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[James A. Landau <JJJRLandau@netscape.com>]

http://channels.isp.netscape.com/homerealestate/package.jsp?name=fte/oddnames/oddnames&floc=NI-ntk1

Scary Fate for Boys With Odd Names

Name your kid Ernest or Ivan, and you could be spending time at the police station.

LiveScience.com reports that researchers at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania have concluded that boys who have odd first names are more likely to become juvenile delinquents than boys who have more popular names. In other words, Ernest and Ivan are more likely to commit crimes as teenagers than are Michael and David.

The study: Led by David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee, the team created a popularity-name index (PNI) for each name based solely on how frequently the name was given during a certain time period. For example, Michael had a PNI of 100 since it was the most frequently used name, while David had a PNI of 50 since it was used half as much as Michael. Unpopular names such as Alec, Ernest, Ivan and Malcolm were given a PNI of 1.

The results: Regardless of race, boys who had unpopular names were more likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites, reports LiveScience.com. Of course, the names did not cause the kids to commit a crime, but Kalist and Lee argue that "they are connected to factors that increase the tendency to commit crime, such as a disadvantaged home environment, residence in a county with low socioeconomic status and households run by one parent."

"Also, adolescents with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to form relationships," the authors said in a statement. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they consciously or unconsciously dislike their names."

It is hoped that the findings can help authorities identify kids who may be at a higher risk of committing or recommitting a crime so they can intervene in a positive way.

The study findings were published in the journal Social Science Quarterly


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