How Does Our Name End Up Affecting Our Lives?

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Some things that have been proven to screw you in the name department:
- as Lil Hannah said, having a trendy name that makes them think your parents were stupid
- having a name that sounds "foreign"
- having a name that sounds "black"
- having a name that sounds ugly (they did a beauty pageant where they told judges that some of the girls had names like Ethel, Gertrude, etc. -- then they re-staged the event and told the judges their names were Christie, Vanessa, etc. They received higher scores the second time.)
- if you are female, having a name that sounds ditzy -- if you're applying for an important job, grad school, things like that, they take you less seriously if your name is something like Tiffany or Amber or anything that sounds like a porn star

Honestly, our names affect people's perceptions of us far more than most people think.

Definitely - it's all part of the first impression, which when you're going on interviews and applying to schools can end up as the last impression.

[KillarneyRose]

I thought it was interesting how the one article touched on how favored names filter down from the upper classes to the lower classes. Names like Lindsay and Courtney and Whitney for example. It doesn't address where the upper class initially gets the names, though.

As for my name, it was super popular the year I was born and it seems to be making a comeback lately among Black males. Apparently, it started out as a boys' name, then a girls' name and now it's back to being a boys' name. I'm gonna get a complex at this rate!

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
As for my name, it was super popular the year I was born and it seems to be making a comeback lately among Black males. Apparently, it started out as a boys' name, then a girls' name and now it's back to being a boys' name. I'm gonna get a complex at this rate!

Yes! I can't get used to guys being named Tracy or Stacy.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by valkyrie
Yes! I can't get used to guys being named Tracy or Stacy.

Ugh! Me, neither!! I really don't care for unisex names, unless they're (really) family names, such as Whitney, or Hunter or such. I've known male & females Kims, Danas, and Leslies, and I just shudder at that!

[NinjaPoodle]

Regarding the black name issue, some other posts..

From SGRho
Baby Names

From Delta Ave

Can a Black-Sounding Name Hurt Your Career Prospects?

What's in a Name?


Future Children's names


Hi, My name is ...

from AKA

What's In a Name?

Baby Names

from Zeta Phi Beta
"Interesting" Baby Names Revisited

Name your Daughter and Son

[Glitter650]

My name has never been "super" popular. My parents went through a name book and chose my name because they liked the meaning of it. My name means friend, so I guess in a way they were naming me after something they hoped for me, just not as directly as naming me "Harvard" or "Yale" or some such. My freshman year my roommates were "Star" and "Bambi" I kid you not, people definitely made the "porn dorm" joke.

[sugar and spice]

One book that's really interesting if you're into this stuff is "Beyond Jennifer and Jason" and its second edition "Beyond Jennifer and Jason, Madison and Montana." They're baby name books, but unlike traditional baby name books, they don't list the meanings and origins of names. Instead, they track how different names are perceived, how trends in naming start, alternatives to names that are too popular, etc. They've tracked naming trends across the country, and they're pretty good at predicting what's going to be popular in years to come -- the first edition of the book, which was published in the 80s (I think), correctly predicted the growth of place names like Madison, Dakota, Chelsea, Savannah, etc., as well as a return to traditional names like Emma. One thing the authors did notice is that naming trends -- like most other trends in this country -- start on the coasts and gradually work their way inwards. They've been pretty successful at catching onto naming trends by studying birth registers in NYC and California, because the names those kids have will be the names kids in North Dakota have in ten years.


Anyway, my name basically followed the same trend as ZTAngel's and mu_agd's . . . I agree that it can "date" you really fast. Anyone who hears my name will pretty much be able to tell that I was born in the 80s -- any time I hear the names Heather, Nicole, Michelle, or Kimberly I automatically think "80s!"

[Rudey]

After a few years in the work-force, I have realized that people will do anything to stand out and literally play branding games with their names...

-Rudey
--You hear someone's strange last name and you absolutely, positively will know he was the one guy who worked on some deal 3 years ago

[mu_agd]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
Anyway, my name basically followed the same trend as ZTAngel's and mu_agd's . . . I agree that it can "date" you really fast. Anyone who hears my name will pretty much be able to tell that I was born in the 80s -- any time I hear the names Heather, Nicole, Michelle, or Kimberly I automatically think "80s!"

And there you have my first and middle name all in that last sentence!

[KSigkid]

Originally posted by Rudey
After a few years in the work-force, I have realized that people will do anything to stand out and literally play branding games with their names...

-Rudey
--You hear someone's strange last name and you absolutely, positively will know he was the one guy who worked on some deal 3 years ago

That's a good thing about my name - people remember it. Even if they've heard the first name before, they most likely haven't heard my last name.

The problem, of course, is that there are few people who could pronounce both of the names correctly. I've learned how to tactfully correct people over the years.

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
As for my name, it was super popular the year I was born and it seems to be making a comeback lately among Black males. Apparently, it started out as a boys' name, then a girls' name and now it's back to being a boys' name.

My name [Dana] started out as a boys' name, too. It was funny meeting one of my friends' dads and finding out we have the same name.

A lot of people like to use my middle name along with my first name, though...they say "Dana Rae" makes me sound like a sweet Southern girl.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by AchtungBaby80
My name [Dana] started out as a boys' name, too.

You know, I've met several male Danas and they've all been great guys. I like the name but I don't think I'd want my son to have to have a name that is now associated with girls.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by EEKappa
Interesting! This is a fun site too:

www.namepower101.com

Hilarious - for "Rob":

The Organized, Responsible, Productive Leader

Take a look at how Maryanna "grades" this name, but do keep in mind that your Full Name also plays an important role in overall influence, thus this component of your name does not alone offer a complete picture of your moniker's effect on your life.

Health: A
Financial Potential: A+
Professional/Job Success: A+
Relationship/Compatibility: A
Charisma/Sex Appeal: A
Communication Ability: A
The influence is nice blend of masculine and feminine influences.

Others who share this first name frequency include Colin Powell, Rob Reiner and Scarlett O'Hara.

Apparently I'm the total shit.

[Lil' Hannah]

Originally posted by KSig RC
Hilarious - for "Rob"...

I'm surprised it didn't give you very low scores in an attempt to sucker you into doing her name therapy. I bet she'd rename you Rhob.

[lyrica9]

aparently my name (katherine) is at it's peak. that's sad.

and the predicted popular names of 2015 scare me...