Vol. 31 No. 4 (1983)
Research Article

Unusual First Names: A Positive Outlook

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  • Richard L. Zweigenhaft
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/nam.1983.31.4.258

Published 1983-12-01

Copyright (c) 1983 Maney

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Abstract

After discussing some problems with the tendency to generalize from the literature on the psychological effects of unusual first names, this article summarizes a series of studies that have been performed. In contrast to much of the research literature, which tends to warn against giving such names to one's child, these studies suggest a more positive view. The results provide evidence that having an unusual name may have no observable negative effects, and, in some contexts and in some ways, may have positive effects.

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