Men might also benefit from that advice.
“I think a more formal name sometimes give people more of a cache,” said Douglas Campbell III, an executive coach based in Darien, Connecticut. He cites examples of men who switched from Dick to Richard or Dave to David to enhance their professional image.
Aside from names that are diminutive-sounding or too cute, women can also run the risk of having a name that sounds too sexy.
“Women have this double whammy in that there is a Catch 22 for women about names and physical attractiveness,” says Cleveland Evans, a psychology professor at Bellevue University and a past president of the American Name Society. “In some cases, a name that sounds really sexy to a guy—like Haley or Britney—may actually end up being a slight detriment to the woman who is trying to be taken seriously for an executive position.”
Psychological research shows that some men say they are less likely to hire a woman whom they find very attractive and seductive, Evans said.
“If you’re going to be an executive in an accounting firm, it might be better to be named something like Ethel that goes along with the stereotype of a serious, smart, and competent woman,” says Evans, the author of The Great Big Book of Baby Names.
Raegan Scott, a television news anchor in Anchorage, Alaska, believes that having a strong and unique name is a professional advantage. She says she is taken more seriously because of her name.
“A great, unique, strong name can give you unspoken confidence,” Scott said.
But she didn’t always enjoy her name.
“As a child, I hated it,” she recalls. “I was constantly called ‘Ronald Reagan’ on the playground, and I used to come home in tears.”
From the playground to the office, having an uncommon name has both advantages and disadvantages.
“If you have an unusual name on your resume, the first question is ‘Will this person fit in?’” Lanksy says. “An unusual name suggests you are different.”
Some psychological studies have suggested that people with common names may find that success comes easier than it does for those with odd names. One study found that teachers actually gave higher grades to essays written by children with popular names, such as David and Lisa. The same essays got lower marks from the teachers when they had names like Elmer and Bertha on them.
