The Importance of a Name

Dustin Masker

Mrs. Mitchell

English 1 C.P.E.

7 April 2017
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Have you ever felt different because your name is so exotic, or have you ever felt as

though your name is too common and you are not unique? Well these are definitely effects that

ones name can have, but there are many more. Names are actually very defining features of

oneself, and determine many aspects about ones identity. Names seem to always fit, but that is

because one becomes what ones name suggests. Names influences ones identity throughout

their growth and development, and continues to affect them in adulthood. To be specific, names

influence ones self-esteem, future and career, and personality.

To begin, ones name has a heavy impact on self-esteem and acceptance of oneself. Some

parents may believe that naming their child something exotic will set them apart from everyone

else, and it does, but for the wrong reasons. Names often, can [...] be a cause for bullying during

school, children with strange names are seen as an outsider, and could easily be bullied for

being different (Asbury). Being bullied for ones name will devastate their self-esteem and mar

their name for a very long time. Asbury also writes that attributes associated with ones name

may lead one to assuming or attempting to assume those traits. For example, giving a child a

name like Jesus may lead that child to believing they need to fill the shoes the name leaves

open. Once they do not succeed in filling the God-sized shoes, their self-esteem is left injured.

Also, it is not just strong names have an impact, it is, however, names like Kipp have meanings

that imply weakness, and this may also have a severe impact on ones self-esteem and make one

feel as though they will not amount to much. It has been proven to be clear that names have

enormous impacts on ones self-esteem and self-acceptance.

Similarly, ones name also impacts their future and their career. Believing that having

ones childs name be unique will have a heavy impact on their career success. According to a

Marquette University study, it was found that common and simple names were the most liked,
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and were more likely to be hired over unique and complicated names. Your name does only

affect whether or not one gets hired by a company, but also how they move within the company.

A New York University study discovered, that people with easier-to-pronounce names often

have higher-status positions at work. One may not get a promotion simply because their name is

too complicated and too difficult to pronounce. Not only will your name have an impact on

whether or not you get promotion, but it will also have an impact on what career path you take.

For example, people with names that begin with Den are more likely to become dentists, and

people that have first names that begin with La are more likely to become lawyers. A person with

the name Dennis is more likely to become a lawyer than with names Jerry and Walter

combined (Robb). A 2002 paper in the journal titled Attitudes and Social Cognition led by Brett

Pelham finds that the cause of this problem is a psychological phenomenon called implicit

egotism, wherein one tends to associate oneself with people and things that they can associate

with their self. Relating back to the Dentist example, a person named Dennis would be able to

associate their name with the job Dentist, thus they will feel more attracted to that particular job.

Axiomatically, ones name impacts their careers, whether that be what job they want, or whether

they get a job or not.

Likewise, ones name influences ones personality and behaviours. For example, a boy

with a feminine name is more likely to misbehave possibly because of a feeling of self-

consciousness with ones name, it is especially the case when a girl with the same name is in his

class (Bryner). One may feel as though they have to prove their masculinity to his peers because

their names suggests that he is very feminine. The opposite happens to girls, says David Figlio of

Northwestern University, he writes that he has, found [that] girls with names that are relatively

feminine in high school chose advanced coursework in humanities and less feminine are more
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likely to choose math and science courses. Girls with feminine names often embrace the

femininity, while girls with less feminine names are more likely to be less feminine. Also, a 2009

study at Shippensburg University found that there is a strong connection between ones name and

juvenile delinquency. It found that the more unpopular ones first name is, the more likely they

are to engage in criminal activity at a young age. Clearly, ones name can heavily influence their

personality and their behaviours.

Conclusively, ones self-esteem, future potential and career, and personality are all

impacted by ones name. One may be outcasted because of their name and that would hurt their

self-esteem. One may have an uncommon and difficult-to-pronounce name, and that will make it

harder to become successful. One may have a name that fits the opposite gender, and that heavily

impacts ones behaviours. Maybe a name always seems to fit us, because we make it fit. We are

the ones who mold ourselves into what our names suggest of us unknowingly. We cannot see

ourselves going by any other moniker because our personality has already been shaped to fit our

names once, and a change in name would mean a change in personality. A rose by any other

name would smell as sweet, but a James by any other name wouldnt feel like a James.
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Works Cited

Asbury, Kayla. "Whats in a Name: Studies Show Names Influence Personality, Careers."

The Daily Athenaeum. N.p., 16 Nov. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Bryner, Jeanna. "Good or Bad, Baby Names Have Long-lasting Effects." LiveScience.

Purch, 13 June 2010. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Cotton, John L., Bonnie S. O'Neill, and Andrea Griffin. "The name Game: Affective

and Hiring Reactions to First Names." Journal of Managerial Psychology (2008): n. pag.

Web. 6 Apr. 2017.

Goudreau, Jenna. "13 Surprising Ways Your Name Affects Your Success." Business

Insider. Business Insider, 05 Aug. 2015. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Laham, Simon M., Peter Koval, and Adam L. Alter. "The Name-pronunciation Effect:

Why People like Mr. Smith More than Mr. Colquhoun." Journal of Experimental Social

Psychology (2011): n. pag. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.

Pelham, Brett W. "Blogjam: She Sells Seashells by the Seashore." ASHA Leader 18.9

(2013): 14. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.

Robb, Alice. "If Your Name Is Dennis, You're More Likely to Become a Dentist." New

Republic. N.p., 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.