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What’s in a Name?
By Linda | February 4, 2009
My husband and I have often observed that many first names that were popular in our childhood have become extemely rare in our children’s generation. Where are all the Karens, Steves, Glens and Cheryls? Gone are the Suzies, Donnas, Garys and Robs.
When we lived in Texas a few years back, “alternative” spellings were all the rage. My personal favorite was “Jaxon”. For some reason folks in the Lone Star State were also keen to use an ”i” at the end of any name that should have by all rights ended in either a “y” or an “ie” (Juli, Mari, Kerri, etc.)
Back here in the Midwest things seem to be much more conventional and I do still run across the occasional Kelly or Mark. By and large however, the current generation is mostly awash in a sea of Connors, Kylies, Rykers and Carleighs.
I remember reading about a scientific study that was conducted some time ago that measured the emotional response people had when they heard a particular name. I remember that Tom was a name that inspired feelings of trust, steadfastness, and loyalty. That same study found that Wendy was the name most synonymous with femininity. As I said, the study was done decades ago - in the 80s, I think.
The perceptions and associations a particular name engenders are ever-changing. The best illustration of this I can think of is the name “Forrest”. Up until a certain movie starring Tom Hanks was released in 1994, Forrest was a name people associated with rich east coast banker-types. Some names even jump gender over time. Just a few years back, Courtney, Loren & Sydney were strictly boy’s names. Of course, celebrities influence naming conventions as well. I’m sure we’ll see a spike in “Baracks” over the next year or two!
The idea has always intrigued me that a name could have the power to preceed any actual characteristics possessed by its owner. It seems absurd that merely hearing a name can set expectations, good or bad, that prejudice another’s perception of the character and even physical attributes of a person they have never met or spoken to.
Now it seems that a name can not only influence the perception of others but can determine the likelyhood of certain individuals to turn to a life of crime! Really!
Boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Ivan.
David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of male juveniles in the population.
The researchers constructed a popularity-name index (PNI) for each name. For example, the PNI for Michael is 100, the most frequently given name during the period.
The PNI for David is 50, a name given half as frequently as Michael. The PNI is approximately 1 for names such as Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm.
Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites.
The findings, announced Wednesday, are detailed in the Journal Social Science Quarterly.
While the names are likely not the cause of crime, the researchers argue that “they are connected to factors that increase the tendency to commit crime, such as a disadvantaged home environment, residence in a county with low socioeconomic status, and households run by one parent.”
“Also, 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,” according to a statement released by the journal’s publisher. “Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they consciously or unconsciously dislike their names.”
The findings could help officials ” identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs,” the authors conclude.
To see what the most popular boys & girls names have been over the last couple of hundred years CLICK HERE
Topics: In the News, The Petri Dish |
