Will your baby's name affect their success?

Lisa602

https://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/09/29/am.spurlock.freakonomics.cnn?hpt=C2

This is an interesting video from CNN on how we name our children and their success.

We are still trying to determine our baby girls name. But does this make anyone rethink their choice? Do you think someone's name really can affect their success?

MSC03

Didn't watch the video--but there's a whole section on this in Freakonomics.

LILBIT1221

With a name like Optimus Prime he will be THE BEST AUTOBOT EVER!

Lisa602

MrsSummitCounty:

Didn't watch the video--but there's a whole section on this in Freakonomics.

The video is interviewing the guy who wrote Freakonomics. I have heard of this before, but thought the video put it in an interesting way. Makes me wonder what people will think about our top listed names in 18 years.

CinemaGoddess

Lisa602:

MrsSummitCounty:

Didn't watch the video--but there's a whole section on this in Freakonomics.

The video is interviewing the guy who wrote Freakonomics. I have heard of this before, but thought the video put it in an interesting way. Makes me wonder what people will think about our top listed names in 18 years.

There are going to be a hell of a lot of vampires and werewolves and clumsy mormon-esque chicks who inexplicably want to live in Forks. 

Temp984666312503071

Freakonomics isn't new.  And I do believe that one's name will have an impact on them throughout life. This is why I don't look at naming my children as "baby names" I look at it as "naming an individual".  What is cute on a baby isn't necessarily dignified on an adult.  And throwing in random youneek spellings of names in order to be "different" tends to come off as illiterate once your kid starts applying to college or jobs.

 

MrsFoof

Yes!  100% does a person's name influence their future.  If 2 people have the exact same resume/application and one is Tiffany or Kaylee and the other is Victoria or Suzanne, guess who already has the upper hand.

If you had to hire a lawyer and it was between Ryder and Jonathan, who would you call first? 

CheyenneShaw

I agree that someones name can effect their success. I dont feel like i would hire someone into a management position named Laquisha vs someone named Amber.

MrsFoof

CheyenneShaw:

I agree that someones name can effect their success. I dont feel like i would hire someone into a management position named Laquisha vs someone named Amber.

I hope these names are just examples, because it sounds a little prejudice- Laquisha is a very common African American name and Amber is typically a Caucasian name...  just sayin'

FancyFeet10

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were doing an interview with Morgan Spurlock about names and success.

The study they referenced from Freakonomics study showed that a person who had a more "white" sounding name (his phrasing) was more likely to get a call back from a potential employer than someone with a more "ethnic" sounding name even if they both had the exact same resume.  The same was true even if they made the candidate with the ethnic name more qualified than the one with the white name.

Obviously not everyone hires a person based on what they perceive the candidates ethnicity to be from the name, but it was definitely an interesting conversation.

mrsashby

MrsFoof:

CheyenneShaw:

I agree that someones name can effect their success. I dont feel like i would hire someone into a management position named Laquisha vs someone named Amber.

I hope these names are just examples, because it sounds a little prejudice- Laquisha is a very common African American name and Amber is typically a Caucasian name...  just sayin'

Thats the point though, there have been studies showing, based soley on looking at the name.  The more caucasian sounding name gets called in for more interveiws than the ethnic or "african american" sounding name.

Soap1

FancyFeet10:

I was listening to the radio this morning and they were doing an interview with Morgan Spurlock about names and success.

The study they referenced from Freakonomics study showed that a person who had a more "white" sounding name (his phrasing) was more likely to get a call back from a potential employer than someone with a more "ethnic" sounding name even if they both had the exact same resume.  The same was true even if they made the candidate with the ethnic name more qualified than the one with the white name.

Obviously not everyone hires a person based on what they perceive the candidates ethnicity to be from the name, but it was definitely an interesting conversation.

Definitely this.  It may seem prejudice, but the data shows that it's true.  Candidates named "Amber" are in fact more likely to get interviews than candidates named "Laquisha".  

I definitely think about my childrens' names and how it will affect their lives.  My son Richard will probably have an easier time getting a job in law than in the rock music industry

SimoneSays22

sweetheart18:

 This is why I don't look at naming my children as "baby names" I look at it as "naming an individual".  What is cute on a baby isn't necessarily dignified on an adult.  

 

I agree with this. I thought of my son's name on top of a resume and I was happy with it. My friend asked my opinion on her name choices. All I said was "Picture the names on a resume and tell me which you like better." She said it helped her decide. 

SpartanChick88

I think I will be changing it now - Possum has such a nice ring to it!

In all seriousness, we did think about it.  We know that people may not be able to pronounce her name correctly at first, but it's still a classic name even though it does reflect her Gaelic heritage.  I think it will look good on a business card.

SpinFreak13

MrsFoof:

CheyenneShaw:

I agree that someones name can effect their success. I dont feel like i would hire someone into a management position named Laquisha vs someone named Amber.

I hope these names are just examples, because it sounds a little prejudice- Laquisha is a very common African American name and Amber is typically a Caucasian name...  just sayin'

Sure - one might be an African American. The other is definitely a stripper.

longingtoholdher2010

I definitely think that your name can affect your success. Like when I hear certain names I am just like WHY would you do that to that poor child!? Some names are just really eyebrow raisers. When we were picking out or little girl's name we were very careful to not go to ethnic either way. I am black and DF is Spanish and and we just really didn't want people to hear her name and go oh she's black for sure or oh she's Hispanic for sure.Some names like Sharqeeda or Dineesha and  you just know before you ever see the person that they are black and I didn't want that for my daughter. She has a very neutral name, and one that I had also never heard of before. My dad wanted to name me Peggy Sue or Wanda!!! Thank God he didn't get his way! lol. I have a pretty boring name but I would much rather not stand out like a sore thumb and just be boring then be negatively viewed because of my name.