From MSN I picked up a thought-provoking blogpost based on an article that originally ran in the Daily Mail (your reliable source of “news”, confessionals, fluff, and not-so-subtle misogyny). But this one caught my eye because we’ve talked about our names and naming trends before, and everyone had something to say.
From the blogpost:
Researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin sent email messages containing only names, ages and zipcodes (no pictures) to 47,000 British online dating members and found that certain names were much more likely to receive clicks than others. According to the study’s leader, Jochen Gebauer, “Mails sent from an Alexander were clicked on 102 percent more times than those from a Kevin.”
“Single people would seem to prefer to remain alone than meet up with someone called Kevin or Chantal,” he added. Yikes.
As I look at it, there are two major caveats: First, this study was conducted in the UK where names tend to have stronger class associations. Two, the way that dating sites are set up, you don’t usually know the person’s name until after the first initial contact. This study looks at given names, not usernames. Regardless, maybe there is something to the way we subconsciously react to names?
To recap, here are the names you should name your children if you want them to find love online: Jacob, Alexander, Charlotte, Emma, Hannah, Max, Marie, Peter, Mark. Here are the names you shouldn’t name you children if you want them to be accepted on British dating sites: Kevin, Justin, Marvin, Dennis, Mandy, Celina, Chantal, Jacqueline.
I’m sure this probably holds true somewhat in the US, too. Names can wave a red flag to racists; just ask someone named Latoya or Jamal. And I’d argue that there are still some prejudices about names that don’t sound “classy,” like Kandi or Tammy or Shawn. Even religion comes into play: I once had a friend meet a dude on-line who when he discovered her name—Christine—said he could never date her because he was Jewish and “couldn’t be with a woman who was named for Jesus Christ.” (Yeah, we rolled our eyes at that, too.)
What do you think? Are some names turn-ons or turn-offs? Have you ever been rejected outright for having the wrong name? Would a name turn you on or off someone, sight unseen? Is there a name that the man or woman of your dreams just couldn’t have? (Adolf would probably do it for me. Or Newt.)