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What's in a name?
By Nicole Weaver — Written on Apr 17, 2021
What's in a name? As it turns out, a lot more than you think.
Your name not only predicts whether you'll have awkward run-ins with people (people with hard to pronounce names know what I mean), but by using data, what your parents picked for you can help predict a whopping seven different things about you.
Various studies have found that your name can reveal things about you like where you live, what job you have, and even your age.
It's crazy to think that your name can reveal so much about you and who you are, which proves that we are a lot more connnected to our names than we realized.
So, it's time to start embracing our names a little more and celebrating the unique ways that our name influences our personalities and lives.
Here are the seven things your name is able to predict about you.
1. How old you are.
Using data from the U.S. Social Security Administration, people can predict what age you are, according to which names were popular each year.
There's even a calculator that tells you what your name would have been in any other year.
For example, if you were born in 2014, chances are, your name would be Noah if you're a boy or Emma if you're a girl, because they were the most popular names that year.
2. How your teachers treated you.
A study of 3,000 teachers found a common trend of how they treat students with certain names.
Teachers assume Callums and Chelseas are particularly naughty, Alexanders and Elizabeths as the smartest, and Jacks and Emmas as the most popular.
3. What you do for a living.
Many names fall into certain types of professions.
According to Verdant Labs, Reggies tend to be football players, Harveys tend to be electrical engineers, and Henrys tend to be historians, among others.
Someone with this information will probably be able to predict what you do for a living, or the likelihood of you choosing a specific occupation.
4. How hard it will be for you to get hired.
If your name isn't common or doesn't sound white, you're out of luck.
A study found that common names are more likely to land the job, and, sadly, is most likely due to racism.
5. Where you live.
National Geographic created a map which shows that people with certain last names tend to be in the same area. This makes sense, since families tend to like to stick together.
Garcias tend to be around the Southeast border of the country, and Smiths are popular in the East.
6. Which political party you support.
People can usually predict where you fall based on where you live, but research has found that people with certain names also follow certain parties. Verdant Labs found that Jonahs and Maliks tend to be Republican, while Delberts are Democrats.
For girls, Natasha and Mayas are most likely Democrats, while Baileys and Brittneys usually are Republicans.
7. What your parents were into.
Some parents weren't very subtle about what they liked at the time their little bundle of joy came into the world. Many ended up naming their babies after their favorite singer or celebrity.
Abacaba created a video displaying the evolution of names according to history, including how history's events affected the trends.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted on June 2, 2015 and was updated with the latest information.
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Nicole Weaver is a love and entertainment writer.