Anna N. has been chronicling popular names for a few weeks now, discussing traits and misconceptions attributed to certain monikers. But can a child's name really shape who they become? Melanie McDonagh of the Times of London says yes.

McDonagh goes off on "names that mean trouble," noting that "calling a baby Angel, Heaven, Misty or Destiny is tantamount to wiping tens of thousands off the child's future annual income." People associate someone's name with someone's class, she notes, and even teachers have admitted to "making assumptions about children based on names." So what's a Destiny, Angel, or Heaven to do?

It's difficult, I suppose, for parents to know how a name is going to be viewed 10, 20 years after their baby is born. I was just telling a friend of mine the other day that I'd named all of my Barbies "rich girl" names when I was younger, only to find out later in life that I'd actually given them what are now considered Rock of Love contestant names: Crystal, Amber, Tiffany, Brittany, etc. She noted that Brittanys were always the posh girls at her school as well, but that Britney Spears tanked the name pretty fast when she hit the scene in the late 90s.

McDonagh notes that children tend to live up to their names, taking on the personality characteristics expected of them. But perhaps that has more do to with the class-based sneering sent in their direction than the names on their birth certificates. If a teacher treats a Britney or a Bobbi-Jo like she's some inferior being, she might act out a bit, or at least dislike the teacher enough to be disruptive. Similarly, a girl with a "snobby" name might be disliked by others, based solely on the fact that she appears to come from a high-class family.

I will admit that I find certain names irritating (Nevaeh, I'm sorry), but what really bugs me is "unique" spelling. Everyone is so intent on making their kid a special snowflake that they give them a normal name with a "special" spelling, thereby dooming the kid to a life of "No, not Ashley, 'Asshhlyiee,'" or some such. The positive thing, I guess, is that nobody is doomed to their name forever, as these things can be changed. There might be hope for the Asshlieeyeyeeie's of the world, after all.

Names That Mean Trouble [TimesOnline]

Earlier: C Is For Courtney Whos Too Cool For School