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Odd names turn boys bad

Last updated 11:01 15/07/2009

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Boys growing up with popular names such as Michael, Joshua and Christopher have a good chance of leading law-abiding lives - but those named Kareem, Walter or Ivan could find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

That's according to a United States study that claims the more unpopular, uncommon or feminine a boy's first name, the greater the chance he will end up behind bars.

Shippensburg University professor David Kalist's report in Social Science Quarterly shows that "unpopular names are likely not the cause of crime", but he explains that factors often associated with those names can "increase the tendency toward juvenile delinquency".

Boys with uncommon names are often ridiculed by peers, come from families of low socioeconomic status and face discrimination in the workforce, according to the study.

The top 10 bad-boy names in the United States - Alec, Ernest, Garland, Ivan,  Kareem, Luke, Malcolm,  Preston, Tyrell and Walter.

- AP

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WALTER   #155   03:46 am Nov 14 2009

I suppose I'll have to drop out of college and begin my life of crime. You know, before all the other nefarious Walters get the jump on me.

Andrew   #154   10:05 pm Nov 13 2009

I wonder how many of these commenters are parents of "creatively named" children?

Margaret   #153   08:22 am Nov 13 2009

I do not doubt the integrity of this study, but there is a lurking variable here that anyone with a high school knowledge of statistics should be able to point out. Obviously, different cultures have different names, and names such as Kareem and Tyrell are more often seen in minority groups. Just by taking a look at this graph (http://www.prisonpolicy.org/graphs/raceinc.html) on prisonpolicy.org (who sources the US Census), you can see there are, unfortunately and perhaps unjustly, many more inmates of other minority ethnic groups than of others. The article mentions that "boys with uncommon names are often ridiculed by peers, come from families of low socioeconomic status and face discrimination in the workforce", but it fails to acknowledge the connection between culture and name. This unaccounted for variable in addition to the variability of personality amongst people of the same name suggests that this "United States study" needs to go back to the basis of their study and adjust it accordingly. Until then, I personally think that this study cannot be taken seriously.

Joe   #152   10:05 am Jul 22 2009

What about Testicles? (pronounced test-ta-kleez ; as in "the mighty Testicles slew the Trojans)

Hayley   #151   01:36 am Jul 21 2009

Garland?? Who would ever do that to their boy? But i think they're wrong about Luke. Luke is a popular and cool name, at least in my area of New York.

Alec Zolper   #150   05:50 am Jul 18 2009

This article is garbage. Just because I am named Alec means I am going to be a trouble maker? Ridiculous. I'd love to see their factual numbers.......

Scott P.   #149   02:02 am Jul 18 2009

I wonder how many "Barack's" will be hitting the prison system in the next 15-20 years????

Brian   #148   06:24 pm Jul 17 2009

Whats worse when you see all the morons trying to spell the names in a new way like Jorja or jamee etc etc. Poor kids!

Preston   #147   05:37 pm Jul 17 2009

yeah, that's right, my name is Preston. I can't believe my name made the list.

I don't see how this can be true. Statistics would tell me that of the ratio of kids that are more "bad-boys" the common names, being MORE COMMON, would spill into the pot.

Also, I'm white and I live in an upper-middle class family.

Laurel   #146   03:52 pm Jul 17 2009

This article cracks me up. I gave my son a very unusual name, in part because our last name is currently a very popular first name, and we figured that if having an unusual first name bothered him he could switch them. When he was about five I told him he had a choice, and he was shocked that I'd suggest such a thing. He LOVES having a name that stands out so much he doesn't ever need to give his last name. He does get teased, but doesn't care - in fact he gets a bit of a kick out of it. He's 18, is an Eagle Scout and has never been in any kind of trouble.

Isn't it time we blamed crappy PARENTS and horrible TEACHERS for kids going bad, instead of stretching the truth in ways like this?


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