What’s in a name? Plenty, at least if you care about race, socioeconomic status, and educational background. That’s according to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, whose chapter in their best-selling Freakonomics, “Perfect Parenting, Part II; or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?” examines the socioeconomic patterns of naming children from the 1960s to today. In typical style, Levitt and Dubner look to answer the question beyond the question; most statistics about naming are about observing trends, but what does it really mean for a name to be popular? Whose Parents Went to College: “Madison” or “Amber”? Read more …
