda
• Nikola Tesla, Serbian-Kroatian inventor – Tesla coil, tesla – unit of magnetic flux density
• Luisa Tetrazzini, Italian operatic soprano – Chicken Tetrazzini ^[34]
• Osamu Tezuka, Japanese manga (comics) artist - Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, Tezuka Award
• Leon Theremin, Russian inventor – Theremin, Theremin cello
• Thespis, Greek actor - thespian, thespis (plant), thespis (mantis), thespis wagon
• Lou Thesz, American wrestler – Lou Thesz press
• Thor, Norse mythological character - thorium
• August Thyssen, German businessman – Thyssen, ThyssenKrupp
• Tintin, Belgian comic book character - Tintinologism
• Titan, Greek mythological character - titanic (expression used to describe something huge), titanium
• Christopher Titus – Titus, an Emmy nominated TV series broadcast on FOX from 2000–2002.
• Saint Thomas, Biblical character – a "disbelieving/doubting Thomas" (someone who lacks faith),^[35] São Tomé and Príncipe, Saint Thomas Tower
• John T. Thompson, American inventor – Thompson submachine gun, aka the "Tommy gun".
• Miloš Tichý, Czech astronomer – The comet P/2000 U6 Tichý
• Johann Daniel Titius and Johann Elert Bode, German astronomers – Titius–Bode Law
• Josip Broz Tito, Yugoslavian president – titoism, Titovka (cap)
• James Tobin, American economist – Tobin tax
• J.R.R. Tolkien, South-African/British novelist – Tolkienology
• Lorenzo de Tonti, Italian businessman - tontine
• Marten Toonder, Dutch comics artist - Marten Toonder Prize
• Howard Henry Tooth, British neurologist – Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease
• Carlos Torre Repetto – Torre Attack
• Evangelista Torricelli, Italian mathematician and inventor – torr (unit of pressure), Torricelli's Law, Torricelli's equation, Torricelli/Fermat point
• Linus Torvalds, Finnish computer programmer – Linus's law, Linux operating system (from Linus' Minix), Tux – mascot of Linux (from Torvald's Unix)
• Charles Townshend, British politician – Townshend Acts
• Arnold Toynbee, British economist - Toynbee Hall
• Sakichi Toyoda, Japanese businessman – Toyota
• Trajan, Roman emperor – Trajan's Column, Trajan's Wall
• Trillian, British literary character – Trillian (software),^[36] Project Trillian
• Octavio Trompowsky, Brazilian chess player – Trompowsky Attack
• Leon Trotsky, Russian politician and writer – Trotskyism ^[37]
• Harry S. Truman, American president – Truman doctrine ^[38]
• Donald Trump, American businessman and politician – Trump Tower, the Trump International Hotel and Tower, Trump Plaza etc.
• Mikhail Tugan-Baranovsky, Russian economist – Tugan-Baranovskii theory of business cycles ^[37]
• Túpac Amaru II, Peruvian resistance leader - Tupamaros
• Alan Turing, British mathematician and inventor – Turing machine, Turing-complete, Turing tarpit, Turing test, Church–Turing thesis, Church–Turing–Deutsch principle
• J. M. W. Turner, English painter – Turner Prize ^[38]
• Ted Turner, American business man – Turner Entertainment, Turner Classic Movies, Turner Broadcasting System or TBS, TBS Superstation, WTBS, Turner Network Television or TNT, Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award, Ted Turner debate (a style of team debate recognized by the National Forensic League; also referred to as Controversy debate)
• Mr. Turveydrop, British literary character – Turveydrop ^[9]
• Marie Tussaud, French sculptor – Madame Tussauds
• John Tyler, American president – to tylerize (to forsake one's own party) ^[37]
• Edward Burnett Tylor, British anthropologist – Tylorism ^[37]

U

• Uranus, Greek-Roman mythological character - uranium
• Urhunden, Swedish comics character - Urhunden Prize ^[39]
• Uriah the Hittite, Biblical character - In some languages, like Dutch and German, a letter bringing bad news or luck is named a "Uriah letter".^[40][41]
• Saint Ursula, Christian martyr - Ursulines

V

• Saint Valentine, Roman martyr – Valentine's Day
• Jean Parisot de Valette, French nobleman – Valletta
• Vanadis, synonym for the Norse mythological character Freyja - vanadium
• James Van Allen, American astronomer – Van Allen radiation belt
• Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen – creators of band Van Halen
• George Vancouver, British explorer – Vancouver, British Columbia, Vancouver, Washington, Vancouver Island
• Constant Vanden Stock, Belgian association football player and manager - Constant Vanden Stock Stadium
• Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Dutch physicist – Van der Waals force
• Robert J. Van de Graaff, American physicist – Van de Graaff generator
• Publius Quinctilius Varus – Varian disaster (The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest)
• Rip Van Winkle, American literary character - a "rip van winkle" (someone who sleeps too much.)
• Philippe de Vendôme – Vendôme Tower, Vendôme Battery, Vendôme Redoubt
• Saint Venera – Santa Venera, Santa Venerina, Santa Verna
• John Venn, British mathematician – Venn diagram
• Hugues Loubenx de Verdalle – Verdala Palace
• Jules Verne, French novelist – Verneshot
• Pierre Vernier, French mathematician - Vernier scale
• Edward Vernon, British naval officer - "groggy", Mount Vernon ^[42]
• Amerigo Vespucci, Italian explorer – America, North America, South America, Central America, Latin America
• Queen Victoria, British queen – Queensland, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria Island, Victoria Strait, Great Victoria Desert, Lake Victoria, Victoria, Gozo, Victoria Harbour, London Victoria station, Victoria line, Victorian era, Queen Victoria Street, London, Victoria Cross, Victoria Land, Victoria Tower, Royal Victoria Dock, Victoria and Albert Museum, Victorian architecture, Victorian house, Victoria, Seychelles, Victoria Lines, Victoria plum, Victoria sponge cake
• António Manoel de Vilhena – Fort Manoel, Manoel Island, Manoel Theatre
• Saint Vincent – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
• Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist and scientist – Leonardo, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic characters, The Da Vinci Code, a fiction book by Dan Brown and a movie by the same name
• Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist – AIV Fodder
• Andrew Viterbi (born 1935), Qualcomm Corp. – Viterbi algorithm
• Vitruvius, Roman architect – Homo Vitruvianus or Vitruvian Man – famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci
• Alessandro Volta, Italian physicist – the volt, a unit of electromotive force, the Volta Prize.

W

• Barnes Wallis, British inventor - Barnes Wallis Moth Machine (not invented by him, but named after him.)
• Robert Wade, New Zealand-British chess player – Wade Defence
• Richard Wagner, German composer – Wagnerian, Wagner tuba
• Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Saudi-Arabian theologist - Wahhabi movement
• Alfred Russel Wallace, Welsh biologist – Wallace Line, Wallace's flying frog, Operation Wallacea, Wallacea
• Peter Waldo, French religious leader – Waldensians ^[37]
• Samuel Wallis, British explorer– Wallis and Futuna
• Egide Walschaerts, Belgian engineer - Walschaerts valve gear
• Walpurga, English missionary - Walpurgis Night
• Adam Walsh, American rape and murder victim – Code Adam
• Sam Walton, American businessman – Wal-Mart and Sam's Club
• Preston Ware, American chess player – Ware Opening
• Albert Warner, Harold Warner, Jack L. Warner and Sam Warner, American film producers – Warner Bros.
• Arthur P. Warner and John K. Stewart, American businesspeople – Stewart–Warner
• Earl Warren, American chief of justice – Warren commission ^[37]
• George Washington, American general and president – Washington and Washington, D.C.
• James Watt, Scottish inventor – watt
• Ernst Heinrich Weber, German psychologist - Weber's law, Weber test, Weberian apparatus
• Wilhelm Eduard Weber, German physicist – weber
• Friedrich Wegener, German pathologist – Wegener's granulomatosis
• Peter J. Weinberger – the second letter of the name awk, a computer pattern/action language, is taken from Weinberger
• August Weismann, German biologist – Weismannism ^[37]
• Sam Weller, British literary character - wellerism ^[43]
• Duke of Wellington, British general and Prime Minister – Beef Wellington, Wellington boot, Wellington (New Zealand), Wellingtonia (tree)
• H.G. Wells, British novelist – Wellsian ^[37]
• Eudora Welty, American novelist – Eudora, an e-mail client.
• Carl Wernicke, German neurologist - Wernicke's aphasia, Wernicke's area, Wernicke encephalopathy, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome.
• Mae West, American actress – Mae West jacket ^[42]
• Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, British politician – Delaware
• Thomas Aldridge Weston, American inventor - Weston differential pulley ^[44]
• George Hoyt Whipple, American physician – Whipple's disease
• Joseph Whitworth, British engineer - Whitworth rifle
• Frederick Methvan Whyte, American engineer – Whyte notation
• Knut Wicksell, Swedish economist – Wicksell effect, Wicksell's theory of capital ^[37]
• Wilhelm Wien, Russian mathematician – Wien's displacement law
• Alof de Wignacourt, French-Maltese nobleman – Wignacourt Aqueduct, Wignacourt towers, Wignacourt Tower
• Eugene Wigner, Hungarian-American mathematician – Wigner's friend
• Private Wilhelm, American film character from the film The Charge at Feather River (1953) - Wilhelm Scream ^[45]
• Erik Adolf von Willebrand, Finnish physician – Von Willebrand disease, Von Willebrand factor
• Jan Frans Willems, Belgian writer and activist - Willemsfonds
• Max Wilms, German physician – Wilms' tumor
• Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physician - Wilson cloud chamber, Wilson condensation cloud
• Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson, American-British physician – Wilson's disease, Wilson disease protein
• Oliver F. Winchester, American inventor – Winchester repeating rifle
• Caspar Wistar, American physicist – Wisteria
• William Withering, British botanist - witherite
• Georg Wittig, German chemist - Wittig reaction
• Władysław II Jagiełło, Polish king – Jagiellonian University
• Kaspar Friedrich Wolff, German physiologist – Wolffian duct
• Frank Winfield Woolworth, American businessman – Woolworth Building
• Ferdinand von Wrangel, German explorer – Wrangel Island
• Doug Wright, Canadian cartoonist - Doug Wright Award
• Josef Wronski, Polish mathematician – Wronskian
• Charles-Adolphe Wurtz, French chemist - Wurtz reaction, Wurtzite

X

• Xanthippe, wife of Greek philosopher Socrates – xanthippe (dominant, difficult female partner), Xanthippe's Shrew ^[46]
• Anthony Xerri, Maltese man who discovered an underground cave – Xerri's Grotto
• Francisco Ximenes de Texada, Maltese religious leader – Ximenes Redoubt

Y

• The Yellow Kid, American comics character - yellow journalism, Yellow Kid Award
• Pops Yoshimura, Japanese businessman – Yoshimura motorcycle tuning company

Z

• Walter J. Zable, American businessman and football player – Zable Stadium for college football
• Frank J. Zamboni, Italian-American inventor – Zamboni ice resurfacer
• Emiliano Zapata, Mexican revolutionary – zapatista
• Frank Zappa, American rock artist and composer – zappaesque ^[47]
• Mao Zedong, Chinese head of state – maoism
• Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist – Zeeman effect
• Eduard Zeis, German physician – glands of Zeis
• Helmut Zeisel, German mathematician – Zeisel number
• Martin Zelder, American economist – Zelder paradox
• Zeno of Elea, Greek philosopher – Paradox of Zeno
• Zephyr, Greek mythological character – zephyr
• Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German inventor – zeppelin
• Zoroaster, Persian religious leader – Zoroastrianism
• Huldrich Zwingli, Swiss religious leader – Zwinglianism

See also

• Lists of etymologies
• List of people

Sources