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.

Some of the arguements on here remind me of what was said to various women in my family when they chose to be with men who wasn't from a UK white background (i come from a complex mixed race family).

It was fine to marry them but don't expect their children to ever be anything because of the disadvantage 'colour' would bring on them, which wouldbe the parents fault, not the fault of those making the judgements and change was what was needed.

How ridiculous and melodramatic.

NarkedRaspberry I really don't see what is melodramatic about that, it's pretty much all coming from the same place.

I have worked on recruiting people and I never thought twice about their name. I didn't look at the name "Chardonnay" or whatever and make some kind of judgement. Yes, the name might stick out more, but when Chardonnay walks in and has mousy brown hair and glasses, I didn't go "WOW, I wasn't expecting THAT." I just didn't even think about it.

Anyone who does otherwise is pretty much a gigantic knob in my opinion.

Missed womans hour...too busy with homes under the hammer (DD loves it)

were they talking about this, perchance?

Every company that has been tested on obviously ethnic vs non-ethnic names on CVs has fallen foul of the trap and shown prejudice. That is illegal and immoral. And a sign that discrimination goes on all the time. That is a serious issue. The predictable fall out of idiotic parents giving their children made up names because they think they're cute is not.

All names are made-up names. The name "John" isn't any more real than "Foofoo" or "Trixi".

How does your parents' perceived stupidity affect your ability to do a job?

The whole thing is irrevocably tied up with class, and that, to me, is as serious an issue as race.

I doubt the first-ever John was named after a cocktail or designer handbag though.....

I think they're the mark of a selfish parent. I like this name and the rest of the world will just have to accept it. Every parent I know has names that they've rejected because, though they like them personally, they felt that it wouldn't be fair on their child - names that sound too 'try hard' or that would make their child stand out like a neon sign in their local school. And on being told that the name they've chosen will make life more difficult for their child they blame the rest of the world for judging - fine, but it still leaves you child to fight the battles for the name you saddled them with.

I have found this thread very interesting.

My parents called me by two names that I hated and I have always believed that my name influenced both how I thought of myself and how others behaved towards me. The first name pretty much dated me - so that if I come across another woman with that name I can guess to within a few years how old they are. The middle name was just seriously weird.

As a consequence I gave my own dcs traditional classic names with the potential for diminutives or pet names. Seems to have worked as they are all perfectly happy with their names so far.

I hated my name so much I actually went to the solicitor and changed it as a 40th birthday present to myself. It didn't make a lot of difference, I suppose but I now no longer cringe when introducing myself. I still haven't dared tell my mother though.

DH certainly feels he gets a different reaction depending on which version of his name he uses, and used a different version of his name when working on building sites to what he uses in his current profession

my dad also used a different version of his name when building a rapport with others when doing manual work, as he did when doing a more academic job

now, whether the different names just gave THEM more confidence in their abilities to be taken seriously in these different scenes and THAT confidence was what people were responding to, or if it was their names that people responded to? it's hard to tell!

I feel I sound more serious and grown up with my married surname, feel more assertive giving it when making a complaint or fighting my corner for something than I did with my rhymey maiden surname

Like it or not, people do make assumptions based on names. My DD has a name on her birth certificate, but from Day 1 we called her by an abbreviated version. When she's older, she can decide which she prefers

Yours sincerely
Pocahontas McCafferty

redwine Some make assumptions based on names, doesn't mean we all do though.

"redwine Some make assumptions based on names, doesn't mean we all do though."

there may be people who do not JUDGE people by their names, but everyone makes assumptions, its like claiming that appearance has no influence on you whatsoever - its nature to read these signs

e.g. would you make no assumption about Coibhe McCarthy's origins? nothing comes to mind? really? NOTHING?

Does laughing out loud count as making an assumption? Because 'names' like Tiger and Spike have this effect on me. In the same way that someone introducing themselves as Tiddles or Wallpaper would.

But the fact remains that people from all socio economic groups now choose unusual/unknown names that it's inevitable that future doctors, judges, surveyors, teachers etc. will have all kinds of crazy names.

Can't wait till they start filtering through!

It's a bit different when you assume someone comes from a certain place rather than assume what they're like as a person, isn't it?

Coibhe McCarthy comes from Germany, am I right?

its still beginning to build a picture based on a name alone.. I'm just saying we all do it, doesn't mean we all JUDGE the person negatively because of it.. just saying I don't buy that there are people who make NO assumptions about a person from their names alone.. even if its "just" gender

I don't think it's the same thing at all. The OP was about whether a person with an unusual name can be a Judge/CEO. As far as I'm aware, there are CEOs from every part of the world, from both sexes.

umm sort off...
there's a disproportionate amount of males...

Obviously, but I don't see what that has to do with the OP.

I am genuinely shocked by some of the posts on this thread, I thought of all places mumsnet would be a little less judgmental, rude and narrow minded... My sons both have unusual names and I certainly don't expect this to hinder either of them in any way.

The OP is disagreeing with people who think certain names can be limiting

I think some names can be adapted to different situations with a choice of variations, some are fairly neutral, then there some which are harder to live with and in order to go against the name's "type" you have to fight it - which sounds like a PITA which I don't wanna give my kids

We KNOW that people can be disadvantaged by age, gender, race, postcode... why argue that name isn't included in this? of course it is!

I think MN is one of the few places you would have people wringing their hands about judging names.

KoyKarp - I suppose it depends if they're names which make people snigger whenever they're read out loud or names that are just not in the top 100 baby names.

monkeymoma yes, of course people judge based on names, I'm not arguing that they don't at all.