So, chances are, I would change my last name without a thought.
However, my name is definitely one that comes with privileges. It sounds very American with absolutely no hint of any other ethnicity. There has been countless studies that have shown the disadvantage to having a name that isn't Anglo-Saxon. The website BehindTheName.com helps highlight this. When you search a name and click on 'ratings' under the more information section, you can see what people think about each name. Here's a screenshot of the rating for the name John:
Ratings and impressions for JOHN:
Good Name 72% 28% Bad Name Masculine 94% 6% Feminine Classic 80% 20% Modern Mature 74% 26% Youthful Formal 63% 37% Informal Upperclass 46% 54% Common Urban 29% 71% Natural Wholesome 79% 21% Devious Strong 84% 16% Delicate Refined 59% 41% Rough Strange 44% 56% Boring Simple 73% 27% Complex Serious 67% 33% Comedic Nerdy 54% 46% Unintellectual
Based on the responses of 616 people.
And here are the ratings for Juan
Ratings and impressions for JUAN:
Good Name 60% 40% Bad Name Masculine 90% 10% Feminine Classic 53% 47% Modern Mature 41% 59% Youthful Formal 47% 53% Informal Upperclass 28% 72% Common Urban 58% 42% Natural Wholesome 43% 57% Devious Strong 78% 22% Delicate Refined 37% 63% Rough Strange 65% 35% Boring Simple 69% 31% Complex Serious 43% 57% Comedic Nerdy 47% 53% Unintellectual
Based on the responses of 86 people.
Before I even begin to look at these, we have to take in to account that only 86 people have responded to Juan and 616 have responded to John. However the differences are there.
John is considered a good name by 12% more of the votes. 30% of votes considered John to be more mature. 20% of votes considered John to be more formal. Juan is 20% more common than John. 51% of votes consider Juan to be more devious, while only 21% see John as devious. 63% of people considered Juan to be more rough and strange. People also see John as smarter and funnier than Juan.
All of those stats were based simply on a name and people's preconceptions of that name.
Buzzfeed Yellow released a video that is very similar to what I just showed.
This example of 'ethnic' names not getting chosen but Anglo-Saxon names getting interviews is a common theme. The National Bureau of Economic Research released an article that started with the following fact:
"Job applicants with white names needed to send about 10 resumes to get one callback; those with African-American names needed to send around 15 resumes to get one callback."
This problem faces all Americans today. Whether we mean to or not, we often unfairly profile people based on what their name sounds like.
Ps The website BehindTheName.com has some really cool features that you guys should check out like the name translator. And here's my reaction to my name's rating:
Ratings and impressions for MARGARET:
Good Name 73% 27% Bad Name Masculine 5% 95% Feminine Classic 89% 11% Modern Mature 82% 18% Youthful Formal 85% 15% Informal Upperclass 78% 22% Common Urban 38% 62% Natural Wholesome 85% 15% Devious Strong 68% 32% Delicate Refined 81% 19% Rough Strange 56% 44% Boring Simple 49% 51% Complex Serious 82% 18% Comedic Nerdy 70% 30% Unintellectual
Based on the responses of 342 people.
Not too surprised with the classic/mature/formal considering the name was popular in the early 1900s. Also, I've never met a person named Margaret who was under 50 so there's that.
Although I take the fact that 44% of people found me boring personally.
And look even my name thinks I'm nerdy.
This post made me laugh. Margaret, you are the best. I really like how you turned this topic into a social commentary. I never really thought about how much a name could affect someone. I always thought they were just irrelevant titles (I mean...I still think that, but I guess not everyone agrees). I'm sure I've been a subconscious name-judge before. So, from now on, I'm going to try really hard to be consciously aware that people are more than what they seem like, and more than what I hear about them. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI agree, Hailey! This post was fun to read :)
ReplyDeleteThat was an interesting post Mar-great. other than the fact that i wont be able to find a job i learned a lot of interesting things about the power of names. i enjoyed the graphics that you included in this post and i feel you on the having a common name thing it sucks but whatever.
ReplyDeleteThis post is one of the best I have seen. I might take a screenshot of this and hang it on my wall so that I can be reminided of this for an eternity. Where some would speak of how their name sounds funny, or immature, or different, you did the research and provided an in-depth look at not only how your name impacts your life, but how names can affect lives in general. Another branch of name-ology that would be an interesting study would be common nicknames for certain names and why those are so. For instance, I find it weird that a common nickname for your name, Margaret, is Peggy. Unlike Tommy, Will, Mike, Nick, and such, Peggy is not a shortened version of Margaret. This is weird and I need you to make some graphs on why this is a real thing.
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