Do names matter? The influence of names on perception about professionals in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this research was to empirically prove if different types of names and surnames influence people perception about the performance of professionals such as psychologists, architects, writers or lawyers. However, across a series of studies using both convenience and random sampling, and employing different performance measures, this research shows that personal names and surnames do not matter. Therefore, common wisdom such as: (1) two surnames are better than one; (2) a name with ridiculous associations should be avoided; (3) names denoting status and distinctiveness are better than common names for high-status professions; are not supported by data. Consequently, results break with the hypothesized marketing belief that brand names may influence perceptions about products