Revealed: The surprising link between your name and your life choices – and it could explain why Shakira became a singer while Anya Taylor-Joy rose to fame as an actress
A number of studies have found that our names change the way people judge our personality, age, and more.
In a study published May 8, scientists from Syracuse University in New York asked 500 college students to rate 400 popular names from a 70-year period.
Questions came in the form of: ‘Imagine that you are going to meet Samantha. How competent/warm/old do you think she is when you see her name?’
Scientists used their results to assess which names were perceived as competent, warm or a combination of both.
Below are the results:
Warm and competent names
Ann, Anna, Caroline, Daniel, David, Elizabeth, Emily, Emma, Evelyn, Felicia, Grace, James, Jennifer, John, Jonathan, Julie, Kathleen, Madeline, Mark, Mary, Matthew, Michael, Michelle, Natalie, Nicholas, Noah, Olivia, Paul, Rachel, Samantha, Sarah, Sophia, Stephen, Susan, Thomas, William
Warm but less competent names
Hailey, Hannah, Jesse, Kellie, Melody, Mia
Competent but less warm names
Arnold, Gerard, Herbert, Howard, Lawrence, Norman, Reginald, Stuart
Names of low warmth and competence
Alvin, Brent, Bryce, Cheyenne, Colby, Crystal, Dana, Darrell, Devon, Dominic, Dominique, Duane, Erin, Larry, Leslie, Lonnie, Malachi, Marcia, Marco, Mercedes, Omar, Regina, Rex, Roy, Tracy, Trenton, Vicki, Whitney
