in his classic tragedy romeo and juliet, William Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name?” And as it turns out…quite a lot. Now more than ever, we live in a world where there is undue pressure on the decisions new parents make. now For the future of our children tomorrow. Some of these decisions may seem unimportant, while others may feel very responsible. Research from investment platform eToro shows that one specific decision can predict your child’s financial security, earning capacity, and overall success. It’s your child’s name. No pressure, right?
The study analyzed eToro’s 12 million registered users to find out who made the best and worst financial investments, and categorized this information by female and male names.
According to eToro’s “Top Financial Performing Companies” data, 10 names are considered to be the “best performing” financially, as judged by their highest and lowest one-year investment returns. For women, these names are:
For men, the following names top the list of financial heavyweights:
- andrew
- Sam
- alex
- christopher
- Darren
eToro’s research dates back to 2012 and notes that people named Matt and Graham have performed very well in multiple previous years as well (kind of an honorable mention IMO).
Now, the bad news: eToro also recorded the names of users on the site who made the least financially profitable decisions. The names of the financially “worst” women are:
- Karen
- Claire
- Lisa
- jennifer
- rachel
The names of the men with the “worst grades” are:
For most of us, it is difficult to argue that a name is directly related to who you are, both in terms of internal and external perception. But many of us don’t think about how our name rewards or punishes us throughout life. Iqbal V. Gundam, managing director of eToro UK, commented via Study Finds: “Names are not only used to distinguish you from others, but they also influence how others see you.” “Many studies conducted over the years have shown that there is a very strong link between what a child is called and their future success. It can literally pay dividends, so take your time with your choice.”
But what exactly that connection is is a difficult question to answer. According to Social Security Administration statistics, the most popular baby names for girls in 2020 were Olivia, Emma, Eva, Charlotte, and Sophia, and the most popular baby names in 2020 were Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, and William. Obviously, whether successful or not, none of these popular names were on eToro’s list of names that year. Does that mean all babies born with the most popular baby names of 2020 are doomed to financial ruin?
Of course not.
Because individuals cannot invest without a guardian until they reach legal age, the people who created eToro’s list were probably named at least 18 years before the survey (before 2002).
While fun to think about, this discrepancy really demonstrates our inability to predict a population’s rapidly changing social preferences in names, and will ultimately skew the data as these children begin to make financial investments for themselves. Name popularity is dynamic and constantly changing, reflecting cultural, regional and generational preferences…so these statistics may only be relevant to certain specific segments of the population.
eToro’s research isn’t the only study that seeks to define the impact of how we name our children. A study from the University of Colorado Boulder states that people whose last initial is among the first letters of the alphabet may have higher levels of achievement. Another study conducted at Marquette University claims that people with traditional names are more likely to be hired than those with unique-sounding names (in fact, a quick Google search will reveal numerous studies based on how names affect job recruitment and discrimination).
But now, more than ever, new parents are moving away from all-too-popular baby names and trends in favor of individuality in their name choices, according to Dr. Stephen J. Bush of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh. “The speed with which modern name choices fall in and out of favor reflects their increased exposure and people’s continued desire for uniqueness,” Busch says.
Parenting a person requires a lot of choices, and while it’s good to understand the scientific and statistical data regarding names, ultimately (as with many things in life) a child’s success depends on so many factors. So what’s in a name and what does it mean for your baby’s future? Only time and the name you love will tell.
