February 18, 2009

First Names and Crime: Can your name make you bad?

A study published in the latest issue of Social Science Quarterly (Volume 90 Issue 1) found a correlation between unpopular first names and crime. Researchers David Kalist and Daniel Lee cross-referenced a popularity name index against the names of kids in the juvenile justice system, and found that both white and black juveniles with unpopular names were more likely to be delinquents.