Does a person's name affect how they're perceived by others? (girls, beauty)

[nezlie]

Does a person's given name enhance, detract or is it neutral from what we think of as their overall looks and appearance? If you see someone that looks very good, and then they are introduced with a name that you dislike, does that detract from the overall package or does it have little or no effect?

I just finished reading this article, and I can see where it might lead to an image problem for some as they get older. What do you think? Or is beauty just in the eye of the beholder?

America's Most Disliked Baby Names and Why We Hate Them | Most Popular Baby Names | Meaning of Names

[Kitten01]

Yeah....if someone has what I'd consider a "ghetto" sounding name I tend to look at them a little different. I don't automatically form a conclusion based just on that, but it foes make me have a few preconceived notions.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by Kitten01

Yeah....if someone has what I'd consider a "ghetto" sounding name I tend to look at them a little different. I don't automatically form a conclusion based just on that, but it foes make me have a few preconceived notions.

I agree with this. This is how I feel as well.

Ghetto names with apostrophes, hyphens and ending in "qua" or "te" (pronounced "tay") I usually look at them differently.

[Pikantari]

But can a person really help what their parents have named them?

[Rubi3]

Naming a child some weird name is usually not beneficial to that child.

[Adi from the Brunswicks]

I swear, threads here are getting weirder by the day.

[Kings Gambit]

Originally Posted by Rubi3

Naming a child some weird name is usually not beneficial to that child.

Exactly.

I am probably not going to sign up with a Dentist named Propecia Urethra Jackson, or a doctor named JaDave'on Malicious Nichols, or a hire a babysitter serviced called "Ja'Nay Da'Gucci-Vuiton and Da'Marcus De'Quan's professional babysitting service" I would be more likely to go to a dentist named Shirley Jackson or a doctor named Steve Nichols, or "Amber and Colton's Babysitting service". That is just the way it is.

[TheImportersWife]

We tried to stay away from trendy names or names we thought would start rising up the trendy ranks because like many others, I find the name annoying (not the kids.) I've lost count of all the Sophias, Madisons, Kaitlyns, Kaylas, Avas, Isabellas, Liams, Jacks and Jacksons we know. Granted, my name was a trendy one back in the day and had 5 other girls with the same first name in my class and it didn't seem to have a negative effect on me...that I know of.

But I did pick names for my children that I associated with attractive, well liked and athletic based on people I knew or knew of. And yes, I imagined how my children's names would appear on resumes and the like. I looked back on the Top 100 Names of the 50s, 60s and 70s and pulled my children's names from there.


My oldest daughter's name isn't unusual, but it doesn't even rank in the Top 1000. Again, my boys don't have unusual names, but it's rare that there's someone with the same name in their grade. And I think my youngest daughter will be similar based on the rank I see on Social Security.

[Checkered24]

I forget the name of the book, but I have seen a book where the author has studied and argued that certain names do bring a lot of preconceived notions with them about a person... and goes so far as to recommend being very careful in selecting a name for a child due to this. (it's probably not the only book either).

[Mini-apple-less]

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact a name is often indicative of a person's background and generation. For example someone named "Ashley" is probably older than 13 but younger than 35, people named Molly or Megan are usually of Celtic background and also in their teens-20s. Someone named Kareem is probably Middle Eastern or black.