The chapter essentially asks the old question “What’s in a name – would a rose by any other name smell as sweet?”

It starts by comparing how black and white parents name their children and shows that they do indeed name them very differently. There are interesting stories throughout about how people with distinctive names either lived up to them or lived out their lives in spite of them. It suggests how different names can affect your life (like on a resume). They essentially conclude that people with “black” names and “white” names do have different lives, but that it is not the fault of the name as such, rather the situation they were born into (from where they were more likely to get their name).

It then compares the correlation between a baby’s name and the parents’ socioeconomic status and years of maternal education. It shows how once a name catches on among high-income, highly-educated parents it works its way down the socioeconomic ladder. Once a high-end name is adopted en mass and becomes too common, it drops out of the name rotation, only to then come back in 40 or so years.

I just found it fascinating, especially because I try so hard to find the right name, the “perfect” name for my child, that’s traditional but not too common.