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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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Original poster

"Professional" names

49 replies

zozzle · 06/09/2010 22:23

What's all this about kids needing to be given a name that sounds "professional" to be taken seriously - particularly in the job market?

I think it's all a pile of pants!!

I'm a great believer in "talent will out" - it doesn't matter what you're called! The best person for the job will get the job regardless of name.

If a child is bright enough and determined enough to become a lawyer, then become a lawyer they will whether they're called some thing "boho", "chav", "out there", "Cre8ive", or something "traditional" - I don't care as long as they can do the job!

What a boring world it would be if we were all called "acceptable", mainstream, traditional, aspirational middle class names. Hopefully there's room for different tastes?

Like I said, I believe "talent will out", regardless of name.

Rant over! (sorry)

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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A1980 · 06/09/2010 22:27

Maybe but now that I'm a 30 year old professional I am enternally grateful my mother chose a nice traditional name for me. It's suits me and I love it.

Even if I wasn't a professional I would hate to have a name that was too "out there".

Oldjolyon · 06/09/2010 22:28

But isn't there quite a lot of research that shows this to be completely not true?

I seem to remember there was one study where they sent off almost identical CVs for jobs, and people with certain names were more likely to get offered interviews than those with other names. This strongly suggested that people do seem to intuitively judge people on their names.

A1980 · 06/09/2010 22:32

LOL! I remember reading that!

Would you give the job to Truly Scrumptious, Fifi Trixibelle or to Sarah, Jane or Anne!

I would imagine there's some truth in that however irrational.

Original poster

zozzle · 06/09/2010 22:34

Yep, not knocking trad names - I have one myself - just annoys me when people say I can't imagine someone being called xxxx becoming a lawyer/doctor/PM.

OP posts:

Oldjolyon · 06/09/2010 22:36

P.S. OP Try googling 'name discrimination' - there are loads of references to different studies which show that you are more likely to get a job with a particular type of name.

A1980 · 06/09/2010 22:36

I don't know so much. I've never heard anyone stand up in court and say "Sir, I am Truly Scrumptious, I act for the Claimant, etc"

I can't picture that!

paisleyleaf · 06/09/2010 22:37

Maybe the cutesy label if your called Tinkerbell-Bo or whatever starts so young though, so you don't even get so far that you'd be applying for those jobs.

Original poster

zozzle · 06/09/2010 22:37

If FiFi had a better CV than Jane, then I'd interview FiFi - wouldn't you?

OP posts:

loopyloops · 06/09/2010 22:39

I have an "out there" name and I think it may have helped me professionally, as people remember me. TBH, they wouldn't forget me in a hurry if they had met me and didn't know my name (it suits me!).
Never had a problem getting an interview etc. Having said that, DD has a fairly traditional name.

A1980 · 06/09/2010 22:39

"If FiFi had a better CV than Jane, then I'd interview FiFi - wouldn't you?"
Zozzle

Yes but the point is when the CV is equal, people are more likely to reject the Fifi's and the Truly's.

cece · 06/09/2010 22:43

Well Simon Cowell told a man called Storm that his name was stupid and he refused to use it. Asked him what his name had been prior to changing it to Storm and then proceded to use that! LOL

bigstripeytiger · 06/09/2010 22:43

I think that any negative effect of a very unusual name would be short-lived, it might make a difference at the CV stage, but as soon as someone knows you then it is just a name, and I think then people associate the name with the person who owns it, rather than thinking about how unusual it is.

I can also imagine a situation where a very unusual name could stand in a persons favour, if they had a good reputation in their profession then an unusual name might make them stand out more than a traditional name.

ReshapeWhileDamp · 06/09/2010 22:46

There's something in Freakonomics that definitely suggests that choosing a name can influence your life - certainly in the sphere of job applications. (Actually, it was a lot more complex than that and the statistics were quite subtle, but certainly people do seem to be biased against certain names if that's all they have to go on.)

Sunlightdances · 06/09/2010 23:47

Or there's things like this article which reference the fact that ethnic minority names are more likely to be discriminated against in favour of white-sounding or ambiguous names (e.g. Shanika vs. Sarah).

I like your optimism, OP, but the evidence is against you...

5DollarShake · 07/09/2010 06:35

Agree - nice optimism, OP - but unfortunately it's not all about what you'd do, as opposed to how the world works.

Having said that, yooneek spellings and creative names are becoming more and more common so presumably the trickle-down effect will mean that all sorts of professions will end up with unusual names...

5DollarShake · 07/09/2010 06:35

Agree - nice optimism, OP - but unfortunately it's not all about what you'd do, as opposed to how the world works.

Adairbutdifferent · 07/09/2010 07:05

Oh, Sunlight and 5dollarshakes, so people are racist but 'that's the way the world works' so we should pander to it?

SherbetDibDab · 07/09/2010 08:05

In the freakonomics book, they claim that it really doesn't matter what you call your children, as the prejudice would just kick in at a later phase of the process.

So call your daughter jane and not shanika, she'll get an interview but not get the job because it's then that the racism/chavism will effect.

So any study will show that people with certain names won't get a job, but changing the names is unfortunately not going to solve the problem.

The flip side of this is that names like Kiki, Maisie are very middle class. In 20 years time, I predict that they'll be many a lawyer, gp and accountant with these names.

KittyBigglesworth · 07/09/2010 08:06

Dr Pixie McKenna, Daisy McAndrew, economics editor for ITN and other professionals with unusual names may have found it gave them an advantage in the media sphere and their names made them easier to remember. However the personality of parents who decide to go against the grain and give their child a different name may be the exact type of personality that a tv company would want to employ anyway, regardless of name. That's to say that Daisy or Pixies have quirky parents and they in turn are quirky and that is merely reflected in their names and not the other way round.

A brilliantly qualified Shanika or Shanice might find an employer that might actively give her a chance over a more boring sounding Sarah, Clare or Katherine, purely to give more variety to the working atmosphere.

I wouldn't look at a cv and judge purely on the name before reading on or before interviewing. It would be foolish to do so. There were hundreds, if not thousands of Sarahs and Clares born in the 1970s, those names were at the top of the name charts. By definition, if the names were that popular, they must have been given to more children from more humble backgrounds than affluent ones due to the sheer volume. The discrimination can't be based on the perception that a Shanice is poorer than a Sarah and will be less trustworthy with money or will not be able to wash as frequently , it must be based soley on the values that people perceive a Shanika to have over a Sarah or Clare from the same terraced house/council accomodation. All things being equal, the discimination must be against the perceived values/class and/or ethnicity of Shanika/Shanice vs Sarah/Clare.

That's just irrational and shallow.

5DollarShake · 07/09/2010 08:44

Adairbutdifferent - I'm commenting on the status quo; not saying it's right or fair.

Did you read the 2nd part of my post, though? I suggest that things are bound to change over time, so all is not lost.

sedgiebaby · 07/09/2010 09:04

I get what you are saying and as much as I have a leaning towards a more flamboyant name choice for the dd I am expecting, one of my rules is to imagine how I would feel introducing myself at a business meeting using the preferred name.

This brings me back to reality when it comes to some of the more unusual and frilly names choices. It is more of a question of credibility. Thanks to DH I have a last name that has been called 'a bit hollywood', so it would be easy for DD to sound a bit 'show-girl-like' if I'm not careful. Unfortunately like it or not, I think people will sometimes conjure up an (undesirable?) image with a more colourful name choice.

Also I find there are currently lots of girls names that are adorable for a little one, but not so suitable (in my view) for a grown up and I think it is easy to forget that as an expectant mum.

evamummy · 07/09/2010 10:08

"Also I find there are currently lots of girls names that are adorable for a little one, but not so suitable (in my view) for a grown up and I think it is easy to forget that as an expectant mum."

Same for boys - Alfie, Archie, Teddy etc are all cute on a little boy but less suited to an adult male.

sallyseton · 07/09/2010 10:28

When I think of female professional names, I think politicians- Margaret, Harriet etcetera.

If little Sunshine wants to be a dr, lawyer or prime minister then she will be- a name is not going to stand in the way of the best candidate.

Elsa123 · 07/09/2010 11:43

I did a recruiting job a few years ago and there was a lot of hilarity over some names. My favourite was Richard Goodhead- what were his parents thinking??! But generally, it was never taking the mick (privately of course) out of the person, but more out of their parents! Another favourite, nothing to do with choice of first name was a chap who changed his name by deedpoll from Butt- I can't remember what to. The interview couldn't help herself and asked why he'd changed his name (it was obvious really but she was being evil) and he said I JUST DID, ALRIGHT??!

However, those who had slightly more unusual names like Petal or Zeus were never discriminated against. We just thought their parents must have been unconventional. Anyway, when we'd collect the person for interview we'd always call them Miss, Mr, Mrs XXXXX and make no reference to their first name. The only time we did was when interviewing under 18s for bursary/sponsorship schemes as the policy was to call them by their first name to make them more comfortable. We always asked if they minded us calling them whatever the name was. One girl was called Henrietta and you could see her cringing amongst her peers when her name was called out because she'd introduced herself as Hettie. horses for courses and all that.

Elsa123 · 07/09/2010 11:45

Can I just point out we didn't discriminate against Richard either- I do believe he passed the interview...

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