by Alice Klein; New Scientist
Turns out, names carry surprising weight. A recent investigation reveals that the monikers we're given influence how others judge our age, temperament, and workplace abilities — and the results may force a re-examination of some classic psychology studies.
Psychologist Leonard Newman from Syracuse University in New York, working alongside his team, recruited 500 undergraduates to evaluate 400 widely used male and female names covering seven decades of naming trends. Survey questions followed a template such as: 'Picture yourself running into Samantha tomorrow. Per her name, how capable, friendly, or elderly would you assume her to be?'
A distinct gender pattern emerged in the warmth and competence ratings. Female names such as Hannah, Melody, and Mia tended to rank as less competent but notably warm. By contrast, male names like Howard, Lawrence, and Reginald scored on the opposite end — high competence paired with low warmth. 'These patterns track closely with established gender stereotypes,' Newman explained. Looking across the full seven-decade span, certain names carried strong age associations: Betty and Bruce, for instance, were consistently tagged as belonging to an older generation compared with Brittney and Brad. 'Naming your child whatever happens to be fashionable in that moment could essentially age them,' Newman noted. 'The safest bet is picking a name with lasting appeal — consider perennial favorites such as David or Michael.'
Compromised experiments
These results carry consequences for psychological research, which frequently uses fictional personas in hypothetical situations, according to Newman. The names attached to those personas could be skewing the outcomes, he warned.
Take a well-known 1960s study in which participants graded identical essays attributed to either 'John' or 'Joan'. Joan's paper typically received lower marks, and this was long cited as evidence of sexism. However, since Joan is a name from an older era, the bias may have been rooted in age-based perceptions rather than her actual gender, Newman argued.
To settle the matter, Newman suggested the study be replicated featuring Jessica and Jason — names that scored comparably in his latest study. Should Jessica's identical essay still receive lower grades on average, that would offer much stronger proof of sexism, he concluded.
Racial influences
This latest study extends a body of earlier work documenting name-based biases. Past research, for instance, showed that educators tended to score essays more generously when students carried trendy names of the era.
A recent poll conducted at a UK science festival revealed that attendees viewed names with regal connotations — Elizabeth, Caroline, James, and Richard — as belonging to more successful individuals. That same survey identified the most attractive-sounding names as gentle feminine choices like Sophie, or punchy masculine options like Jack.
A landmark American investigation discovered that identical job applications received more callbacks when paired with a 'white-sounding' name such as Emily rather than a 'black-sounding' name such as Lakisha. Separately, uncommon names such as Ajax, Atholl, Magestic, and Tangerine were shown to hurt candidates during hiring processes.
The realization that gender, age, and race all shape name-based judgments is discouraging, though the picture isn't entirely bleak. Having an uncommon or unfashionable name doesn't automatically lock in your fate, Newman emphasized. 'Years ago, my parents made a trip to Chicago to see me, and I drew their attention to campaign posters for a neighborhood politician,' he recalled. 'I told my parents, 'he's extremely likeable, he's going places,' and they laughed, saying, 'he won't go far in American politics when called Barack Hussein Obama.' As it turned out, they were completely wrong — and it's evident that many things matter more than a name.'
Source: Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, DOI: 10.1177/0146167218769858
