Are their any names that seem to be more influential than others?

Question

We are expecting our second child, are their any names that will increase their chances of success in life?

Answer 1

The show 20/20 did an expose about the influence of names. Here is a page about their findings.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=2463266&page=1

Answer 2

There is a theory that suggests people who have names that start with the letter "A" are more likely to be successful than people who have a name starting with any other letter. Apparently, the reason is purely convenience. Throughout life there are many instances where a list would be used, especially in school or work. In these instances, you are much more likely to be picked out if your name begins with a letter that is closer to the start of the alphabet than the end of it. The thoery suggests that your name will be at the top, or closer to the top of such lists and, therefore, is more easily noticed.

Not sure how well it pans out in real life though!

Answer 3

Your child will be as successful as you teach them to be regardless of his or her name. If you rate success in money, then get them a good education and introduce them to people at your country club.

If it's how they treat others, teach the child tollerence, love, honesty and all the other qualities you looked for in your spouse.

However, if you just rate success with how many people know their name, then there have been more women at the top with the names of Catherine or Elizabeth. Men, it's been Richard, Louis, Henry, William and Charles. (And the last 3 are not because of the British Royals either, they got those names because the name holds "power")

Answer 4

If you're from the U.S., it seems that "preppie" names (either British sounding and traditional) or names from the Old or New Testament...will stand the test of time and confer on your child an "air of civility, influence, nobility, grace, etc....) Here are some that come to mind, both good and bad.

Positive- female- Grace, Judith, Elizabeth, Sarah, Emily, Rose, Kathleen, Kathryn, Kate, Julia (kind of Victorian if you ask me)

Avoid trendy names such as..... Chance, Apple, Jon-Benet (too stuffy), or very ethnic sounding names or "Granola" sounding...."Harmony" "Chastity" "Patience" "Latrice" "Chantrelle" "Myra" "Harmony"

For Boys, same thing goes....the yuppie names "Skip" "Biff" " "Chance" are actually short for more traditional names, and are sort of presumptuous...a baby named "Trip" Tarkenton?

Go for the full name, too. Jeffrey over Jeff; Robert over Bob or Bobby;
James over "Jimmy"...people pick up their nicknames as they get older.

Good luck with the pregnancy, and the naming, too!

Answer 5

yes but the names may be different for someone other than me. Some influential names to me are Grant, Cameron, Duncan, Reed, Elizabeth, Patricia, Suzanne

Answer 6

Stick to good solid names like Richard, Steve, Jack, Jonathan, Lydia, Sarah, Jennifer, and basically names that you can actually visualise on a namecard.

Answer 7

Avoid George (w Bush)

Rich is very influential.

Answer 8

Avoid Adolf and Genghis

Answer 9

Sometimes...but a name shouldn't make a difference, it should be more so, the character of that person that has influence.

Answer 10

Yeah.....that episode of the simpsons when Homer changed his name to Max Power was excellent!