Naming No Nos

A name – a loving title bestowed from the start of something. It may be precious and meaningful to you, but could that revered name become a liability to future success? Apparently so.

In the article “Positioning – As Popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout”, it is revealed that “Even a person’s name impacts his or her success in life.” Though this article was written for marketing ones’ business or company and its brand, it also discloses that even the names of individuals can affect the perception others have of them, which can affect attaining their future goals. The article mentioned how “one study showed that on average, schoolteachers grade essays written by children with names like David and Michael a full letter grade higher than those written by children with names like Hubert and Elmer.”

An excerpt of “Positioning – As Popularized by Al Ries and Jack Trout”

Living in the ever expanding city of Vancouver, BC, Canada, where diversity is, ironically, becoming a norm, and multiculturalism an integrated part of society, the possibility of what I would call “optimal names” rouses my curiosity. I must ask myself, amongst the many eclectic names I have encountered, “is my name a no no?”