15 Days of Economics

Day 5: Freakonomics

Can names determine your destiny ? According to Dr Rolan G Fryer, a professor of Economics, someones name cannot interfere with destiny and has little to no effects in depicting ones life. Despite the value of a name encompassing the culture and heritage of a person and being the first thing one will learn upon meeting a new identity ; many people believe that the socioeconomic factors such as the community that they grew up in and the culture they are part of influentially determine the outcome of one life at a far greater extent than the name they bear.

A study was taken using traditionally African American and white names applying for jobs. It was 33% less likely that the African American name was called back for an interview. This means that if a white man is searching 10 weeks for a job, an equally skilled African American would have to search 15 weeks. Henceforth names are also a window in to the socioeconomic background of people so clearly your name can obtain some influence on your life but the argument goes there are enough knowledgeable people in this world that won't use one name as a way to classify their skillset in a workplace.

Personally my name derives from the Hebrew patriarch and son of Issac and Rebecca, Jacob. Upon asking my father on the reason on choosing my name he replied ‘It’s a nice jewish name and it has two syllables which compliments your surname (Mellman)’.

In conclusion it is evident there is no name which can massively hinder a Childs future. But arguably it does allow someone a hint in to ones ethnicity and socioeconomic background however this is only an assumption and shouldn’t be stereotyped a solid fact.