Some baby names are just plain ugly, aren’t they? But what makes an ugly name? So basically, the name you give your child could change their destiny. The authors claimed that in some cases a lack of self-confidence contributed to a dislike of their name, and vice versa.

One study conducted in 2000 found that people who dislike their own name are more likely to have “poor psychological adjustment”, suggesting a higher likelihood of self-esteem and other mental health problems. I used to love seeing JD Sports when I was a child because we shared initials. There’s also a concept called ‘ implicit egotism’, which suggests that our names (or initials) are such an important part of our identity that we automatically associate ourselves with things of the same name or initials. One study even showed that you’re more likely to donate to a disaster relief fund if you share an initial with a hurricane or a storm. There are numerous studies collated in this New Yorker article that show a name can influence a plethora of moments in your life - your grades at school, whether or not you get accepted into a college or university, whether or not you get offered a job, the career path you choose, who you marry, and where you live. But our names aren’t just significant looking back, it appears they’re also incredibly important in steering where we go in life.

Our names often carry deep personal meanings, whether it’s cultural, historical or familial. Your name is usually the first thing you learn about a person (unless you’re Sherlock Holmes and learn everything there is to know about a person by the loose thread on their button).

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