Britt Jones
If there wasn’t enough pressure on parents to pick a good baby name, there’s a study that has revealed how much names can impact the child in the future - namely, their job prospects.
Amidst all the Reddit stories about questionable name choices and 'rare' names, you might be wondering how a name can stop a person from being able to get their dream job, but you’d be surprised.
According to a study in Canada, there are a few names that we might think of as very commonplace, which could even prevent your kid from being hired one day.
Scientists from Carleton University determined a list of names that’ll hinder your job prospects after asking participants to choose between two job candidates, using only their names as their credentials.
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And the results were interesting, to say the least.
Well, apparently, those with a smooth-sounding name were in the clear, but for those who had harsher tones? They were given the pass.
This means that people named Anne, Luna, Lewis, or Miles can lie in bed at night with the thought that they’re more likely to be the candidate selected in a lineup.
But if you’re called Rita, Katie, Eric, Chris, or Zach, good luck next time.
“These results show the sound of a name might be one additional source of bias in hiring decisions. When people don't have a lot of details about a candidate, it seems that there is much in a name,” said study authors, Dr David Dishu and Professor Pexman in an article for The Conversation.
They added that while employers 'usually have much more to go on than a name', there's sometimes 'only limited information', meaning candidates are literally judged on a first-name basis.
As for how the study was conducted, they asked a sample of adults who'd fit better for a job based on the sound of their name, with 'smoother' sounding names preferred over 'spiky' ones.
They were also shown a video of said person, and that led to their name holding no sway whatsoever in the decision-making process if they felt the name was suitable for the candidate.
But if you've made it this far, I imagine you'll want to know if your name is listed here.
According to the study, these names were largely preferred:
Meanwhile, these were the less favourable names, as per the study: