What’s in a Baby Name? Turns Out, A Lot!
Having trouble settling on a name for your baby? It’s a common struggle among parents and the reason baby name books always have a market. There are some studies you can refer to as potential guidelines, and you might want to use them to narrow down your field of baby name choices. According to research, a person’s name has a positive or negative impact on a person’s life in more ways than we can count. Below, learn more about the difference a baby’s name makes.
Unusual Vs Common Names
A couple of Harvard University Professors studied 3,300 recent college graduates, seeking to determine how much bearing their names had on their academic success. Their findings were conclusive as regards unusual versus common names. The men with unusual names had a higher rate of flunking out or exhibiting symptoms of psychological neurosis, between the two groups. The professors concluded that rare names tend to have a negative psychological effect on those who have them.
Compelling Studies About Names
Other researchers have discovered that names influence many, many aspects of life. The following are conclusions from various studies related to how a person’s name affects his or her life:
- People disproportionately live in places with names similar to their own first or last name. For example, people named Louis are more likely than people with other names to live in St. Louis.
- Students with a name that begins with A or B usually have better grade point averages (GPAs) than those whose name begins with a C or D. In numerous manipulations of the study, results suggest that initials resembling connotations of poor performance impact the person by undermining a conscious pursuit of positive results. The phenomenon is framed as a form of sabotage.
- Names with an easy pronunciation do better in the search for a job. We humans are, in general, more at ease when we know how to pronounce something. Hence, people in human resources departments tend to favor applicants for no other reason than the simplicity of their monikers.
- Various studies conclude that people are more likely than not to marry someone with a first or last name that is similar to or resembles their own. The same results apply to similar birthday numbers.
Alphabet Matters
You may want to give serious consideration to the initials of your baby and think A-B-C as opposed to X-Y-Z. It’s possible you are giving your child a better shot at success in life simply by assigning him or her a name with a first letter early in the alphabet. The earlier that alphabet letter, the greater the chances of being chosen for admission to college. This is true, even when students with higher great point averages are those with names that start with later alphabet letters.
What Will You Name Your Baby?
Research results don’t completely discount the wisdom of giving your child a unique name. One study found that children can control their impulses more effectively if they have an unusual name, due to all the time spent on questions and dealing with wrong pronunciations. So, have you decided? What will you name your baby?
