Seven Things Your Name Reveals About You

By: Shannon S.

The name your parents gave you when you were born is not as random as you may think it is. In fact, it reveals a lot about your personality, success in life and overall happiness.

The following is a list of seven things your name reveals about you:

1. Your Age

Trendy names are time-bound: if your parents gave you a name that was popular around the time you were born, there's a good chance others can guess your age. For instance, if your name is Jennifer, you were probably born around 1970. Is it Christopher? You were probably born between 1970 and 1980. You're a girl named Ashley? No alcohol for you yet!

2. Your Popularity in School

Sure, maybe you thank your popularity to your good looks or great social skills. But there's also a good chance that you just have a common first name. Research has shown that when kids are asked to rate each other, they prefer children with a 'normal' name like David or Michelle. However, if a kid is named something like Archibald or Makenna, they were judged more negatively.

3. Your Education

Girls with a 'boyish' name like Sam, Alex or Hayden are more inclined to do a technical study. The reason? Girls with boy names are expected to be tougher than girls with girl names, and are therefore treated differently by their parents, teachers and other people.

4. Your Career

Just like in high school, grown-ups have a preference for people with common names. If you apply for a job, there's a better chance you'll be hired if you have a common name. Traditional names like James or Michael have the advantage of being associated with positive things. You'll have the most difficulty finding a job if you have a 'black-sounding' name like Moneesha, Takeesha or Duane.

5. Your Mental Health

If you have an uncommon first name, you're more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. In prison you'll find more people with strange names than people with common names. However, people who've been teased a lot at school because of their name, can also be more determined to become successful when they grow up.

6. Your Well-Being

If you are happy with your name, you are also happy with yourself. This goes even so far that people who have positive associations about themselves, prefer things that are connected to the letters in their name. Someone named Dennis is more likely to become a dentist. And if you're looking for a partner, there's a good chance you'll choose someone whose name starts with the same letter as your own name. It's no coincidence that there live more Florences in Florida than in any other part of the US.

7. Your Social Class

People from lower social classes are more inclined to pick symbolic (Brandy, Crystal, Destiny) names for their children, while people who belong to a higher social class will most often stick to traditional names. The more French (Quentin, Hermione, Henrietta) a name sounds, the higher the social class.

(Sources: http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/stuff_for_blog/susie.pdf, CBS News)