Names

1
Names
2
Legal aspects?

• Should parents be required to get the name they
  want to give their child approved by a government
  board?
• Some governments do require this procedure
  (several European, some South American)

3
Effects of names

• Self conceptbased on messages others give to
  child can be positive or negative
• Possible negative interactions jokes, teasing,
  ridicule within peer group
• Can make child self-conscious and want to avoid
  others
• Possible self-fulfilling prophecy

4
Research

• Garwood teachers rate names as
  desirable/undesirable children with more
  desirable names better adjusted felt better
  about themselves
• Strunk children who dislike their first name has
  less positive attitudes toward themselves

5
(research)

• Four studies higher incidence of neurosis
  psychosis among people with uncommon first names,
  especially for males (seems to be more allowance
  for creative names for females)
• Criminal activity higher for males with bizarre
  names (e.g, Lethal, Oder) than those with common
  names

6
(research)

• Harari McDavid grades affected by childs
  namesubjective teacher grading
• Picture attractiveness ratings female faces
  rated prettier if had a popular name with it
• Sixth grade boys those with popular names had
  more self-confidence, better peer relations, did
  better on achievement tests

7
(research)

• Children with attractive names rated more popular
  by peers
• Children willing to assign traits to unknown
  children based just on their name

8
Recommendations

• Avoid being overly creative
• Avoid overly old-fashioned names
• Dont try to be too funny
• Avoid names with negative connotations
• Some like to avoid overly common names
• Avoid fad names (usually based on celebrity)lose
  appeal date people too common

9
(recommendations)

• Watch the initials (Zachary Ian Thomas)
• Avoid names that are too hard to spell or
  pronounce or remember

10
How do parents choose?

• 70 name of relative
• 7 name of friend
• 7 character in book or movie
• 5 historical figure
• 4 movie star
• 2 author or artist
• 2 sports star

11
(choices)

• 95 of parents would choose the same name again
  for their child
• If you did want to rename your child, why would
  you? 32 too popular a name given