Unique baby names might be more trouble than they’re worth.
Tom Smart, Deseret News
Utah has a reputation for peculiar baby names. And many of the parents who give their kids traditional-sounding names bestow their child with an extra “y” or “e” for a unique spelling element.
But last year in Utah County, parents decided to take the traditional route, with names like “Olivia,” “William” and “Jack” topping the charts, per the Deseret News.
The draw to common American names might actually be a blessing for these newborns — research suggests a child’s name impacts their behavior, academic achievement and success in landing a job.
Hard to spell or pronounce names
When Elon Musk and Grimes named their son X Æ A-12, the internet exploded. The Washington Post even published an article with instructions on how to pronounce the name (apparently its X-Ash-A-12).
As someone with a traditionally-spelled name that has been popular since the 11th century, I’ve never had to explain to a teacher how to properly pronounce it during roll call on the first day of school — and apparently that matters.
Children who have common names with unusual spellings have slowed spelling and reading capabilities, said U.S. psychologist Jean Twenge in her study “First Name Desirability and Adjustment.”
“You have the child named Jennifer spelled with a ‘G’ — her teacher says ‘Are you sure your name is spelled that way?’ That can be incredibly hard on a person’s confidence,” Twenge explained, per the study.
According to Live Science, a Bounty.com study shows that many British parents regret giving their child a unique name. A fifth of the parents said they wished they had chosen a name that was easier to spell. And 8% said they were sick of people being unable to pronounce their child’s name.
Difficult to pronounce names could impact a person’s career. A study by New York University found that people with easy to pronounce names were favored more than those with names that were hard to pronounce. The study also found that those with names that were easy to pronounce …read more
Source:: Deseret News – Utah News