Study Links Unusual Surnames To Criminality

The Washington Times ^ | January 29, 2009

[Steelfish]

Study links unusual surnames to criminality

Jennifer Harper Thursday, January 29, 2009

Mama, stick with Michael. But Malcolm? Maybe not.

A man's first name can predict his criminal tendencies, according to research released Wednesday by economists who compared crime statistics and a roster of more than 15,000 first names to reveal a distinct "name-crime link" among American males.

The more unpopular or uncommon the name, the greater the chance the lad will end up in jail, said David E. Kalist and Daniel Y. Lee of Shippensburg University.

"Regardless of race, juveniles with unpopular names are more likely to engage in criminal activity," the study said.

It applied succinct values to the names - Michael, for example, was rated at 100, and the least likely name to be associated with juvenile delinquency. David was in the middle at 50, with Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Malcolm and Tyrell languishing with a 1-point rating.

[Jet Jaguar]

sur⋅name   [n. sur-neym; v. sur-neym, sur-neym] Show IPA Pronunciation noun, verb, -named, -nam⋅ing. –noun 1. the name that a person has in common with other family members, as distinguished from a Christian name or given name; family name. 2. a name added to a person's name, as one indicating a circumstance of birth or some characteristic or achievement; epithet.

[Ken H]

Herr Hitler

[gigster]

Heinrich Himmler
Harry Hopkins

[HomeschoolMomma]

Michael, for example, was rated at 100, and the least likely name to be associated with juvenile delinquency

Delinquency...no

Juveniles...YES!

[ccmay]

How about:

Harold Harefoot (King of England 1035-1040; son of King Canute)
Henry Heinz, the catsup king
Heinrich Heine, German poet and author

On the down side:

Humbert Humbert, fictional pervert
Hank Hill, cartoon propane salesman
Harry Hopkins, FDR adviser and Commie spy

[giotto]

Surname means the last name or “family” name. Perhaps the author didn’t understand that.

Amazing. This is a Washington Times writer. It took me all of 15 seconds to verify that surname means family name. And that was for two different references--Wikipedia and Dictionary.com.

[TigersEye]

C’mere and I’ll show ya! ;^)

[Paleo Conservative]

What about “Antwan”?

[Arthur McGowan]

It won’t????? I’m sure you’re mistaken about that.

[Arthur McGowan]

And start pulling up the floorboards.

[Arthur McGowan]

Harry Hopkins

[happygrl]

“Don’t tase me,bro!”

Oh stop!!!!!

ROTFLMAO!!!!

[Gigantor]

Huntz Hall (one of the Bowery Boys)
Hank Hayes (an infamous pirate radio DJ)

[informavoracious]

Malcolm was a perfectly respectable name until Malcolm X came along.

[wideminded]

I know this isn’t such a popular opinion around here but IMHO Malcolm X had more than a few redeeming qualities.

[informavoracious]

Regardless of what you perceive, Malcolm was a respectable name until it was associated with Mr. Little.

[Loyalist]

You kidding? Calling you kid Shaniqua, Devontray, Lashonda or Rustoleum will get them a full four-year scholarship to fill up the diversity quota.

[Tenniel2]

... and formerly (very formerly) known as Christian names, bestowed in honor of the saint on whose feast day the little dude (or dudette) made his (or her) debut.

[Tenniel2]

For that matter, when did "succinct" turn into a synonym for "numerical"?

Sigh. The WashTimes editorial department is one of the last I'd have expected to be co-opted by the Humpty Dumpty School of Semantics and Lexicography (you remember: the one whose motto is "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean...").

[Blacksmith]

What great news! Crime in America will become a thing of the past...just have court ordered name changes...no more repeat offenders.