As we grow older, we are constantly changing who we are. We make new friends, live in different places, and acquire different interests. We may change our hairstyle and our clothing style, but the one thing that typically stays with us is our name.
Expecting parents understandably spend countless hours discussing and deciding on the perfect name for their baby. A name is something that becomes part of our identity and defines who we are.
"My name is simply my own," April Barnum, FCRH '11, said. "No one can take that privilege away from me. I am an April."
According to studies cited in the New York Times involving telephone directories and social security death index records, clinical psychologist Brett Pelham has discovered an unusual phenomenon. His studies show that women named Virginia are more likely to live in Virginia than in any other state while women named Georgia are more likely to live in Georgia. The study also found that people whose last name is Lane are more likely to have a home address that includes the word "lane" in it.
Both Barnum and April Acker, a member of FCRH '11, say that April is their favorite month of the year.
"I definitely feel a close connection to my name," Acker said. "There's that sort of effect when you share your name with something concrete-ish. I have a friend named Daisy and I know that we both identify with our names more than our friend Katelyn. There's just more there to connect to."
For those of us that are not named after a flower or a month, a psychological theory called the name-letter effect says that people prefer the letters in their name better than other letters of the alphabet. Our name is something we use so often that it is only natural that we should form a bond with any aspects of it.
Often, people who have names typical of a certain race or ethnic group are judged by those names when applying for jobs or being introduced in social situations.
2008 Woodie Awards
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