Myers-Briggs & Baby Names

Hello, Berries!

I have a question today for anyone who’s into Myers-[name_m]Briggs[/name_m] personality typing: [name_f]Do[/name_f] you think your personality type affects your naming style?

For example, ISTJs are practical and traditional, so are they more likely to choose a name like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] or [name_u]James[/name_u]?

What do you all think? Tell me how your naming style agrees or disagrees with your type. :slightly_smiling_face:

2 Likes

This is interesting! It is taking me back to my Tumblr days haha.

I am an INTP but I’m not sure how that directly affects my naming style or the names I like. I do tend to spend a lot of time overthinking my combos and redoing my signature/lists which I guess could be the analyst in me! I love it when I find a pairing that just works and I want to immediately share it with everyone I know even though they won’t understand my hype :joy:

I’ve been told that the names I like typically fall into the “classic but underused / preppy / often shortened” category, and I love a good nickname-name. It would be interesting to see if there are any other INTPs who have a very similar/different style to me!

4 Likes

I’m an INTJ and I definitely think my propensity to analyze, analyze, analyze affects my naming. Ingenuity and focus, and being the “most positive dreamer and bitterest pessimist at the same time” lead me to creative options that I sift through with a fine-toothed comb on a constant basis.

6 Likes

I had the same question a few years ago and have been collecting research in the back of my mind since then. The conclusion I’ve come to is surprisingly no. Well, not always. I’d say it’s kind of half and half. Both people I’ve known in real life and people on NB (who’s type I found out) chose names I found inconsistent with their personalities. Like some more traditional personalities I’ve known/seen on here (ESFJs, ISTJs, etc) have chosen/like some really unexpected names. Others whom you would expect to have a less traditional taste (INFPs, ENFPs, etc) have chosen/like names on the more traditional side of things. That said, I know others whom you’d expect to be more traditional with naming and they live up to it and vice versa.

For me personally, my naming style(s) are probably consistent with my type (INFP). I do like some traditional names ([name_m]Theodore[/name_m] is the first that comes to mind - probably the only one I’d use), but my typical style of names that I would actually use (because of attachment to them) are kind of “traditional-berry”/English sounding taste. I also tend to love some not too common names that also tend to be pretty polarising. Bonus points if it’s something people usually hate on, lol. Means no one’s using it :joy:

5 Likes

I took the test awhile ago, but I don’t really get it. I’m INFP. I suppose my overall safe and conservative naming style fits with my personality, but I’m not really sure…?

2 Likes

[name_m]How[/name_m] interesting! Thank you for sharing your findings. I did find myself wondering, and it’s nice to know that someone else has considered it and really put time into understanding it. :slight_smile:

I’m not sure how consistent I’d say my names are with my type (INFJ), but I suppose they are to some degree. I definitely value meaning in names,whether literal meaning or personal/family significance, which I think corresponds well to my general desire to find meaning in other things.

1 Like

Hoo boy, you’ve managed to combine two of my nerdiest special interests in one post. I am SO. SORRY. for the fire hose of information that’s about to come spewing out of my brain…:sweat_smile:

A few years ago, I did a deep dive into the underlying Jungian theory of cognitive functions that the MBTI model is based on. I’ll try not to get too overwhelmingly technical (HA!), but essentially, Jung posits that everyone has four core functions - Feeling, Thinking, Sensing, and iNtuition - and that these functions are further divided by whether they are Internally or Externally oriented, for a total of eight cognitive functions: [name_f]Fe[/name_f] vs. Fi, Te vs. [name_m]Ti[/name_m], Se vs. [name_u]Si[/name_u], and Ne vs. Ni (where the capital letter is the function and the lowercase e or i is the orientation of the function).

Jung also grouped these functions into categories: Sensing and iNtuition are Perceiving functions (because they determine how you take in data), while Thinking and Feeling are Judging functions (because they process the collected data and “decide” what to do with it). Each individual uses only four of the eight total functions, and they are ordered by preference (ease and frequency of use) from dominant to inferior. [name_m]Briggs[/name_m] and Myers further developed the theory to create 16 personality types based on which functions an individual uses and in what order.

To use myself as an example, my dominant function is Fi (internal Feeling), followed by Ne (external iNtuition), then [name_u]Si[/name_u] (internal Sensing), and finally Te (external Thinking). According to the Myers-[name_m]Briggs[/name_m] theory, this means that I am an INFP: I, because my dominant function is Internally oriented, or Introverted; NF, because my top two functions are Feeling and iNtuition; and P, because the first externally-oriented function in my stack is iNtuition, one of the Perceiving functions.

As you can see from the above example, the underlying theory is much more complex than the pop-psychology version that most of us are familiar with. Because of that internal complexity - and because of the way MBTI as a system is often divorced from this underlying Jungian structure - the online questionnaires and personality tests are often inaccurate. And they are typically inaccurate in the same way - they assume that each pair of letters is its own polarity - E or I, N or S, T or F, P or J. According to the cognitive function model, everyone has an N, S, T, and F function; two of those functions will be E and two will be I; two will be J and two will be P.

The final four-letter type was originally shorthand for this much longer and more complicated description of a given individual’s cognition. Essentially, the questionnaires are testing for the letters themselves, rather than the functions they represent. This leads to lots of mistyping and confusion about type - for example, people will say, “I’m an INFP some of the time and other times I’m an INFJ,” because they’re only one letter different; however, these two types actually do not share any functions. This fact tends to really muddy the waters when looking at trends by MBTI type, because while some individuals are aware of the cognitive theory and have arrived at their type by analyzing their functions, most people are going by their questionnaire results.

ALL THIS TO SAY: While I don’t see naming style necessarily being consistent across self-reported MBTI type, I do notice similar trends among individuals who share the same underlying cognitive functions!

For example:
People who have [name_u]Si[/name_u] (internal Sensing) as one of their highest functions are generally traditionalists. They often favor vintage names, names that evoke a specific era of the past, and names that are nostalgic for them and associated with fond memories. These individuals are also the most likely to choose names that honor family members. This is all because [name_u]Si[/name_u] is a backward-looking function that uses the past as a framework to understand the present and anticipate the future.

I am restraining myself from writing a whole post on each of the other seven functions because I don’t want to COMPLETELY derail the thread (at least not any more than I already have).

TL;DR - Myers-[name_m]Briggs[/name_m] typology is based on the Jungian theory of cognitive functions, and I have noticed that certain dominant and auxiliary functions seem to correspond with certain naming trends and preferences.

13 Likes

:clap:t2::clap:t2::clap:t2::clap:t2::clap:t2::clap:t2::clap:t2:

1 Like

I feel like every time I take a Myers-[name_m]Briggs[/name_m] test, I get a different result, but in my mid 20s (aka now) I’m apparently ESFJ-T, which, when reading the examples ([name_f]Monica[/name_f] from Friends, LOL), it seems pretty accurate, especially in the career aspect.

I’m not really sure if it plays into my naming style or not? I do like names that are different, but not unfamiliar - they’re more likely to be the mom or grandmother than a baby in 2020 though (ranging from the late 60s-early 90s in peak popularity, except for a few). I do like more unusual picks for where I live, but often worry about how they’ll be perceived so I typically relegate them to a Guilty Pleasure spot (apparently ESFJs are very worried about social status, and I can 100% agree there).

1 Like

I’m ISTJ, but I don’t like it. It suits me perfectly, but honestly makes me feel so boring and dull (no offence to other ISTJs!). I think my taste in names is the opposite. Whilst I do like more traditional names, I love it when names are more unusual, and ideally want to give my kids less popular names. It’s one of the few things I feel I can control and actually express who I want to be, if that makes sense. I would say it comes more into play with sibsets and combos. For example I made up some silly rules about siblings having the same no. of letters, and combos being of a similar length that I really don’t like to break.

2 Likes

I haven’t got my type figured out… but I need some normal test to figure it out…

I am also an INTP and from what I know our category of names is similar. Although instead of classic I’d go more towards traditional, maybe even sophisticated. Although depending on what you mean by nickname-name, we may differ. If you mean you enjoy the names that are just nicknames with nothing it’s short for then we disagree. I, for one, cannot stand the thought of naming my child just [name_m]Ben[/name_m] or [name_u]Alex[/name_u]. As someone with a short name - and by short I do mean short, 3 letter first, 4 letter middle, 6 letter last - I am a big fan of longer names and avoiding short ones.

I don’t know if I have a specific naming type really but ones that are consistently at the top of my list are: [name_m]Alexander[/name_m] - nn [name_m]Xander[/name_m], [name_f]Andromeda[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Andi[/name_f], [name_u]Asher[/name_u] - nn [name_u]Ash[/name_u], [name_u]Benjamin[/name_u] - nn [name_m]Benji[/name_m], [name_u]Jamison[/name_u] - nn [name_u]Jamie[/name_u], [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] - nn [name_m]Jordi[/name_m], [name_m]Theodore[/name_m] - nn [name_u]Theo[/name_u], [name_f]Theodosia[/name_f] - nn [name_f]Thea[/name_f]. Of that list [name_u]Asher[/name_u] and [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] don’t really fit in but their nicknames are keeping them at the top. Although if I decide to use [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] it’ll have to be a middle name, not only do I have a friend named [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] but I have a cousin as well.

1 Like

Looks like we disagree! I’m much more likely to have [name_f]Thea[/name_f], [name_u]Teddy[/name_u], [name_m]Zander[/name_m] and [name_f]Ginny[/name_f] on my list than their long counterparts. I love [name_u]Asher[/name_u] though! It’s one of my favourite boys at the moment.

I’m so glad I found another INTP so we could compare our styles! Seems our MBTI doesn’t correlate much with the names we like.

Yeah, it’s a quirk I have partially built off of my disdain for my own short name. I never really figured out WHY I specifically prefer the more traditional, aristocratic, sophisticated names, I just know that I do. I personally view it as more of a fear factor as well. All kids get in trouble at some point, it’s enevetable. We’ve all been hit with the dreaded full name. But for me, I like the thought of having… levels to the annoyance and anger calling. [name_u]Day[/name_u] to day, annoyance, and exasperation would get the nickname, the full first name would be used for extereme annoyance, slight anger, and as a warning, and the full complete legal name would be reserved for the true anger and punishments.

Oh, and back to [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] real quick. I know it’d probably be a bad move to give a child of mine that name since I know two people with the name but while [name_m]Jordi[/name_m] works as a nickname for a boy, it doesn’t for a girl. But I like having set nicknames for all names I’m considering, especially the ones that can be used for either assigned gender. So I’ve been playing around with feminine nns for [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]. I was contemplating JoJo but I tossed that idea, I have nothing against JoJo Siwa, I just would prefer not to name my child after a celebrity, even accidentally. So, what do you think about [name_u]Dani[/name_u] as a feminine nickname for [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]?

Love this thread idea! I’m fascinated with personality tests and never considered that there may be a correlation with the names I like. I am also an INFJ! I’m not sure what this means in terms of names I like haha. I like a variety of types of names so I’m unsure of my style but a lot of them are more rare traditional names, or short ones, and girls are distinctly feminine, boys are simple and traditional. And I too care about connections between names; not so much what the name literally means, but personal connections I have to it that remind me of people and important things.

I would love to extend this topic into other personality tests like the [name_u]True[/name_u] Colors, [name_u]Four[/name_u] Temperaments, or my personal favorite, the Enneagram. Anyone familiar?!

3 Likes

It’s funny how many IN_ _s there are here. I’m gonna start a poll in a new thread to see what personality type most people on this site are, to see if there’s any correlation between a fascination with names and personality type.
I’m an INTJ (woot woot, @hyacinthbucket!) and based on my typecasts of the berries (Here), I’m an uncommon-but-known-ist, transitional, botanist, traveller, and classic berry. I’m not very adventurous with first names (Well, I’d name a kid Adrasteia but I wouldn’t name them Abbielonie or something) but I am adventurous with middles (Like Wildrose).
However, I think that the personality type more affects the naming PROCESS and the way people look at names than the names they actually like. Whether people choose names based on their meaning, their sound, their significance in family, or whatever else can be affected. Also, one personality type might change their entire style several times a week, while others stay true to their favorites. One personality type might be going in one direction with their naming process and then suddenly turn it around multiple times while others might not even have a process, they just write down what sounds good.
I’ll continue this once I gather more thoughts on it!

5 Likes

As I’ve grown up, my self-reported type has changed (from a consistent ENFP as a late teen into graduating university to an INFJ as I have lived alone and worked a real job). Both of these are intuitive-feeling I’m pretty sure.

I think my more reserved nature and deep connections to family shows in my naming style - I like honour names or names that have a connection to deceased family members. This is especially important for me as my family are non-religious, and it gives me a connection to those we don’t believe we will meet again. [name_f]My[/name_f] naming style is also very traditional, with names primarily from my own culture ([name_f]English[/name_f]), that have a long history of use. I don’t care about name meanings so much as whether I have known anyone who impacts the name one way or another (which happens pretty regularly as a teacher…)

2 Likes

I’m INFJ (although i personally would say I’m INTJ, but I take the test every few years and it always comes up with the same result so who am I to argue with the theory haha).

According to my berry typecast, I diagnosed myself as a classic berry with a little bit of uncommon-but-known-ist mixed with the transitional.

I would say that whilst I like unusual names I’m not brave enough to try them out in real life as I don’t want my kids or myself to be mocked (which I guess fits introvert and intuitive). And most of the names I like have meaning on a deeper level e.g DS1 was named after a character in a movie we watched on the night we conceived him, whilst DS2 was names after the first Harrods [name_u]Christmas[/name_u] teddy bear that DH gifted me. But these names also have other deep meanings that are linked to various features of my life (too many to go into detail about) so I guess that correlates with intuitive and feeling?

I’m ENFJ, and honestly I’m not completely sure. The most prominent traits of ENFJs is that they’re warm and friendly, which are traits that I look for when I’m picking names. Most of the names I pick have meanings that are positive, or at least are in combos that feel bright and sunny to me overall. Authenticity is also a big value of my type, and I find that I gravitate towards names that have a decent history of use, while I suppose the iNtuitive part of my type makes me want names that are slightly off the beaten path, forever sending me on the goose chase for the perfect sweet spot names that are equal amounts familiar and uncommon.
But I mean, other than that I can’t think of many ways my Myers-[name_m]Briggs[/name_m] type really could influence my taste in names.

1 Like

I’m INTJ, and my kids are [name_f]Rosalie[/name_f] and [name_m]Atticus[/name_m]. I tend toward recognizable but not too popular. I’m not sure if this suits?

@Kittylitter, I’m not familiar with [name_u]True[/name_u] Colors, but I’m melancholy and 1w9 (or I was like 10 years ago).

1 Like