To hate when people say in response to a name that they can't imagine Judge/CEO/Accountant having that name.

[squoosh]

These days names are chosen from such a wide and wacky pool that it's inevitable that in 50 years time when we're old and doddery and looking to draw up a will, speak to a financial adviser or surgeon that many of them will have names that seem silly to us. I'm thinking Lexie-Rae, Poppy, Spike, Jayden etc.

I hate lots of names and have very rudely said so on a number of occasions but this is my most hated reason. Are people basically saying that the name isn't middle class enough? I don't make a judgement on a person based purely on their name, I may make a judgement on the person who bestowed that name on them.

Do people honestly think that if someone is called Daisy-Boo she will be unable to study hard, get into a good university, gain a good degree and become a doctor/scientist whatever. Will her name physically prevent this? No it bloody won't.

yeah I agree, but I guess that my point was that Jimmy is usually a CHOSEN label rather than an inforced one (because most Jimmys I know are adults with James as an option, Jimmy doesn't seem to be part of the current trend of only giving the petname version)

I don't judge a person by their name.

@ stealth

cantspel you may want that to be so but you can't know that it is.
Not everyone judges on names.
Everyone has presences, I wouldn't dream of calling my child John, Cosmo, freya or Sandra. That is just because they dont appeal to me personally.
I wouldn't make an important judgement on the person based on those names.

There is such a double standard when it comes to names on MN. You will get snortings and screechings of 'you can't call it THAT' for some names but for others it's 'don't listen to your SIL/MIL, of course your DC won't get bullied if you call them xxxxxx!'

It all depends on the perceived poshness of the name.
I think you should call your kid whatever you want and good luck to you.

The name won't stop Daisy-Boo from working hard and deserving a good place in university or a good job.

But it may stop the employer from looking twice at her CV. It may make people assume things about her before they even know her. Personally I wouldn't like to impose that on my child if I could give her a decent name that won't create these problems.

hmmm shroed I dunno, I know an adult who (unusually for her generation) has a girly pet version of a long name, she's very very bright but she never puts herself up for anything, I always think she is living up to her name rather than her potential and dreams

plenty of Dr daisys and Dr poppys on the GMC register.... I just did a search.

agree that some crazy names might make things harder but Jayden can always become Jay, Ted can be Edward I guess and daisy- boo plain old Daisy.

I think if you really seriously judge a person by their name you are very short-sighted indeed. And especially the older you get as you meet people of every ilk and creed called every name. Frankly if an emplyer was so narrowminded to reject a cv based upon the name as opposed to that person's credentials I would not want to work for that idiot anyway.

A person should always challenge the stereotypes and assumptions they hold or they will end up a bigot

interesting that I work for a US company and lots of the names labelled as silly/chav/won't get anywhere are names of v senior execs here! The two big bosses are Kyle and Brandon for example.

I'm in the 'call your kids what you like' camp personally...

interesting that I work for a US company and lots of the names labelled as silly/chav/won't get anywhere are names of v senior execs here! The two big bosses are Kyle and Brandon for example.

I'm in the 'call your kids what you like' camp personally...

snoopy, IMO people can judge THEMSELVES by their name, someone said there have been studies about it

The same person would no doubt have the same opinion of people from certain 'races' or postcodes, hopefully shortly all this narow mindedness will disappear.

I got out of banking and went into SW, because of such views, it would be doing the applicants a favour to reject them based on their name.

It's eaiser to go to university if you have a MC background, if anything you should be doubley impressed by Chardonnay obtaining a First.

What would the assumption be? That she has worked hard and overcome her obsticles. Well it would be from anyone with any thinking ability.

That's how I feel birds

I thought there had been research that showed a link between perceptions of people's names and and their achievement?

at mrsdv and takeiteasy

I canvassed on MN for opinions for DDs name and you lot were split right down the middle! I was told it sounded like a cushion shop and then told it was a beautiful name it's all relative isn't it!

She is Indie Rose. Indie coming from the shortened independent, and also the music style. Both of which I value highly she's 18 months and if I'm honest she would probably quite like to be a dog at the minute.

difficult to tell if people live up to their names because of their perceptions of themselves or because of other people's perceptions....
I think its probably as much of one as the other

Poppy is a lovely name!

I don't know how you could quickly assess non-science professions, but if you google 'Dr Tabitha' or 'Dr Poppy' you'll find lots of medics and PhD scientists.

We gave our ds the long version of his name in case he doesn't like the shortening we use when he's old enough to decide for himself.

I know someone who did a sift of job applicants on the basis of their names. Not sure if it's illegal to discriminate on the basis of class, but clearly people do. This was for a job in the legal profession as well.

I have a Jayden and a Kyle! Double whammy, go me!

DH used to work for a company who appeared to have a hiring policy that at least 70% of staff must be called David.

And there are companies where every male must be called Steve.

employers aren't the only gatekeepers.. to get to that stage a child/young adult has to aspire to it, so their own perceptions, the perceptions of their peers, their parents and their teachers are equal barriers. Its not really accurate to say it all comes down to the application stage

I wouldn't want to work for a company that discriminated on names.