Picking out kids’ names is one of the most daunting yet important tasks a parent can undergo. Their name will be the first thing prospective employers will see. It will be one of the most important elements of avoiding peer ridicule. More importantly, it’s a “first impression” that will tell others what type of person they might be. Now, some teachers are sharing the most “red flag” names their students have had.
Truths about Kids’ Names
Teachers meet hundreds of students in their lifetime. As such, they’ve seen a variety of cultures, personalities, and names. Many names are traditional and passed down to future generations, while others are unique, outside the box, and even downright bizarre. SJ Strum is a parenting blogger and mom of 3. Generally covering all things trending, including popular baby names, she researched how educators respond to kids’ names. Blogging for just over five years, and with more than 120,000 subscribers, she got a pouring of responses from educators who were happy to share their own experiences.
Generalizing Kids’ Names
First, educators have seen many students have the same names, names that are classic, traditional, old, or a family name passed down to the next generation. “There are so many overused names,” SJ shared from her research. “Common names that came up – there were lots of Charlies, Lilies, Ellas, Alfies. One teacher had ten Sophias.” There are a number of reasons that educators come to these conclusions including similar personality types. For example, one educator disclosed that names ending in ‘den’, like Hayden are, from their experience, “always naughty” and “disruptive.” Meanwhile, ‘J’ names like Jake and Jack were equally “badly behaved.” On the other hand, girls with ‘J’ names, like Jessica, were “chatty“. Another educator shared that in their experiences, girls with the name Alexandra were often bullies, while girls with the name, “Martha” were “high maintenance.”
Non-Traditional Spelling
The blogging mom also learned that teachers consider kids’ names they can’t pronounce to be red flags. Apparently, teachers struggle when traditional names are spelled differently, seemingly changing the pronunciation. SJ gave Emma-Leigh in place of Emily as an example. Furthermore, some educators have had numerous students with the same and traditional names, but don’t mind unique names. Provided those kids’ names are still easy to pronounce. Some popular examples of kids’ names include Sage and Scout.
Perhaps one reason for kids’ names to raise red flags, is more troublesome and disheartening to imagine
A 2004 test was conducted in which Chicago-based employers received 5,000 resumes, with an equal number of traditional European names and African names. Those with more traditional, or European, names got 50% more callbacks than their ethnically diverse counterparts. Therefore, some educators deem certain kids’ names red flags because they set children up with a never-ending obstacle to overcome, no matter how high in life they may soar. Interestingly, a similar study was done in Sweden. The results reflected that people with Swedish-sounding names were more likely to be hired than those with names that originated in other countries. This leads to the last, and slightly more amusing reason, teachers immediately prefer some kids’ names over others. The phenomenon is called the “implicit-egotism effect” and implies that people are drawn to names that have similar letters and sounds as their own.
Humorous or Creative
Names have been given to people for centuries and once reflected the family’s trade. Things have changed, and with that comes the opportunity for parents to let their sense of humor, or unique taste, shine. SJ shares that some names she encountered in her research were clever, if not amusing. She learned of a pair of twins called Denim and Suede and a student named Jason Mason. Apparently, the trend of “unique” names has been around for the last 200 years or so. For example, in 1882, 5 girls with born with the newly thought of name Birdella. Later, in 1885, 6 boys were recorded to have the name, or a spelling variation, of Almond, and in 1902, 7 boys were legally named Doll.
Kids’ names are often the first representation of who they are
As such, it’s important to name them something that will prevent them from being bullied or singled out by educators or prospective employers. On the other hand, a powerful and meaningful name is often far more precious than any metal found on Earth. Either way, it’s good that people can change their name once they’re of legal age if they wish.