The Career Benefit of Having a “Good” Name

Abstract

The impact of a person’s given name on their life and career success is often questioned. There is limited evidence linking names to long-term economic well-being, such as salaries. To address this gap, this study examined a salary dataset for Missouri State employees, investigating whether the origin of a given name influenced salaries. The study also explored how the interaction between name origins and gender affected salaries. The findings supported the association between names, particularly their origins, and an individual’s economic well-being. Additionally, the study revealed that name origins interacted with gender to impact inequity.