“What’s in a name? For a rose, by any other name, would still smell as sweet,” Shakespeare famously wrote. But is it really that simple? The answer is more complex than you might think. Imagine if I called you by a different name—how would that feel? Now take it further—what if we assigned a name to a group of people? Names carry weight, don’t they?
Though words are just sounds we attach meaning to, names hold real power. In fact, research dating back to the 1940s shows that our names can influence who we marry, where we live, and even what career paths we choose. One of the more surprising findings? People are more likely to donate money if they share an initial with a hurricane’s name!
Not everyone loves the name they were given at birth. A study from the 2000s, led by psychologist Jean Twenge, found that people who disliked their name often had poorer psychological adjustment, even when other factors were considered. Whether low self-esteem led to name dissatisfaction or vice versa, Twenge concluded that “the name becomes a symbol of the self.”
So, how important do you think names really are?
