💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 1015.gmi captured on 2021-12-05 at 23:47:19. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
LiveScience.com Livescience Staff
livescience.com Wed Jan 28, 1:05 pm ET
Boys in the United States with common names like Michael and David are less
likely to commit crimes than those named Ernest or Ivan.
David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania
compared the first names of male juvenile delinquents to the first names of
male juveniles in the population. The researchers constructed a popularity-name
index (PNI) for each name. For example, the PNI for Michael is 100, the most
frequently given name during the period. The PNI for David is 50, a name given
half as frequently as Michael. The PNI is approximately 1 for names such as
Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, and Malcolm.
Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more
likely to engage in criminal activity. The least popular names were associated
with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites.
The findings, announced today, are detailed in the journal Social Science
Quarterly.
While the names are likely not the cause of crime, the researchers argue that
"they are connected to factors that increase the tendency to commit crime, such
as a disadvantaged home environment, residence in a county with low
socioeconomic status, and households run by one parent."
"Also, adolescents with unpopular names may be more prone to crime because they
are treated differently by their peers, making it more difficult for them to
form relationships," according to a statement released by the journal's
publisher. "Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they
consciously or unconsciously dislike their names."
The findings could help officials " identify individuals at high risk of
committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted
intervention programs," the authors conclude.