When choosing a name did you ever consider the 'future prospects' of your child going by that name?

[CarbonEmittingPenguin]

Sorry for long thread title. This isn't in relation to any impending baby but just wondered if parents ever did think something like "James sounds like a name of a future CEO of a fortune 500 company, xxxx doesn't."

Did you just go with what you liked? Was any of the above ever of any concern? Just curious. I have two first names - one of which is loved on here and the other not so much.

I wouldn't have chosen faddy or fashionable names, as it was always a joke with my best friend that her age, almost to the month, could be guessed by her name. I would never have chosen anything made up or not recognised as a name. Having said the fashionable thing, all my sons names are now top 20, though were probably top 50, top 100 when we named them around 20 years ago. My chosen girls names, which I never got to use, would also now be top 20.
I work with offenders and I would say that some names are very common among them. It's always been so, and it probably always will be. You can pretty accurately predict the next wave of names coming through.

Yes, because, like it or not, people will judge them throughout their life based on their name. Freakonomics has an interesting chapter on the subject.

Not for the name she's got, but yes, for some rejected names. We also stopped calling her by her nickname when she started school as it was perfect for bullying/teasing.

So someone's got a first in law from Oxford and they are never going to be a lawyer because of their name? confused

At my level (looking at grad recruitment) you're faced with many seemingly identical candidates (2.1, redbrick uni, bit of work experience). Firms want candidates who are a "good cultural fit" - I.e. you can put them in a room with the client and know they won't hash it up. When Jay'Shaun or Tiger-Lily come along (yes, really) it (wrongly) sets off alarm bells. There's lots of class discrimination in the guise of "fit". Sure they can overcome it, but why would anyone hobble their child like that?

On the plus side maybe a few more people are dissuaded from City law?

I don't disagree with Hummus, but I do wish that these threads were a bit less disingenuous about 'prospects' and the 'high court judge tests', when what is actually meant is 'it's irresponsible to give your child a name that sounds working class and/or black.'

I meet a lot of lawyers, but I can think of only one lawyer ever who had a name that wasn't totally boring/posh/foreign.

Mackenzie (I'd suspect American) or Kelvin (I'd suspect Chinese) would be fine, if unusual. If I ever meet a Tynkkerbell-Mae who is a lawyer, I'll be very surprised (and impressed). Lawyers are uber conventional, extremely sensitive and v.v.judgey.

Having said that, I don't know why anyone would dream of their child becoming a lawyer so Tynkkerbell-Mae sounds like a great insurance policy against that terrible eventuality! Ditto CEO of anything.

I knew I wanted classic names for my dc. Names date badly so I didn't want a fashionable name, I like the traditional, solid sounding names as opposed to more unusual names.

I didn't think oh this name sounds like a...but I definitely wanted a name that would take them through childhood,adolescence and adulthood. I like the fact that written down you would be unable to guess the ages of my dc.

The 'business card' test was one of my checks before naming DS. I wanted a name that seemed appropriate For a grown up (as well as suiting a child).

I should also say that law firms should remember that there are plenty non-white, non-middle class people doing important decisive things in companies all over the world and therefore they should worry less about "will I feel uncomfortable having a drink with them" and more about the importance of diversity and the value of diversity to your business.

Plenty of evidence to back this up.

I don't understand why people think names won't hold people back? Right from getting to school people will make judgements on the kid based on their 'chavvy' name, and if top city firms have hundreds of candidates cvs to whittle down then I'm sure that if Diamonte or Chardonnay has the same qualification as Helen or Elizabeth then the two with the 'normal' names will get the interview. I think it's pretty naive to think people won't judge on a name, we see it all the time on MN after all!

I think names wouldn't hold someone back because put simply the child didn't name themselves.

A name may be indicative of background, and while it's true that mostly middle class parents will go on to have middle class children it isn't always true, and I have known some very intelligent, capable children with 'chav' names.

You don't think that Chardonnay-Mae with her Oxford First and packed CV might suggest to potential employers someone who has triumphantly transcended a background in which no parent was aspirational enough to subject her names to the high court judge test?

I did keep in mind that I was naming a future adult not a forever baby or a puppy when we were choosing names.

I wanted unpretentious names that would not sound out of place growing up in an old pit village. Which pretty much means that they are neutral and unremarkable in everyway. Not sure any socio-economic assumptions could be made on either of their names, particularly DS as he has 8 consecutive ancestors prior to his grandfather with the same name!

There has actually been a study that used two cv's exactly the same information only difference being the names. One was a traditional top 10 name/surname the other a bit more unusual although not completely out there. The one with the traditional name got far more call backs etc... despite the cv being the same. I'm not saying this is true for all and never stopped me from choosing a name that is different for my son. I have an unusual (not out there) name myself and if anything it made me stand out and people remember me so it swings in roundabouts.

I chose names that would be unremarkable anywhere, from the House of Lords to Crimewatch. Names that give no indication of the person or their background can't ever be out of place.

There has actually been a study that used two cv's exactly the same information only difference being the names. One was a traditional top 10 name/surname the other a bit more unusual although not completely out there. The one with the traditional name got far more call backs etc... despite the cv being the same. I'm not saying this is true for all and never stopped me from choosing a name that is different for my son. I have an unusual (not out there) name myself and if anything it made me stand out and people remember me so it swings in roundabouts.

I think this test was originally done with a male and female name or possibly black and white names (in America), both studies have been done anyway. Makes gender neutral names look very attractive indeed for females.

I did. Completely agree withCottonFrock we live in a class ridden and racist society (a casual glance at the baby names board throws up all manner of prejudice dressed up as "good taste") and in this context sadly names do matter.

Both my children's names were chosen carefully to be suitable (either as they are or a shortening) for

Baby
Child
Teenager in a comprehensive
Chairperson of ICI

There are so many lovely names out there that it seemed daft not to.

This seems a very British viewpoint.

Look at Barack Obama or Condoleezza Rice - their names haven't held them back.

The boys name I had picked out sounded like a doctors name to me when it was coupled with our surname.
I haven't used the name yet as we have a DD, but it's still top of the list of boys names for #2

I didn't think of their future roles but I did think about whether it was a name that wouldn't sound silly as they grew older so wouldn't have chosen something like Tilly Mae or Sammie Jo as I can't envisage them as mature, successful adults.

Yes, there is a name similar to Tilly Mae at one of my baby groups. It's quite cute now but I can't imagine being introduced to a 40 year old called that. I guess they might pick Tilly or Mae on their own when they get older...

I always think if you like Tilly (for example) then use Matilda and Tilly as a nn. That was the child has the option of a more grown-up version as they get older.

insan1tyscartching Yes, that's the crux of it really, whether they end up being a high court judge or on crime watch it should be a name that doesn't sound silly when they're mature.

Ilove

I don't think it is a British viewpoint considering how many countries have state sanctioned lists to choose names from. And the ones which don't have lists per se but do insist that the child's name denotes sex (Germany).