What's in a name? Potentially your future.
A host of research shows just how much your name can affect your lifetime success, from your hireability to your spending habits.
We took a look at the research and have highlighted some of the surprising findings below.
Maggie Zhang contributed to an earlier version of this article.
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If your name is easy to pronounce, people will favor you more.
If your name is easy to pronounce, people will favor you more.
Someone named Jane is easy to like.University of Exeter/Flickr
In a New York University study, researchers found that people with easier-to-pronounce names often have higher-status positions at work. One of the psychologists, Adam Alter, explains to Wired, "When we can process a piece of information more easily, when it's easier to comprehend, we come to like it more." In a further study, Alter also found that companies with simpler names and ticker symbols tended to perform better in the stock market.
If your name is common, you are more likely to be hired.
If your name is common, you are more likely to be hired.
If your name is James or Mary, you're in luck.asdf
In a Marquette University study, the researchers found evidence to suggest that names that were viewed as the least unique were more likable. People with common names were more likely to be hired, and those with rare names were least likely to be hired. That means that the Jameses, Marys, Johns, and Patricias of the world are in luck.
Uncommon names are associated with juvenile delinquency.
Uncommon names are associated with juvenile delinquency.
Unique first names have been linked to juvenile delinquency.Wikimedia Commons
A 2009 study at Shippensburg University suggested that there's a strong relationship between the popularity of one's first name and juvenile criminal behavior. Researchers found that, regardless of race, young people with unpopular names were more likely to engage in criminal activity. The findings obviously don't show that the unusual names caused the behavior, but merely show a link between the two things. And the researchers have some theories about their findings. "Adolescents with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships," they write in a statement from the journal's publisher. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they ... dislike their names."
If you have a white-sounding name, you're more likely to get hired.
If you have a white-sounding name, you're more likely to get hired.
A job candidate named Emily may have an unfair advantage over one named Lakisha.Flickr/Kennisland
In one study cited by The Atlantic, white-sounding names like Emily Walsh and Greg Baker got nearly 50% more callbacks than candidates with black-sounding names like Lakisha Washington and Jamal Jones. Researchers determined that having a white-sounding name is worth as much as eight years of work experience.
So yes I would see a Heater so she will heat up the rooom!
