Do you worry about your name having a negative image, or am I overreacting?

General Name Discussion
1

[b]I’ve kind of got three questions, ha ha, so you can answer one of them, two or all of them. Question 1 is my main one but I really don’t mind. :slight_smile: The text I really want you to read is in bold, everything else is just some extra detail.

Question 1:

If your name has a socially negative image, even if a slight one, do you worry about getting turned down for jobs or facing random discrimination because of it? By socially negative image, I mean - do you worry that if it’s considered “trashy”, “chav”, “down market”, “that name that all the stuck up girls/guys have”, “tacky”, “trendy”, “tryndeeigh”, etc?[/b]

I know someone recently asked a similar question about the name [name]Brittany[/name] but I really want a wider scope, am wondering if anyone else has worried about this sort of thing, or even had to face acts of unkindness for it.

[b]Question 2:

[name]How[/name] strong is the negative image for [name]Amber[/name], and would you give an [name]Amber[/name] a job? Would you assume she was a good person or a bad person? Better still, would you assume anything at all?[/b] I grew up quite happily with the name for a few years (got compliments on it, even though I never really felt my name fitted in with the Eleanors, Olivias and Charlottes) but when I was 11 I was Googling around for character names when I came across a name site and decided to type in my own name. There was very strong variation in opinion, and for the people who didn’t like name, the general consensus seemed to be that it was “trailer trash”. A delightful discovery at 11. -_- However, my concern is more centred on whether someone (anyone) would treat them accordingly?

So now I’m 15 I have spoken to people about my name, and when its negative associations come up, some make jokes about it. Not ill-intentioned jokes, mind you - even my own mum laughed and said that when she named me it she didn’t know it was the pseudonym of many a stripper or whatever. A few weeks ago my friend said, “Yeah, ah well I guess [name]Amber[/name] does have that kind of association, I was watching [name]Dave[/name] (a channel on the TV, they show comedy/stand-up stuff) and the guy on stage was giving advice about girlfriends and he said ‘If her name’s [name]Christine[/name] or [name]Amber[/name], she’s probably a prostitute.’”

Of course like I said they’re only jokes; I don’t take it personally and nobody’s ever been mean or anything but how do these jokes translate into sort of the real world and the business world? [name]How[/name] does [name]Amber[/name] function outside of entertainment and media? I know it shouldn’t bother me and I could be named something so much worse but I do worry about getting turned down for a job. Sometimes I try to convince myself that I wouldn’t really want to be hired by somebody who based my intelligence and general work ethic off my name but it’s more the message of the jokes than the jokes themselves that really get to me sometimes.

[b]Question 3:

Completely unrelated, but what do you think of my combos:
[name]Eve[/name] [name]Fabiana[/name]
[name]Albany[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name]
[name]Calla[/name] [name]Aurore[/name]
[name]Violet[/name] [name]Micaela[/name]
[name]Mercy[/name] [name]Claire[/name][/b]

Thanks. :slight_smile:

2

I know an [name]Amber[/name], and she’s really nice.
She isn’t the wealthiest person in my town, but despite that, she’s funny, talkative, and just a kind person in general.
Quite frankly, [name]Amber[/name] is not one of my favorite names. Then again, I don’t really like color or stone names.
Because of the [name]Amber[/name] that I know, I will always associate the name with a nice person who might not be the most fortunate, but is always friendly.
I have heard of it being called a ‘trashy’ name, and so I don’t completely forget that, but it’s overpowered by my experience with the name.

3

I have a very dated popular name for my generation, people think it’s boring. I hear stories about how people have a bad name associations or stereotype all girls with my name to be a certain way. It doesnt bother me at all because I know there are people who like my name and have a good association.

[name]Even[/name] if I didnt know people who like my name I wouldnt care what people have to say, I like my name and I wouldnt let someone elses view change that. I dont care that it’s popular and that I usually went to school with two or three other girls with the same name. We all stood out for our own accomplishments and character.

Dont let someone bring you down or give you the idea that there is anything wrong with your name because there isnt :slight_smile:

4

Thanks for sharing. I think it’s a shame that there is even a social stigma attached to many names in the first place (or even the existence of the slur “trailer trash”, but I guess that’s a different matter.) [name]One[/name] example would be [name]Nevaeh[/name]. I don’t like the concept of a word being spelled backwards to make a name so I don’t like the name, but in terms of image it is frequently trashed, which is a shame because a lot of Nevaehs will probably grow up to be kind, positive people.

[name]Amber[/name] is quite popular in the US for those born in the 1980s. I will be really cheeky and throw in a Question 4 for everyone: Have you ever noticed that the names associated with snobs and mean girls are the most popular? Are people just more likely to meet someone with a more popular name but then they grow to dislike it if said person was mean to them?

5

:slight_smile: You made me smile; that’s a brilliantly positive attitude to have! I’m ashamed to say that while I was writing that post I never really considered that we all stand for our own accomplishments, define ourselves, etc. Guess my head got a bit lost in the world of naming for a moment. Thank you very much for reminding me. lands on planet [name]Earth[/name]

6

[name]Amber[/name] was very popular in the 70’s to 80’s along with names like [name]April[/name], [name]Brittany[/name], [name]Crystal[/name], [name]Tiffany[/name] and [name]Heather[/name]. Unfortunately, these names are no longer in vogue and for some unknown reason a few of these names have acquired a bad reputation over the years. I think [name]Amber[/name] has a pretty sound and I would expect a girl with this name to be outgoing, friendly and down-to-earth. Perhaps some people may some names are too “sexy” for their own good and don’t take them seriously. I wouldn’t worry about it too much in regards to job applications. Most companies will look at your qualifications and skills and take great measures to ensure that discrimination doesn’t take place. If you’re a “nice” [name]Amber[/name] (and just by reading your thoughful questions in your post I think you are) then all of the people who come in contact with you will have a positive association with the name. :slight_smile:

I love [name]Mercy[/name] [name]Claire[/name]! :slight_smile:

7

I don’t see any problem with [name]Amber[/name] as far as attaining work. At all. :slight_smile: And I think I have known [name]Ambers[/name] of all different personality types, so I don’t have one particular association.

I think children with kree8tiv spellings will have the worst time of it when that sucker lands on a resume. You’re fine. [name]Little[/name] Addissyn or [name]Charleigh[/name] might be in trouble though.

9

@mischa and r_j: Thanks for the opinions on how it fares in the business world; I hear people say that certain names will not look good on a resume but I wasn’t sure how seriously they take it [name]IRL[/name]… probably not as seriously as name nerds now I think about it ha ha. Thanks again. :slight_smile:

@sugarfoot: THAAAANK you, you are brutally honest but I can be really indecisive at times so I am probably better off for it. lol. :stuck_out_tongue: :slight_smile:

10

I don’t think you’re overreacting, its understandable that you’d wonder how your name is perceived by others.

I don’t see an [name]Amber[/name] struggling with employment. I don’t know any [name]Ambers[/name] personally but I wouldn’t have bad associations with the name before meeting one. Though it isn’t to my taste (sorry) its a perfectly inoffensive name and doesn’t bring any strong connotations to mind. If I met an [name]Amber[/name], I’d be curious to get to know her for who she is and not what her name suggests.

I work in HR for a very large company and spend a good portion of my day going through job applications. I would never toss an application just because someone had a trendy or popular name. [name]Hope[/name] that answered your question :slight_smile:

11

  1. I do think about negative associations names may hold, including perceptions of class, but I don’t believe they negatively impact someone’s ability to be hired…unless maybe it’s at some high-fashion, image-is-everything sort of business, and those jobs are few and far between. I spent years doing HR work in insurance and health care, and I do not believe people lost out on job opportunities because their names were downmarket/stuck up. In my experience, the names that caused the biggest problems for applicants were names that strongly indicated race and ethnicity (not fair and NOT LEGAL, so managers had to be sneaky about this one; they would never comment about the name itself–they’d just be ultra critical of the resume :mad: ) and names that struck reviewers as ridiculous. That was a big one because they could openly mock a resume from [name]Primrose[/name] Pretty-[name]Petal[/name] [name]Smith[/name] or [name]Rocket[/name] Albacore [name]Thompson[/name] without repercussions…having an [name]OTT[/name]/weird name isn’t protected by law.

  2. None of the [name]Ambers[/name] I’ve met in my life have lived up (down?) to its supposed “trashy” image.
    Of course I’d hire an [name]Amber[/name] if she was qualified for the position and seemed like she’d be a good fit with the team. The only way I’d make negative assumptions about an [name]Amber[/name] sight unseen would be if her resume was littered with spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

[name]Eve[/name] [name]Fabiana[/name]: Eh. [name]Fabiana[/name] feels awfully flashy following svelte, sophisticated, simple [name]Eve[/name]. It could be, though, that I’m just a [name]Fabienne[/name] girl.
[name]Albany[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name]: [name]Jasmine[/name] that grows in [name]Albany[/name]? It’s hard to combine two obvious word names in a combo and not have them sound silly.
[name]Calla[/name] [name]Aurore[/name]: [name]Lovely[/name]
[name]Violet[/name] [name]Micaela[/name]: Nice. I knew a sweet girl who spelled [name]Micaela[/name] this way, and it left me with a soft spot for the spelling. For a first name, I’d prefer [name]Michaela[/name], but I think it’s fine in the middle.
[name]Mercy[/name] [name]Claire[/name]: Hmm. I like both names, but I’m not sure about the combo. It’s a little nun-like; I think of “Sisters of [name]Mercy[/name]” and “the Poor Clares.”

ETA: Primrose Pretty-Petal and Rocket Albacore are extreme examples that came from my imagination, not RL. Just putting that out there. :slight_smile:

12

@strawberry shortcake and goodhope: Thank you, it is so helpful to hear from people who are/were involved in the hiring process. I’m quite relieved to hear it’s not as bad as I think.

@goodhope re-Q1: Really? It is sad to think that names associated with certain ethnicities are discriminated against :(. Pretty sly of them to do that. re-Q3 Thanks for your opinions on my name list. Thinking of changing the mn for [name]Albany[/name].

13

[name]Hi[/name] [name]Amber[/name] I am an Australian and there is no way that we would say that any name is like a stripper’s name. I am quite cross with people over there for perpetuating this nonsense. It’s not like you were named Luscious Lollipop!

I think [name]Amber[/name] is a lovely name, lovely! And of course I would employ you if you had the right qualifications!

I like your combos with the exception of [name]Albany[/name] and I would put [name]Mercy[/name] in the middle name spot.’

rollo

14

@rollo: Thank you for an Australian perspective. Interesting that perceptions of names vary geographically. I’m actually in the UK, and at first I thought the potentially negative connotations were confined to the US of A as it was popular there but then obviously when I started asking people at home and in school they seemed to have these kinds of associations so it recently started to concern me. Ha ha Luscious Lollipop made me giggle. :slight_smile:

15

I live in the USA in the midwest. [name]Amber[/name] was a name that was fairly popular around the time I was growing up (I was born in '84). I actually have a step-sister named [name]Amber[/name]-funny enough her sister is named [name]April[/name] (from an earlier post on this thread, don’t remember who wrote it) and while I can’t say she is my favorite person in the world, I know other [name]Amber[/name]'s and have never associated any of them with having the same characteristics and attitudes as that of my step-sister.

As far as the stigmas attatched to the name, I think that most of those come from people’s experiences with the name. If the first [name]Kelly[/name] I had come across was an angel and extremely nice to me, I wouldn’t have a problem with the name. Unfourtunatly, that was not my experience and because of one person with the name [name]Kelly[/name] I could never use the name myself and it will always have a slight negative connotation to me regardless of the fact that since then I have met many very nice and generous [name]Kelly[/name]'s. I find that despite my best efforts, the stigmas that I have attached to names are more character related, rather than “trailer park”, “prostitute”, or “lower class”.

All that being said- the name [name]Amber[/name], in the grand scheme of things, is about as offensive as milk. :slight_smile: My step-sister has never had any trouble in the job market due to her name to my knowledge. I think that as you grow up and enter the job market you will find that you will be judged more on your personality, qualities, and first impressions rather than how your name will come off on a piece of paper. Also, bear in mind that your “generation” so to speak- I’m not that much older than you ;), is, in my opinion, the first big wave of more and more people with non-traditional spellings of names (i.e. Ahlyisah, Alixzander), non-traditional names in general (i.e. [name]Mercedes[/name], [name]Cash[/name]), and unisex names (i.e. [name]Dakota[/name], [name]Jamie[/name]). I think compared to those examples the name [name]Amber[/name] is fairly tame. Granted I made up these examples and they may be a little bit of a stretch, but I work in retail and for a company that hires high schoolers and college age adults and have noticed a bigger variety of names starting to come in and be hired.

Sorry for the long winded and confusing post. :slight_smile: If you need clairification on anything I said, let me know. I am 5 months pregnant and cannot be held accountable for the rambling way my thoughts go sometimes.:wink:

16

Question 1: All the time. And it’s one of the many reason why I am going to change it, and the main reason why I’m changing my surname. I feel it’s incredibly “lower class” or even borderline “ghetto”, for lack of a better word. I get compliments on my first name all the time, but I feel like it’s just…so not me. I know that people get a certain image from my name, and I don’t like it at all.

Question 2: [name]Amber[/name] isn’t a bad, or poor name choice imo. It’s definitely not as professional sounding as [name]Olivia[/name], or [name]Charlotte[/name]. [name]Christine[/name] is waaaay far from a stripper name imo, so I con’t get what that comedian was trying to get at. He probably was thinking of the name [name]Crystal[/name], and said [name]Christine[/name]. If I was hiring two girls with the exact same resumes, but named [name]Amber[/name] and [name]Olivia[/name], I’d likely rather to hire the [name]Olivia[/name]. That being said, if I saw an [name]Amber[/name] and a [name]Margaret[/name], I’d much rather the [name]Amber[/name].
[name]Amber[/name] is a fine name, and I doubt that it’ll hinder your job prospects much at all. And if it did, it’d be in the minority of occurences. [name]Don[/name]'t sweat it much. :slight_smile:

Question 3:

I like [name]Calla[/name] [name]Aurore[/name] a lot. I’m a fan of [name]Aurore[/name].

17

#1
My name is [name]Jennifer[/name] ([name]Jenni[/name]). It’s super popular for my age group. So, I’m not too worried about any sort of association. I think there are all kinds of people that have my name (rich, poor, famous, uneducated, smart, etc) so as far as I know, there isn’t really a stereotype associated with it other than the strong possibility I was born in the 80s.

#2
I NEVER understood the “bad” association with the name [name]Amber[/name]. I know quite a few and they’ve always been nice, smart girls. There was one I guess who could have been considered trashy in college but she’s changed a lot. Other than that, [name]Amber[/name] is not at all a trashy or “low class” name to me. I think the reason people might feel this way is because a lot of stripper’s “stage names” tend to be things associated with gemstones, words, things like that. People say the same thing about [name]Jade[/name]. That’s the only thing I can think of in regards to the bad association.

#3
[name]Eve[/name] [name]Fabiana[/name] - [name]Eve[/name] is nice, not a fan of [name]Fabiana[/name].
[name]Albany[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name] - [name]Love[/name] [name]Jasmine[/name]. Really don’t like [name]Albany[/name]. There’s a city near me with that name, not to mention [name]Albany[/name], NY.
[name]Calla[/name] [name]Aurore[/name] - NMS.
[name]Violet[/name] [name]Micaela[/name] - [name]Violet[/name] is nice. I’d like the mn more if it was spelled [name]Michaela[/name].
[name]Mercy[/name] [name]Claire[/name] - [name]Don[/name]'t like [name]Mercy[/name] (not a fan of most word/virtue names) but I love [name]Claire[/name]!

18

Then it might make you feel good to know Ambre (Amber in French) is pretty popular in France, its considered cool, elegant, beautiful. It’s names like Lilou which may seem stylish outside of France but is actually considered “beauf” (beauf = lower class/redneck or chav- thats what the british say right?) by the French. Basically what I’m saying is that when it comes to names often one persons perception is the complete opposite of someone else! So dont sweat it, your name is fine :slight_smile:

19

I think [name]Amber[/name] sounds '80s but not stripper-y. I don’t mean that to sound mean, I like a number '80s names.

I do think some names sound low-class and would absolutely not let my husband use them despite the fact that taken on their own they’re not grating in the sound. Then there’s the names he thinks sound low-class and he’s banned me from using - I still say [name]Tammy[/name] sounds vaguely country but not too bad. And it was going to be a NN anyway, for [name]Tamar[/name], which is Biblical! But he said “[name]Tammy[/name] is a redneck name” and vetoed it.

I banned [name]Siobhan[/name] and [name]Alexis[/name]. I just can’t be the mother of a [name]Siobhan[/name] or an [name]Alexis[/name], in my hometown those are like joke names for hookers. I don’t mind [name]Sinead[/name] or [name]Alexandra[/name], though, so it’s very particular names that get that “image-factor” for me.

20

#1 - I’ve never had any issues with my name; it’s [name]Erin[/name], which was in the Top 100 (US) for about 15 years before and 15 years after I was born, so like the [name]Jennifer[/name] above, there are a lot of girls and women with my name (though not as many Erins as Jennifers!).

#2 - I have definitely heard of the negative associations with [name]Amber[/name], and even read a book once which had a stripper named [name]Amber[/name]. However, it’s a common enough name in my age group that I don’t think twice when I meet one. Although it isn’t a name I’d use personally, I think it’s a totally acceptable name. I wouldn’t worry if I were you. :slight_smile:

#3 - My favorites are [name]Eve[/name] [name]Fabiana[/name] and [name]Mercy[/name] [name]Claire[/name]. I love [name]Violet[/name], but I’m not a huge fan of [name]Micaela[/name] due to the proliferation of [name]Michaela[/name]/[name]Makayla[/name]/McKaylah/whatever in my area, I swear I’ve met/heard of 5 babies named this and they’re all spelled differently.

21

Aww, I’m not sure I’ll be a ton of help since I’m not from the UK, and you are, but here, [name]Amber[/name] is a very normal name, and I’ve never heard it connected to prostitutes! I suppose it could be, but it’s just a name that was very much in style in [name]America[/name] in the 80s and 90s… like [name]Ashley[/name], [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Danielle[/name], [name]Rachel[/name], [name]Jessica[/name], etc. It’s a nice name, and I can’t imagine you not being taken seriously. Of course, I suppose it could be different in the US and the UK. I have had similar concerns, though–not prostitute ones, but that my unisex name wouldn’t be taken as seriously as [name]Sarah[/name] or [name]Elizabeth[/name] or [name]Rachel[/name] would be. It’s not like we can really do anything about it, right? Sometimes there are misgivings, but if you’re generally happy with your name, I would try and brush off the comments. Sometimes it’s hard, I know. :frowning:

As for the general opinions of names, it depends. If it means a lot to me, I would likely use it. [name]Grayson[/name], while quite trendy, honors my utterly perfect grandma, so if I ever got the chance to use it, I certainly would. I don’t know, downmarket names aren’t generally appealing to me, anyway–mostly those types of names are very made-up here, so they don’t especially appeal to me in the first place. I have several friends in the UK, so I sort of understand what a chav is, but I don’t entirely understand what names are chavvy, lol–I’ve been told by some friends that [name]Bailey[/name] on a boy is chavvy there, but in other areas, it’s well-loved and not seen as pretentious at all. And then I hear that [name]Zoey[/name] is chavvy in other places–it sounds like it just depends on where in the UK you are as to what names are chavvy, so that really confuses me, lol. I generally try to stay away from pretentious names–I don’t want my children to be seen as pretentious, since that’s pretty much the opposite of how I’d raise them–but it seems like a lot of my boys’ favorites have a bit of a pretentious air to some people–like [name]Brody[/name], [name]Everett[/name], [name]Asher[/name], etc.

I love [name]Eve[/name], [name]Violet[/name], and [name]Mercy[/name] from your list! I’m not sure the combos are really for me, but the FNs I adore. :slight_smile:

I have relatively 0% experience with mean girls, lol–I went to very small, private [name]Christian[/name] schools until I was halfway through college, so if there were any catty/mean girls, they really didn’t have the popular names! I find others have very stereotypical views on my name ([name]Ashley[/name]) and other popular names, but the people I knew had names like [name]Sarai[/name], [name]Mariela[/name], [name]Rianna[/name], [name]Bethany[/name], [name]Jordana[/name], [name]Coretta[/name], etc.–not [name]Sarah[/name], [name]Elizabeth[/name], [name]Emily[/name], [name]Rachel[/name], [name]Jessica[/name], etc.! I knew relatively few mean girls as it was, so I am not sure I can help you with question number four, haha.

Good luck!