Do children ‘become’ name you chose?

[User14March]

Does a child’s name influence way they are treated at school & who they become to any degree?

E.g: India - popular, pretty
Margaret - nerdy, old fashioned etc? - with apologies to any young Margaret
Charlotte - clever, popular, well balanced

There seems to be some influence I think.

My daughters name's are from Irish legends.
Now wondering if my eldest will be turned into a deer by a vengeful druid.

Probably to an extent. I mean someone with a very Irish name is likely from an Irish family, with Irish roots so will more likely sound Irish, visit Ireland and have other Irish influences

Someone with a very ‘posh’ name might live that lifestyle

We chose Ds2 name, which is Welsh, having no idea it means "thunder" and whilst he has a gentle side, can also he very noisy!!

I don’t get any of those impressions from the three names you mentioned. Eg, Charlotte is a “dim, hides at the back of the class” name. India is very “downmarket”. Margaret would be “cool and classy”.

I think it's the other way around. The person that you know puts their own shape into the name, like wearing a pair of shoes.

We named DD after a female character in a play who escaped an unhappy marriage, she is described as a strong woman who goes against the rules of society.

She is now 16 and goes by a totally different name, plans to change it legally at one point before she graduates university.

I think it's more the parents choose names they like based on the people they are. And their children are more likely to be like them.

@WashItTomorrow I tend to agree but ‘popular’ opinion prob more in line with my OP.

Some friends of ours thought anything other than unremarkable names they delib chose for their children were flights of fancy/driven by parental ego, too burdensome. Plain, blank canvas names they thought best.

@blankittyblank so, kind of genetics will out, Persephone & Cassiopeia’s parents likely fanciful/creative souls therefore…

And Susan & John’s parents regular & workaday..,therefore…etc

No

I think a lot of people on MN tend to think a name has far more influence on a child's life than it actually does. Many people genuinely think that if you call your child, for eg, Jayden that they're destined for a life of crime but if you call them Barnaby (or other name that appears in Telegraph birth announcements) that they'll experience a life of success.

In some cases it might be almost wish-fulfilment, an intelligent child is desired so ‘intelligent’ name given, books not dolls, etc.

Were ‘Joys’ of the 50s/60s likely more cheery?

I would be cautious of naming a child Grace, Patience, Evernice, Pritti or the like as it’s a lot to live up to. Other names just become the child IME

@EffieGraysDisappointingWeddingNight True, although I imagine unconscious bias plays a part. The safest choice for the primary school demographic of time prob confers most advantage in that regard.

In the 70s the Joannes, Jackies & Steves of the class were poss disproportionally the Mary & Josephs, paper monitors etc…

My DS's name means son of the sea, hopefully he'll become a competent swimmer

No and i too wouldn't name a child based on a characteristic like Willow or Joy because of the potential pisstake but I also would not choose a name with a stereotype like Karen sadly as it's a good name.

I don’t think so. I think the attitude around the name will change depending on the child. Names that I wouldn’t think of as that special were suddenly beautiful and popular if that was the girl at school.

I don’t know. Both my boys names don’t have strong meaning or any sort of association that I’m aware of.
But maybe the name shapes the person based on the parental reasons for the name choice.

@reluctantbrit some might say name choice indicates she was raised by intelligent, creative freethinkers therefore unsurprising.

I think these days almost anything goes. The theory is it’s all cyclical & the underclass of yesteryear names of choice for ruling class 100 years in future.

But some names have documented consequences for their bearers. Not sure if there's equivalent research for English-speaking countries, but German studies have shown that children with perceived lower class names tend to be given lower grades by their teachers than justified by their scholastic achievements and abilities.

In France and the Middle East you do get judged if your name sounds of a poorer background.

No! We named ours a very unusual hippy name (causes lots of these emojis on mumsnet 🙄) and I think he’s really straight laced and it doesn’t suit him. But like a pp said, hopefully the name comes to suit him rather than the other way round.

@SeemaAunty out of interest, what’s a French name that’s possibly indicative of a poorer background?

I have a virtue name as a middle name and I am not like that at all.

I wonder if over the years a ‘James Hunt’ takes more than a passing interest in motor racing & cars? Etc…