Abstract: The article is dedicated to the analysis of the person names referential status in cases of their alternation with events names. The empirical bases of the research are statements from the linguistic corpuses of English and Russian languages. The analysis object are English and Russian statements which contain the person name demonstrating the alternation phenomenon with their event nomination function. It is found out that the referential status of studied lexemes is of interpretative nature. Self-sustaining functioning of person names involves specific-referential status, their alternation with the event names and logical value verbs in subject function consigns them to the abstract process situation designation and person names lose the referential status. Similar process can be pointed out for causation statements where person names act in the object function. Adjectives enduing person names with temporary feature promote their concretization and realization of specific-referential potential. The English and Russian languages are isomorphic in the sense of the presence in both languages of the person and event alternation phenomenon but with low alternation frequency in English language.