Stereotyping of Names and Popularity in Grade-School Children

The Other Side of Unusual First Names

“…It was hypothesized that, as other studies have consistently shown (e.g., 2,7,9), people "like" frequently encountered names more than they "like" unusual names. However, it was further hypothesized that such "likes" and "dislikes" would be tempered by knowledge of the individual's race, sex, and socioeconomic status.…”

“…In general the studies have drawn conclusions like the following: "a parent might appropriately think twice before naming his offspring for great Aunt Sophronia" (9,458). One social psychologist (whose first name is Zick) partially summarized this literature and asserted: "Perhaps if Hubert Humphrey, Sr., had foreseen that his first-born son would one day find himself in an important popularity contest with a kid named Dick, he would have thought again, named him something like Joe or Jim, and thus altered the course of history" (12, p. 118).…”

Monogrammic Determinism?

“…A number of studies have investigated the relationship between a person's first name and self-esteem and various aspects of their lives, with mixed conclusions (1)(2)(3). For example, McDavid and Harari (4) found that, in assessing classmates they did not know personally, children rated students with desirable names as more popular than students with undesirable names. Erwin and Calev (5) found that school teachers gave lower grades to essays purportedly written by children with unattractive names.…”

Do People Whose Names Begin with “D” Really Die Young?

“…Several studies (Harari & McDavid, 1973;Levine & Willis, 1994;McDavid & Harari, 1966;Savage & Wells, 1948) have concluded that people with unpopular first names are perceived by themselves and by others as inferior to people with popular names. If health is related to self-esteem (McGee & Williams, 2000;Trzesniewsky et al, 2006), then life expectancy may be lower for people with unusual first names.…”