Comments on: Boys With Unpopular Names Go Bad

By: Jonah Kyle

Jonah Kyle — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 18:37:37 +0000

So let me get this straight: If you have a name like "Barack" or "Rush", then you will most likely be a serial killer or, at most, be a 40 year old unemployed blogger living in your mother's basement. Perhaps we all need to lighten up. Google Johnny Cash and "A Boy Named Sue" for better context.

By: Jay C.

Jay C. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:59:16 +0000

James, a look at the list of American serial killers on Wikipedia seems to yield a hefty bag of normal names. Of course that tidbit does nothing to discount the conclusion. My real name was a target of ridicule among the mean kids growing up and remains a source for confusion today.

By: jwk

jwk — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:09:36 +0000

Actually, News of the Weird is correct about the middle name of Wayne. As a Criminal Justice major - we studied criminology. One of the identifying factors (and there were only a couple) was that criminals have a higher occurrence of the middle name of Wayne. It was in a book by Roy Hazelwood who started criminal profiling at the FBI. It may have been called "The Evil That Men Do".

By: Simple Justice

Simple Justice — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:52:05 +0000

Why Malcolm Maims...

A press release came across the email yesterday about a new scholarly article from March issue of Social Science Quarterly....

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:24:28 +0000

course, Bunk and Herc were cops....

Most of the cops were crooks, too.

By: just me

just me — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:51:46 +0000

But now I actually kind of like it. How many million more Johns and Jennifers do we really need?

I am the mother of a 15 year old Jennifer. She is the only one in her grade and one of two in her high school. The name just isn't that common anymore.

Personally I prefer normal names with common spellings-must be the conservative in me.

By: Franklin

Franklin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:04:48 +0000

And you know what happens to girls named Cookie?

By: Joe R.

Joe R. — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:47:41 +0000

I've long said that boy's names should be simple. Preferably one syllable, or a name with a one syllable version (Michael -> Mike, David -> Dave). The shorter, the better. Therefore, the best male names are obviously Ed and Al, personified by Ed O'Neill playing Al Bundy.

By: Boyd

Boyd — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:05:55 +0000

As one might imagine, I disagree with the hypothesis. Of course, my experience is anecdotal and not empirical. That notwithstanding...this sounds like BS to me.

By: steve s

steve s — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:21:14 +0000

And, come to think of it, almost all of the criminals on “The Wire” had unusual names (Avon, Stringer, Wee-Bey Brice, Poot, Bodie, Marlow, Omar, etc.

Like a lot of southerners, I used to roll my eyes at black people inventing some unusual name. But now I actually kind of like it. How many million more Johns and Jennifers do we really need? Does every third Mexican girl really need to be named Maria? So let the creativity fly. Delonte'. Penzoil. Charmalade. Let's get some new stuff out there. Why not? Let a thousand flowers bloom.

By: steve s

steve s — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:17:21 +0000

Steven Levitt did work on that topic, right? I read Freakonomics a while ago. But I seem to remember that his conclusion was that the parents that would give such names had low IQs and/or EQs, and that those would get passed on. Posted by Big Bag of Wind .Com | January 28, 2009 | 05:57 pm | Permalink

There's probably something to that. Those parents in the news last month for naming their kid Adolph Hitler, I don't run into them at the local Mensa meetings. :-)

By: steve s

steve s — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 05:14:35 +0000

Of course, this is coming from a guy named "Radley." Posted by Radley Balko | January 28, 2009 | 06:06 pm | Permalink

A fine, literary name, to those who know their Harper Lee.

And, come to think of it, almost all of the criminals on “The Wire” had unusual names (Avon, Stringer, Wee-Bey Brice, Poot, Bodie, Marlow, Omar, etc. ).

course, Bunk and Herc were cops....

By: Richard Gardner

Richard Gardner — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:42:09 +0000

This reminds me of the listing in News of the Weird implying there is an abnormal number of criminals with the middle name of Wayne.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:50:40 +0000

You're being tongue in cheek here, right?

Yes.

By: Eneils Bailey

Eneils Bailey — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:17:29 +0000

And, come to think of it, almost all of the criminals on “The Wire” had unusual names (Avon, Stringer, Wee-Bey Brice, Poot, Bodie, Marlow, Omar, etc. ).

You are straining the soup here, a little too thin, to the point of absurdity.

When I was a child; I had friends called "Nig, Mac-a-Tater, Butter Bean, Balls, Rich-the-bitch" etc, etc."

All of them are still around, paying taxes and trying to get ahead.