Dr. Howard Rosenthal
How To Pick A Winning Name For Your Child!
Dear Dr. Rosenthal,
We are having our first child and my husband and I want to give our child a name that will help him (or her!) succeed. Any suggestions? Kiana
Dear Kiana,
There’s an old true story about Robert Lane of New York who in 1958 named his first son Winner, and then three years later named his second son Loser. When the two boys grew up, the one with the name Winner had a rap sheet that overflowed with 30 arrests, while Loser (who never hid his name) was an extremely successful police officer!
The problem with attempting to pick a great name (or simply a common or trendy one) is that popular names for boys and girls seem to change at the speed of light. For example, Social Security Administration data indicate that Jacob is currently the most popular name for boys, while Emily tops the list for girls. The question, nevertheless, is whether the name will stand the test of time.
Assume you had a child in 1975, which would make the child 30 years old today. Those same Social Security statistics indicate that the names Jacob and Emily didn’t even make it into the top 20 slots! Consider the name Joshua that currently holds the number 3 spot. Joshua is in the 26th spot for 1975. The name Madison is quite popular and ranks number 3 for girls in the US and number 2 in Missouri. If you had suggested to parents in 1975 that they name their little princess Madison they probably would have questioned your sanity!
Folks often assume that names become popular because of celebrities. Hence, parents might name their daughter Britney after Britney Spears. Most research indicates this is a fallacy. A family is more likely to choose Britney because a little girl down the street named Britney is unusually successful.
Behavioral scientists and economists also note that an affluent name may become popular with those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder within 20 years or less. So much for picking a power name!
There is some evidence to show that names that incorporate alliteration such as Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Mickey Mouse are easy to remember and can help the individual. But would you really want to name your first- born Tiny Tim?
Of course, some names are better than others. Imagine if John Wayne used his real name, Marion Morrison . . . not very macho . . . or Marilyn Monroe, sporting her birth name Norma Jean Baker . . . not very glamorous. Or how about Richard Starkey instead of his stage name Ringo Starr? Hey, I don’t think so!
Trying to pick a winning name is a little like trying to figure out who will win the 2035 World Series. My name (Howard) now comes in at the 779th spot. My advice would be to forget about all the research and recommendations from books and pick a name you and your hubby feel is appropriate.
Dr. Howard Rosenthal is Professor and Program Coordinator of Human Services at St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. His book Help Yourself to Positive Mental Health is available on www.amazon.com. Copyright 2006 Dr. Howard Rosenthal
