the perception of names jennifer a. moss founder & ceo babynames.com
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The Perception of NamesJennifer A. Moss
Founder & CEO
BabyNames.com
Perception of NamesPerception of Names
It is said that when you meet someone you have 3 seconds to make an impression*.
The first thing you do when you meet someone is introduce yourself – you say your name.
So, how is your name perceived?
* “The First Impression” Carlin Flora, Psychology Today Online, 14 May 2004
BackgroundBackground
BabyNames.com receives over 1.5 million unique visitors a month – Google Analytics, Quantcast
The BN staff has worked with over 3,000 parents through the baby name consulting service
BabyNames.com continuously hosts naming surveys, which receive thousands of responses
Name Consulting ServiceName Consulting Service
1996: Baby Name Message Boards
1998: Name Suggestion Service
2007: Name Consulting Service
Perception of NamesPerception of Names
• While working with parents and the community on our message boards, I found that the perception of names falls into two distinct categories.
• I then conducted two surveys to see if the two types of perception affect dating and naming children.
Demographics: GenderDemographics: Gender
Quantcast
62%
38%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Female Male
Demographics: GeographyDemographics: Geography
Google Analytics
75.0%
10.6% 7.4% 7%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
US UK / AUS / NZ CAN Other
Demographics: EthnicityDemographics: Ethnicity
Quantcast
9% 8%4% 2%
77%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Caucasian Hispanic Af.American Asian Other
Name AssociationName Association
Personal Perception
Public Perception
Name AssociationName Association
Personal Perception
Association with people you have personally known throughout your life: family, friends, adversaries, teachers, classmates, co-workers, neighbors
Name AssociationName Association
Public Perception
Name identified with a public persona – or the mass perception of a name through celebrity. A public perception of a name can be names of celebrities, politicians, newsmakers, characters, royalty
Name AssociationName Association
Public Perception
Names with strong public perception: Kennedy, Scarlett, Angelina, Barack, Miley
Name AssociationName Association
Public Perceptionand time
1960’s-1970’s 1980’s-1990’s
Public perception can be temporal. The name Diana would have a mass association with different people in different decades.
Name AssociationName Association
Public Perceptionand location
Public perception can be geographical. A name of a celebrity can have a public perception in one country, but not another.
Kylie (UK) Rain (Korea)
Name AssociationName Association
Isabella #5 - #2
Bella #41 - #26
Alice #171 - #87
Edward #189 - #94
Jasper #179 - #100
Emmett #261 - #127 Esme #494 - #157
Rosalie #506 - #185
Carlisle n/a - #393
Twilight character names have jumped onto and up the charts from 2007–2008 with the popularity of the book series and movie.
Survey 1: Name AssociationSurvey 1: Name Association
Over 2,200 respondents 10 Names surveyed: George, Jessica,
Aidan, Jackson, Owen, Hannah, Victoria, Emma, Justin, Alyssa
Asked if they would consider using the name for their baby
Asked if the name reminded them of someone they knew or someone famous
Asked if they had a good or bad association with that name
Survey 1: Name AssociationSurvey 1: Name Association
Of those who had a bad association with a name, 95% would not consider the name for their baby
Of those who had a good association with a name, about 50% would consider the name for their baby
Bad name associations have more of an influence on baby naming than good
Survey 1: Name AssociationSurvey 1: Name Association
For those who had a good association with a name, they were more likely to consider the name for their child if the association was public.
So if they have a personal association with a particular name, even if good, they are less likely to consider it for their child.
Survey 1: Name AssociationSurvey 1: Name Association
For those who had a bad association with a name, public and personal perception had no bearing on whether they would give the name to their child. The change was minimal--up or down--depending on the name.
Survey 1: Name AssociationSurvey 1: Name Association
Question: Does a name influence who you’d date?
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
2,955 Respondents
Asked if a name influences who they date
Asked if they would date a person named… (8 names)
Asked again at the end of the survey if a name influences who they date
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Beginning of survey: Think about dating (or a time when you were dating). Does a name influence who you'd date?
No, 52% No, 51%
Yes, 38%
Yes, 32%
Not Sure, 17%
Not Sure, 10%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Men Women
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
End of survey: Now we’ll ask you again: does a name influence who you'd date?
Yes, 62% Yes, 61%
No, 23% No, 22%
Not Sure, 17% Not Sure, 15%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Men Women
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Those who date men were asked if they would date someone named…
Adolf (yes: 12.6%, no: 55.1%, maybe: 32.3%)
Jupiter (yes: 27.9%, no: 41.9%, maybe: 30.2%)
Barney (yes: 23.1%, no: 48.2%, maybe: 28.7%)
Muhammad (yes: 25.7%, no: 47.2%, maybe: 27.1%)
Ashley (yes: 44.2%, no: 28.2%, maybe: 27.6%)
Elmo (yes: 20.7%, no: 52.5%, maybe: 26.8%)
De’Shaun (yes: 42.9%, no: 29%, maybe: 28.2%)
Sexany (yes: 16.8%, no: 59.8%, maybe: 23.5%)
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Those who date women were asked if they would date someone named…
Angelina (yes: 57.6%, no: 22.4%, maybe: 20%)
Jupiter (yes: 31.8%, no: 44.7%, maybe: 23.5%)
Bertha (yes: 18.8%, no: 64.1%, maybe: 17.1%)
Crystal (yes: 59.4%, no: 24.7%, maybe: 15.9%)
Gertrude (yes: 22.4%, no: 57.1%, maybe: 20.6%)
Wilma (yes: 30.6%, no: 48.8%, maybe: 20.6%)
La’Keisha (yes: 30.6%, no: 44.7%, maybe: 24.7%)
Sexany (yes: 30.6%, no: 52.4%, maybe: 17.16%)
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Reactions to dating a man named Ashley:(name with both public and personal association)
PERSONAL PERCEPTION:
“I have dated men named Ashley and they were both similar, not in a good way. The name does define a person. ”
“My son's father is named Ashley.”
“It would be odd considering my sister's name is Ashley.”
PUBLIC PERCEPTION:
“There might be a bit of giggling involved when he introduced himself”
“People might think I’m dating a girl”
“Just like in Gone With the Wind!”
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Reactions to the name Adolf:(name with strong public association)
“I would think about Adolf Hitler every time I was with him...”
“Might have a hard time getting over that one. I would definitely have to get to know him well and meet his parents.”
“Too notorious”
“I’d give him a nickname to call him in public”
“Most people would think I was crazy.”
“If he acted like a psychopathic killer then no. But, if he had a good personality...sure why not.”
“I would hate to look at the person I love and know that their name was also the name of the worst man to ever exist.”
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
Reactions to the name Sexany: (name with neither public nor personal association, but definite connotation)
“Sounds intriguing”
“The name is goofy”
“Hell Yeeaaaaah!”
“Sounds like a stripper name”
“I wouldn't like to call someone that in PUBLIC you know the place with PEOPLE who might stare and be like, did she call that man Sexany?”
“Too embarrassing to repeat to future clients”
“A little too awkward.”
Survey 2: Names and DatingSurvey 2: Names and Dating
A public or personal association with a name will most likely factor into our choice of mate.
Names and CharacteristicsNames and Characteristics
Names and CharacteristicsNames and Characteristics
Aggressive
Artsy
Big
Boy Next Door
Caring
Cool
Creative
Criminal
Elegant
Energetic
Ethnic
Exotic
Funny
Girl Next Door
Handsome
Intelligent
Lazy
Leader
Loser
Nerdy
Old
Old-Fashioned
Poor
Popular
Powerful
Pretty
Quiet
Religious
Sexy
Slow
Sneaky
Sporty
Stuck Up
Trendy
Trustworthy
Unpopular
Untrustworthy
Uptight
Wealthy
Weird
Wild
Winner
Young
Users were surveyed to attach characteristics to each name in our database.
Angelina: pretty, sexy, intelligent
Bertha: big, old-fashioned, unpopular
Names and CharacteristicsNames and Characteristics
Top 3 characteristics assigned to names – listed in our book
Jennifer: pretty, funny, caring
Ginnifer: stuck-up, weird, creative
Names and CharacteristicsNames and Characteristics
Alternate spellings of common names may not be a good idea.
ConclusionConclusion
A person can perceive a name in two different ways: personally and publicly.
Both types of associations have an effect throughout our lives--in choosing a mate and naming a baby.
My daughter’s name: Miranda
Family surname
Shakespeare name
Perception of NamesPerception of Names
The Perception of NamesJennifer A. Moss
For a copy of this presentation and/or the statistics from our surveys, email jennifer@babynames.com.
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