https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 11 May 2026 08:40:51 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2057788 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 14:46:13 +0000 NorCalWayfarer 2057788@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: My husband has had similar experiences growing up (Hispanic with a "white" sounding name). People are often surprised when they meet him. He's always said he thinks it's helped him with jobs and was one of the reasons we chose a "classic" name for our LO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2057218 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:19:33 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2057218@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@psw27: I thought the same thing about the Koch brothers haha :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2057199 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 10:13:57 +0000 psw27 2057199@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Interesting article, I have to believe that in some senses it is true. I've reviewed resumes before and I tended to be more focused on their name than the credentials when it was a unique or difficult to pronounce name. </p> <p>Hmm, I have to wonder about this though: "Those with last names such as Kaiser ("emperor") or König ("king") were in more managerial positions than those with last names that referred to common occupations, such as Koch ("cook") or Bauer ("farmer")."</p> <p>Tell that to the Koch brothers, who are among the richest in the world. :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2057152 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:50:00 +0000 Mrs. Lion 2057152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mae: I agree...I think there was a big causation/correlation problem with that article. It was interesting to think about though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2057115 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 09:25:51 +0000 loveisstrange 2057115@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, I guess C is going to be pretty successful in life. lol. Her name fits all the "good" criteria. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056992 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 07:36:14 +0000 blackbird 2056992@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@lamariniere: you know, I've never pronounced your DS's first name in french in my head. it's always been the american version! But french makes more sense, derp. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056984 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 07:26:10 +0000 catlady 2056984@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The alphabet thing was interesting. LO's name starts with a V. Oops. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056953 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 06:55:33 +0000 lamariniere 2056953@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This doesn't surprise me. </p> <p>FWIW, when my DS's first and last name are pronounced the "American" way, his name sounds typically black (we always used to get surprised looks at the doctor's office). When his name is pronounced correctly in French, he's definitely a white boy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056940 Fri, 06 Feb 2015 06:16:46 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2056940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: @Mae: @mrsjazz: @NovBaby1112: even when it comes to unique names, there are some names that are more associated with one race or another. I don't know if people will be sheltered by that part of it just because uncommon names are gaining in popularity. </p> <p>Here's an example of a classic, Biblical name that is associated with black people- Isaiah. Whereas David and Joseph could be any race.</p> <p>Unique names such as DeShawn and Keysean and the like are growing in popularity yet are strongly associated with black people. </p> <p>I found it interesting in the article that the examples of black vs white names used very common black surnames. Just the way ethnic surnames whether it's Polish, Korean, Jewish are immediately identifiable so are black surnames. Pair a Jennifer with a Jones and the person reading the resume may still pass her over. It doesn't always have to be a Jamika that gets stonewalled. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056746 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 22:12:04 +0000 blackbird 2056746@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrsjazz: I was wondering that earlier, regarding unique names and how that will have an effect by the time those kids are trying to get hired-and OUR generation will likely be doing the hiring </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056699 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:39:11 +0000 Mae 2056699@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not shocking that "white sounding" names are more often interviewed, nor am I shocked that masculine or unisex names do better for women in some industries. </p> <p>Regarding unique/made-up sounding names being associated with delinquency-- I think it was freakonomics that examined that and found that it wasn't so much that a made-up sounding name caused delinquency as it was that the type of parents who give that sort of name are more likely to have parenting skills (or lack thereof) that would lead a child to delinquency. </p> <p>Although for the boys with feminine names getting into fights thing-- you have to wonder if they are just bullied (think-- a boy named Sue). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056674 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 21:19:19 +0000 mrsjazz 2056674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@NovBaby1112: Agreed. I think with the way people have been naming their children, an article like this may be true now, but most likely won't be in 20 years.</p> <p>Luckily, my name hasn't hindered my success, probably because I've gotten most of my positions through networking. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056646 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 20:54:29 +0000 lawbee11 2056646@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: Wow, that's awful! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056458 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:42:20 +0000 Applesandbananas 2056458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: thanks for sharing! Sounds like our name choice for LO set him up for a good future! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056457 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:41:51 +0000 dagret 2056457@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: my alma mater is cited in that article. Funny. </p> <p>We are having the hardest time naming this baby girl. My husband keeps trying to pick out names that end in -eigh or -ie or -y and while I don't mind them as nicknames, I really don't like them for full names. I always introduce myself as my full name even though most people call me by my nickname. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056429 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:30:06 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2056429@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: that sounds like more than just a name thing. It's one thing for someone to think you're white over the phone. It's another for them to insist on seeing the manager when the person indicating they are the manager sounds just like the manager they spoke with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056396 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:17:15 +0000 NovBaby1112 2056396@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It's an interesting article and I think a lot of it rings true for our generation. However, I think in 15-30 years "common" names like Mary, John, Bob etc are going to be few and far between, and more "unique/unusual" names will be more common. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056388 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 19:11:52 +0000 mrscobee 2056388@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MaryM: omg that is terrible! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056366 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:42:56 +0000 MaryM 2056366@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The "white sounding" comment made sense to me. </p> <p>DH is AA, but has what I guess is a "white sounding" name (I would call it "traditional" instead of labeling it with a color, but whatever)</p> <p>He's a manager and has had people come in to his place of business who he's spoken to on the phone previously. They'll ask for him by name, and he'll say "Yes, I'm First Name, Last Name," and they'll say, "No, I mean the manager" (assuming that it isn't him). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056349 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:21:35 +0000 lawbee11 2056349@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@smith: I used to review resumes and I was always more likely to choose a candidate with a common or classic name that was spelled the traditional way. I know it's awful and it's not the person's fault that their parents named them that, but it's true! </p> <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Ditto! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056341 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:12:54 +0000 mrscobee 2056341@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Me too!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056339 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:11:55 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2056339@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This article reaffirms my name preferences. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056335 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 18:06:32 +0000 smith 2056335@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used to help our hiring managers with candidates' writing tests, and I always was harder on applicants with made-up sounding names because I assumed they couldn't write as well as other people. </p> <p>Same goes with candidates who had more common names with an added -y or -gh ... I always felt shocked when people with goofy (in my opinion) names had solid tests and stellar interviews. It's awful, I know! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/names-and-success#post-2056317 Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:52:45 +0000 blackbird 2056317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-name-affects-your-success-2014-8" rel="nofollow">http://www.businessinsider.com/how-your-name-affects-your-success-2014-8</a></p> <p>Interesting article. Some of these were surprising </p>