本文选自《清如许》的博客，点击查看博客原文

　　如果你正考虑给自己的孩子取个特立独行的名字，比如贾兰德(Garland)或马尔科姆(Malcolm)，那我劝你三思而后行。名字特别的孩子往往更难进入大公司的高层，蹲监狱的几率反而会大一些。

　　《今日美国》(USA Today)日报公布一项调查结果：在《财富》(Fortune)1000强企业的首席执行长中，名字为迈克尔(Michael)、戴维(David)、约翰(John)、詹姆斯(James)、理查德(Richard)、保罗(Paul)、爱德华(Edward)和罗伯特(Robert)的人所占的比例远远高于同一年龄组的总人口中叫这些名字的人所占比例。(由于女性企业家数量过少，关于女性名字的相关调查没有进行。)

　　此外，2010年初的一份学术研究报告显示，入狱、缓刑和发生法律问题的青少年拥有特别名字的机率超出平均水平，如沃特(Walter)、厄内斯特(Ernest)、伊万(Ivan)、凯林姆(Kareem)、马尔科姆(Malcolm)、布莱斯顿(Preston) 或贾兰德(Garland)等。研究人员将少年犯的名字与一个人口众多的美国大州的青少年名字进行对比，发现拥有普通名字的年轻人，如迈克尔、马修 (Matthew)、克里斯托弗(Christopher)、戴维、瑞恩(Ryan)或布莱恩(Brian)等，犯事的可能性更低。这项研究是由宾州西盆斯贝格大学(Shippensburg University)做出的，报告刊登在《社会科学季刊》(Social Science Quarterly)上。

　　当然，也有许多独特的名字，如巴拉克(Barack)和欧普拉(Oprah)，没有出现这种问题。孩子的命运不可能光凭名字就能决定。西盆斯贝格大学的研究发现，与众不同的名字跟其他一些因素存在关联性，这些因素会让孩子的日子不好过，如家庭关系紧张、贫穷或受教育程度低等。拥有热门名字的孩子往往生活在收入较高、教育水平较高的圈子当中。举例而言，为孩子选择艾利森(Allison)这个名字的母亲通常受过17 年或以上的正规教育，而没有高等教育文凭的母亲往往跳过这个名字。

　　不过，《今日美国》的报道说，其他一些研究显示，特立独行的名字会给孩子带来直接影响，让他们在成长过程中因为自己的名字而感到尴尬。虽然父母的本意可能是让孩子感到特殊和与众不同，但如果不那么在意个性，给孩子起个普通名字以鼓励他们融入集体，效果可能会更好。

　　此外，成年人在提供各种机会时，可能会另眼看待名字特别的孩子。一项被媒体广为报导的试验发现，在用人企业收到的5,000份简历中，名字像黑人的应聘者得到面试通知的几率更低。

　　以往，已有不少人围绕着该给孩子起什么名字的话题展开过热烈讨论。读者，你觉得名字，尤其是特别的名字，对于一个人的人生会产生多大的影响？你在给孩子起名时，有没有考虑过名字会给孩子今后的人际关系或职业生涯带来什么样的影响？

　　If you are pondering giving your baby a distinctive name - like, say, Garland or Malcolm - you might want to think again。

　　Not only do kids with unusual names tend to rise to the top of big companies less often than others, but they also are more likely to wind up in jail。

　　Names like Michael, David, John, James, Richard, Paul, Edward and Robert are significantly more common among Fortune 1000 CEOs, compared with that same age group in the population as a whole, USA Today reported recently. (Not enough women appear among corporate leaders to assess the relative clout of female names。)

　　Separately, a scholarly study reported earlier this year showed that juveniles in jail, on probation or otherwise in trouble with the law had an above-average likelihood of having unpopular names - such as Walter, Ernest, Ivan, Kareem, Malcolm, Preston or Garland. The study compared juvenile delinquents' names with those of the population as a whole in a large, populous state. Researchers found youth with common names, such as Michael, Matthew, Christopher, David, Ryan or Brian, were less likely to get in trouble. The research, conducted at Shippensburg University, appeared in Social Science Quarterly。

　　Of course, many people with unusual names - Barack, for example, or Oprah - have done fine. A child’s name alone doesn’t shape his or her life. The Shippensburg study found unusual names were linked with other factors that make life harder for kids, such as a weaker family structure, poverty or low education. Kids with popular names tended to live among higher-income, better-educated populations. For example, the name Allison is usually selected by mothers with 17 or more years of schooling, and bypassed by mothers without a high school diploma。

　　Other research has suggested, however, that uncommon names can have a direct impact on kids, embarrassing them in their formative years, the USA Today story says. While parents might want their children to feel special or unique, it may be better to give children names that encourage them to be team players and put ego aside。

　　Also, adults may treat kids with unusual names differently in handing out opportunities; one widely reported experiment found that among 5,000 resumes sent to prospective employers, job applicants with names that suggested an African-American background were less likely to receive interview callbacks。

　　Jugglers have had animated discussions in the past about baby names. How important do you think a name, especially an unusual one, is in setting someone’s course in life? Did you think about the social or career effects of the names you chose for your children?