Are you a criminal? Blame your name

According to a recent study announced today in the Social Science Quarterly journal, there is a relationship between first name popularity in adolescents and tendency to commit crime. Results show that, regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity.

Could we be seeing stop and search replaced with stop and state your name?  It’s possible, according to the authors: ”First name characteristics may be an important factor to help identify individuals at high risk of committing or recommitting crime, leading to more effective and targeted intervention programs.”

Here are some more excerpts from the journal article that explain why uncommon names may be a cause as well as a product of deeper issues.

The least popular names were associated with juvenile delinquency among both blacks and whites. While the names are likely not the cause of crime, 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. Juveniles with unpopular names may also act out because they consciously or unconsciously dislike their names.

It looks like Bronx Mowgli and the rest of the celebrity baby name crowd are set for a life of crime.

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