Can Your Baby's Name Predict Their Financial Success? What The Research Shows

In his classic tragedy Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare wrote, "What's in a name?" And as it turns out… quite a lot. More than ever, we live in a world that puts an exceeding amount of pressure on the decisions new parents make now for the future of children tomorrow. While some of these decisions seem inconsequential, others feel highly charged. According to a study by the investment platform eToro, one specific decision might predict your child's financial stability, earning capability, and overall success: their name. No pressure, right?

The study analyzed 12 million of eToro's registered users to find out who had made the best and worst financial investments — and categorized this information by women's and men's names.

According to eToro's data on "top financial performers," judged by best and worst investment returns over a one-year period, 10 names appear as financially "best." For women, those names:

• Anna
• Maria
• Laura
• Helen
• Sarah

For men, topping the list of fiscal heavy-hitters are names like:

• Andrew
• Sam
• Alex
• Christopher
• Darren

eToro's research dates back to 2012, and it notes that people with the names Matt and Graham also performed exceedingly well in multiple prior years (a kind of honorable mention, IMO).

Now, for the bad news: eToro also clocked the names of users on its site who made the least fiscally profitable decisions. The financially “worst” names for women were:

• Karen
• Claire
• Lisa
• Jennifer
• Rachel

For “lowest performer” names for men were:

• Ali
• Rob
• Dan
• Chris
• Dominic

For most of us, it's hard to argue that a name is a direct link to who you are, both in terms of inner and outer perception. But many of us don't consider how our names can reward — or punish — us over the course of our lives. "A name is not just something you use to distinguish yourself from others; it also affects the way others see you," Iqbal V. Gandham, managing director of eToro UK, commented via Study Finds. "There has been a raft of research done over the years showing a very strong link between what you call your child and their future success. It could quite literally pay dividends, so take your time when choosing."

But what that link is, specifically, is a harder question to answer. According to statistics from the Social Security Administration, the top baby names for girls in 2020 were Olivia, Emma, Ava, Charlotte, and Sophia, while the most popular boys' names in 2020 were Liam, Noah, Oliver, Elijah, and William. Clearly, not one of those popular names even landed on eToro's list of names for that year, successful or unsuccessful. Does that mean all the babies born with 2020's most popular baby names are doomed for financial ruin?

Of course not.

Presumably, the people who made eToro's list were named at least 18 years before the study (2002 or earlier), as individuals cannot invest without a guardian before they reach legal age.

While it's fun to think about, this discrepancy really illustrates that we can't predict the population's rapidly changing social tastes in names, which would eventually skew the data once these children could make financial investments for themselves. Name popularity is a dynamic, ever-shifting entity, reflective of cultural, regional, and generational tastes... which makes these statistics likely only relevant for only a certain, specific cross-section of the population.

The eToro study isn't the only one trying to define the impact of how we name our children. One study from the University of Colorado Boulder states that people whose last initial is among the beginning letters of the alphabet might have a higher level of achievement. Another conducted at Marquette University argued that people with more traditional names are more likely to be hired than those with unique-sounding names (in fact, with a simple Google search, you can find dozens of studies based on how a name affects work hiring and discrimination).

And yet, according to Dr. Stephen J Bush of the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, now — more than ever — new parents are veering away from overly popular baby names and trends in favor of uniqueness in their choice of name. "The speed with which modern name choices fall in and out of favor reflects their increased exposure and people's ongoing desire for distinctiveness," Bush says.

There are many choices to be made along a person's parenting journey, and while it's good to appreciate the scientific and statistical data surrounding names, ultimately (and like much of life), the success of a child depends on many, many factors. So what's in a name, and what does it hold for your baby's future? Only time — and a name you love — will tell.