and this from "A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia":

>SOME NAMES THAT BECAME WORDS

Condom. It is said that the device was invented by a Dr. Condom. However, most dictionaries have "origin unknown." The OED2 has: "Origin unknown; no 18th-cent. physician named Condom or Conton has been traced though a doctor so named is often said to be the inventor of the sheath." <

This is an intriguing page/site for linguaphiles, BTW:

http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words16.html