Names and Careers

Those of you saying that it's absolute nonsense that a name can affect a child's future career prospects, do you actually not scoff or silently judge when in the school yard or park or wherever, when a parent calls out "time to go home Foo-Foo Candida (or Britney or Beyoncé)"?

Coming from the kind of background uretha is talking about (but luckily with a fairly boring name) I completely see it as true in my actual life and not just in research (there is so much to back it up). My family think I'm a snob for giving the DCs classic m/c names but I really do see that judgement all the time, this week alone at work a kaytee and Jayde were remarked upon. I do think flower names are the Tracey/Kirsty/Stacey of this generation.

Just read that back and there are so many mistakes I can't be arsed to correct them all. It's been a long week, sorry

There is slit of snobbery and eyebrow raising about names but I do wonder is the Lillie-Mai's and Gracie-Jane's of today will simply be the Donna's and Kirsty's of thirty years time. The names are a socio economic market but not really a hinderence to career . Skypod and Urskin are not going to be effected as they clearly were born to money anyway .
I do think that names in this country are becoming more and more americanised and multinational and this will actually create a more level playing field in the future.

Urethra is bang on.

There's a lot more to it then just freakonomics. But simple common sense and logic helps.

The "I've got an unusual name and a PhD" is like "my nan smoked a hundred a day and lived to 123". Smoking still causes cancer. And I bet none of the anecdotes involve anyone called Cupcake.....

Whilst I'm not arguing there's not a significant statistical relationship there, I think it's worth acknowledging that there are (in general terms) serious methodological questions to be raised about the freakonomics project. Yeah, of course population data is miles better than anecdote. But statistics are very, very rarely 'objective truth' as claimed up thread, either.

(Disclaimer: I am a sort-of-statistician. This may mean I have an axe to grind, but hopefully I'm not grinding it in an entirely uninformed way.)

It seems that people are struggling to understand that Urethra isn't giving her opinion. She's putting forward population data, and personal experience or anecdote doesn't counteract that.

Unusual names tend to be selected by socio-economic extremes. People in the upper classes with odd names will likely do well regardless,as they still have lots of opportunities based on wealth or privilege offered to them.

People in lower socioeconomic classes who are given unusual names will often struggle - not because of their name but because parents who choose youneeq spellings tend to be in socioeconomic situations that offer fewer opportunities

Middle class parents are more likely to choose 'middle class' names

This article is interesting
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26634477
Especially the Oxbridge stats. It does seem that children given greater opportunities, in general tend to have more classic names

Just because there are exceptions to the rule, it doesn't mean Urethra is wrong

Uretha ...

I'll have to name change after this bu my sister is called Kaylee, spelt like that. She's a doctor. My friends daughter is called Jayde - she just got a number of As and A stars at gcse and will no doubt get a good job. Urethra is spouting bs.

I can't see what's wrong with Lilly-Mae or Gracie-rose. I don't really personally like to hyphen but I don't think it's worth getting judgey about.

Many people have told me poppy is cutesy and I've limited her life chances

Nothing wrong with hyphenation my DDs name is, it's just the (imo silly) names before and after the hyphen I'm talking about.

specialsubject

I saw a diplomat on TV once who's last name was "Makepeace"

Skypod??????

I thought this might be about nominative determinism, where your name decides your job. Such as the weather forecaster whose name is Sara Blizzard (and BTW it is always bad when she turns up, no kidding!)

I hate to agree with the idea that a name will affect your future but it does. Maybe less so than 20yrs ago, but it still does.

I am a CM just outside of SW London. Some of the names I hear are frankly ridiculous (to me) Lettuce, Rhubarb, Skypod to name a few. But as they are born to parents with millions it doesn't really matter.

Where I am from originally, the Midlands, there are lots of standard names, Emily, tom, Matthew and Jennifer. They don't float my boat at all, but wherever they are, Chelsea or council estate in Wolverhampton, they won't be scoffed at.

You're not getting it, are you. You're thinking far too small.

Then I think it should be compulsory to give our kids 'strange' names such as Lilly-mai or Gracie-Rose (completely normal names by the way - I think you are looking into hyphenation a bit much Aoife - and make them the only possible names to give jobs too!

I hope your kids disappoint you all massively and become super successful tattoo artists or some sort of hippie gem stone biotherapeutics.... Imagine your faces

Pop your books down, internet theories and go for a look about

Fairy the real world you live in is the
real world in which these studies exist, sorry. I too think it's unfair but can't argue with facts.

I have to agree a 1000% with Urethea!!

Which is why I gave my child a proper name not bloody Lilly-mai or gracie-rose or some other name that suits no one older than 5 years old!

It's sad but its true.

I would like to see this research too to show people that I'm not just being mean and it is actually fact.

Freakanomics says it all

Ah yes, the fact it has "freak " in the title means it can't possibly be a very popular and accessible dissemination of genuine research

Do you know a large scale american study showed that you were 50% more likely to get an interview for a job if your CV had an overtly "white name" as opposed to an assumed "black name"?
Are you suggesting that is some kind of coincidence?

particularly snobby, rude, pretentious and plain disgusting

Yes, its all of those things. Unfortunately, its also the truth. You may live in the real world but you don't know much about it!

I knew of a psychiatrist caller Dr (or Mr?) Madd.

But it's completely, objectively true.