In one of the chapters of the bestselling book Freakonomics, economist Steven Levitt examines the connection between a child's name and economic well-being. Does naming your child serve as a predictor of your child's future economic success?
Yes and no, according to Levitt. Not that the name of the child itself predestines your child to an exact fate, but that the name stands as a reflection of the parents who name the child. As Levitt suggests, the name doesn't really matter, but the parents economic standing and economic level are the main factors. It just also happens to be that certain names, like Alexandria and Samuel turn out to be names for people of higher incomes, while children who are named after firearms or unclean adjectives, like Ruger or Rusty, turn out to be names for people of lower incomes.
Which leads me to implore all of you readers to STRONGLY consider the name you will give your children. For example, don't name your child Orenthal:
Yes and no, according to Levitt. Not that the name of the child itself predestines your child to an exact fate, but that the name stands as a reflection of the parents who name the child. As Levitt suggests, the name doesn't really matter, but the parents economic standing and economic level are the main factors. It just also happens to be that certain names, like Alexandria and Samuel turn out to be names for people of higher incomes, while children who are named after firearms or unclean adjectives, like Ruger or Rusty, turn out to be names for people of lower incomes.
Which leads me to implore all of you readers to STRONGLY consider the name you will give your children. For example, don't name your child Orenthal:
Or Kal-el (this means you, Nicholas Cage).
Let's imagine that I have a certain pair friends who are expectant parents, with a boy child still in utero. Let's imagine they have selected a name. Let's imagine that name is .....
Pyke.
Perhaps these friends have combined their love of middle-aged European pole weapons with Old English spelling. However, I'm more apt to think that my friends don't know what a pike is, nor do they know how to properly spell it.
I don't like to impose to many rules upon expectant parents. Each child is different. But, for the sake of your child, please, consider the name.
A rule of thumb -- if you had to see a doctor, and that doctor happened to be, say, a urologist or an obstetrician, and that doctor happened to be named a name that you wouldn't trust examining the parts that urologists or obstetricians examine, don't name your child that name. For example, I would never, ever let a guy named Pyke check my business.
I would, however, expect him to sell me western themed sporting goods or rotate my tires.
If your future child's name sounds like it should stitched onto a gas station uniform, then your child will work in a gas station. If your child's name sounds like a respectable, classy name that could be put up on a nice plaque or desk display, then, congratulations, your child will one day be a successful middle-manager for a Fortune 500 company.
