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What's in a
name? Potentially your future.
A host of research shows just how much your name can affect your
lifetime success, from your hireability to your spending habits.
We took a look at the research and have highlighted some of the
surprising findings below.
Maggie Zhang contributed to an earlier version of this
article.
If your name is easy to pronounce, people will favor you more.
In a New York University study, researchers found
that people with easier-to-pronounce names often have
higher-status positions at work. One of the psychologists, Adam
Alter, explains to Wired, "When we can process a piece of
information more easily, when it's easier to comprehend, we come
to like it more." In a further study, Alter also found that companies
with simpler names and ticker symbols tended to perform better in
the stock market.
If your name is common, you are more likely to be hired.
In a Marquette University study, the researchers found evidence to suggest
that names that were viewed as the least unique were more
likable. People with common names were more likely to be hired,
and those with rare names were least likely to be hired. That
means that the Jameses, Marys, Johns, and Patricias of the world
are in luck.
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Uncommon names are associated with juvenile delinquency.
A 2009 study at Shippensburg University suggested that
there's a strong relationship between the popularity of one's
first name and juvenile criminal behavior. Researchers
found that, regardless of race, young people with unpopular names
were more likely to engage in criminal activity. The
findings obviously don't show that the unusual names caused the
behavior, but merely show a link between the two things. And the
r esearchers
have some theories about their findings. "Adolescents
with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are
treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for
them to form relationships," they write in a statement from the
journal's publisher. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act
out because they ... dislike their names."
If you have a white-sounding name, you're more likely to get hired.
In one study cited by The Atlantic, white-sounding names like
Emily Walsh and Greg Baker got nearly 50% more callbacks than
candidates with black-sounding names like Lakisha Washington and
Jamal Jones. Researchers determined that having a white-sounding
name is worth as much as eight years of work experience.
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If your last name is closer to the beginning of the alphabet, you could get into a better school.
For a study
published in the Economics of Education Review,
researchers studied the relationship between the position in the
alphabet of more than 90,000 Czech students' last names and their
admission chances at competitive schools. They found that even
though students with last names that were low in the alphabet
tended to get higher test scores overall, among the students who
applied to universities and were on the margins of getting
admitted or not, those with last names that were close to the top
of the alphabet were more likely to be admitted.
If your last name is closer to the end of the alphabet, you're more likely to be an impulse spender.
According to one study, people with last names such
as Yardley or Zabar may be more susceptible to promotional strategies
like limited-time offers. The authors speculate that
spending your childhood at the end of the roll call may make you
want to jump on offers before you miss the chance.
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Using your middle initial makes people think you're smarter and more competent.
According to research published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, using
a middle initial increases people's perceptions of your intellectual capacity and performance. In one
study, students were asked to rate an essay with one of four
styles of author names. Not only did the authors with a middle
initial receive top marks, but the one with the most initials,
David F.P.R. Clark, received the best reviews.
You are more likely to work in a company that matches your initials.
Since we identify with our names, we prefer things that are
similar to them. In a Ghent University study, researchers
found that people are more likely to work for companies matching
their own initials. For example, Brian Ingborg might work for
Business Insider. The rarer the initials, the more likely people
were to work for companies with names similar to their own.
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If your name sounds noble, you are more likely to work in a high-ranking position.
In a European study, researchers studied German
names and ranks within companies. Those with last names such as
Kaiser ("emperor") or König ("king") were in more managerial
positions than those with last names that referred to common
occupations, such as Koch ("cook") or Bauer ("farmer"). This
could be the result of associative
reasoning, a psychological theory describing a type of
thinking in which people automatically link emotions and previous
knowledge with similar words or phrases.
If you are a boy with a girl's name, you could be more likely to be suspended from school.
For his 2005
study, University of Florida economics professor David
Figlio studied a large Florida school district from 1996 to 2000
and found that boys with names most commonly given to girls
misbehaved more in middle school and were more likely to disrupt
their peers. He also found that their behavioral problems were
linked with increased disciplinary problems and lower test
scores.
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If you are a woman with a gender-neutral name, you may be more likely to succeed in certain fields.
According to The Atlantic, in male-dominated fields
such as engineering and law, women with gender-neutral names may
be more successful. One study found that women with "masculine names"
like Leslie, Jan, or Cameron tended to be more successful in
legal careers.
Men with shorter first names are overrepresented in the c-suite.
In 2011, LinkedIn analyzed more than 100 million user
profiles to find out which names are most associated with the CEO
position. The most common names for men were short, often
one-syllable names like Bob, Jack, and Bruce. A name specialist
speculates that men in power may use nicknames to offer a sense
of friendliness and openness.
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Women at the top are more likely to use their full names.
In the same study, LinkedIn researchers found that
the most common names of female CEOs include Deborah, Cynthia,
and Carolyn. Unlike the men, women may use their full names in an
attempt to project professionalism and gravitas, according to the
report.
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