by Nina Hammiel Turner

Created on: February 05, 2009   Last Updated: February 07, 2009

Can a person's name determine whether or not they can be successful in life? On one hand I would say, "Yes." Hearing someone's name gives you a first impression before they open their mouth and before you see them. One decides what race they think the person is, what they look like, if they are high class or low class, and even if they think the person is smart. Don't believe me what do you think of when you hear the names Bonquisha or Biff or how about the names Diana and Thurgood? Chances are you make clear images of the people, what they look like, and what they're about. So, hearing or seeing a person's name could cause a job employer to decide not to call the potential employee back or may make them stereotype the person in other ways.

On the other hand, I have to say, "No" and partially because our 44th president has a very unusual name and yet he has managed to become President! So, I'm inclined to believe that a person's name is not the only factor that determines their success, but other factors such as education and environment have the potential to override the name curse!

The book Freakonomics by Steven Levitt theorizes that a person's name can affect their ability to succeed. It even outlines high class and low class names for African Americans and Caucasians. Tyra Banks also conducted a study on her talk show about the stereotypes of names using young children. A young Caucasian child whose name was Deidrica was assumed to be an overweight, African American by the panel. Meanwhile, the same panel assumed that a young African American named Ashleigh was a thin, wealthy, blonde Caucasian woman.

Names are important. On a resume or a college application they act as a first impression. And unfortunately depending on where you live and whom you may interact with they may make unfair judgments about you based on your name. This is a fact.

Yet another fact is that your name doesn't make you. Names don't prevent you from getting a college education, names don't determine what you can achieve, and names don't stop you from reaching your dreams. Ask the kids whose parents ironically named them Winner and Loser. Loser went on to achieve success in life, while Winner ended up being a convicted felon.

A name is just that. It's a name. How successful you are in life involves much more than just your name. It involves your drive, your determination, your environment, and your education. It also involves others willingness to overlook their own prejudices and stereotypes. So ultimately, a name will not determine your success, you do. Just ask Barack Hussein Obama.

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