Studies of resumes have found that people with black-sounding names are less likely to get callbacks. ABC’S 20/20 put this to the test, when they posted identical resumes except the names were different.
The resumes with the white-sounding names were actually downloaded 17 percent more often by job recruiters than the resumes with black-sounding names. Nothing new, black people have been knowing this for years!
Anyway, here’s a list from the book “Freakonomics,” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, showing the top 20 whitest- and blackest-sounding girl and boy names.
20 “Whitest” Girl Names
Molly
Amy
Claire
Emily
Katie
Madeline
Katelyn
Emma
Abigail
Carly
Jenna
Heather
Katherine
Caitlin
Kaitlin
Holly
Allison
Kaitlyn
Hannah
Kathryn20 “Blackest” Girl Names
Imani
Ebony
Shanice
Aaliyah
Precious
Nia
Deja
Diamond
Asia
Aliyah
Jada
Tierra
Tiara
Kiara
Jazmine
Jasmin
Jazmin
Jasmine
Alexus
Raven20 “Whitest” Boy Names
Jake
Connor
Tanner
Wyatt
Cody
Dustin
Luke
Jack
Scott
Logan
Cole
Lucas
Bradley
Jacob
Garrett
Dylan
Maxwell
Hunter
Brett
Colin20 “Blackest” Boy Names
DeShawn
DeAndre
Marquis
Darnell
Terrell
Malik
Trevon
Tyrone
Willie
Dominique
Demetrius
Reginald
Jamal
Maurice
Jalen
Darius
Xavier
Terrance
Andre
Darryl[SOURCE]
I think they’re a little off on the “Blackest” Girl names. They are missing names like Tamika, Latoya, Sheila, Tawanna, Tiffany, Lakeisha, Keisha, Candice, and I’m sure there’s plenty more names. (Ya’ll help them out)
im kinda caught in between i feel u should name ur child as u see fit (although being named after cars and liquor gives u a disadvantage) but at the same time u cant let society pressure u to name ur child as they see fit… my name kind of throws people off (esp caucasian folks)because although im black erryday allday i have an arabic mans name samir(dont ask me how i got it)and i dont know really if it helped in the workforce but i know i got a decent job with benefits….
I WORK IN HUMAN RESOURCES ADN I PERSONALLY LOOK AT THE QUALIFICATIONS NOT THE NAME, EVEN THOUGH I MAKE THE ASSUMPTION OF RACE WHEN THE NAME ON A RESUME IS SHONQUISHA OR SOME ISH LIKE THAT . ANYTHING THAT ENS IN QUITA OR ISHA OR BEGINSA WITH LA IS USUALLY BLACK. WHEN I HAD MY CHILD I PURPOSELY GAVE HER A NON ETHNIC SOUNDING NAME. I HAD A BLACK RECRUITER TELL ME THAT WHEN SHE SAW MY RESUME SHE ASSUMED I WAS WHITE IM NOT ) I ENDED UP GETTING THE JOB . BTW, MY NAME IS FELICIA.
where’s the Laquisha’s and Shantaes on the list?
i have the most wonderful sounding eight names in the whole wide world lol. the easiest to pronounce is anne(gracious)…too english i always say. lol even gisele(pledge) another one of my names is constantly pronounced wrongly. it aint english damnit its french lol and there is only one L!
but the hardest by far is feyisola (use this to create nobility, wealth. lol i must be a moneymaker then) which should be my first name but for some weird reason isnt lol.
sheila is prolly australian by the way.
There is a lot of power in a person’s name, whether it is a “white” name or a “black” name. Not to be funny, but “Cletus” and “Archibald” can raise just as many eyebows amongst whites AND blacks as “Daiquwaneisha” or “Alize.” Think about that the next time you name your child. My name is considered a “white” name (Timothy James) but I am a PROUD BLACK man (and as my nickname says, I’m also a certified pilot) and I have found that tricking people with my name and my speech will only get me so far; my actions and abilities account for much more!
My name ain’t white,black,hispanic,korean,arabic, or any of the other races. i mispelled and pronounced my name wrong all the way up to the middle of 3rd grade. Then i had to get used to sayin and spellin my real name, so u can add more time on to dat.
*the white boy names list cracked me up!*
My Cousin’s name is Caitlyn and it is cute, I frankly could care less if it is White sounding.
Its messed up if you look at it that way. Im black wit a black name its gonna be hard for me to get employed. But you can’t apply under a “white” name though cuz that would be wrong. I aint worried bout it cuz I got my pride and my dignity. I need to step up my metaphors.lol I’ll be back
so weird
my name is actually listed on the 20 whitest names
such a shame
but i think another white name is christie
I am married to a Nigerian so the names are rather different according to “traditional” American standards. I wouldnt have it any other way. The names are all colorful and Beautfil and they ALL have meaning. Oluwafemi = God loves me!
What the f*** does Connor mean???
I love our names, its creative. Now, if yall had compiled a list of “traditional” Jamaican names it would be funny.
Fitzhugh
Trevor
Fitzpatrick
Winsome
Shelly
Colin
GUESS WHO’S WHOM?
Averel Hildegarde
Willard Kirstin
Prescott Agnes
Trent Milldred
Harrison Jenna
Wilber Agnes
Zeke Zelda
Cameron Morgan Humphry Heidi
Geoff Abigail
Wesley Judith
Horatio Penelopy
Tiger! Gretchen
Kendall Maggie
Leroy Tanika Terrell Candy
KaShaun Demetria
Kwame Jolean
Devon Nadeen
Darnell Crystal
Tyrell Albatina
Leon Melvina
Rufus Bertha
I see my male and female names did not separate.
Did I forget, Abdula?
I think it is easy for someone without an ethnic sounding name to say be proud of your name. My name is Shanequa (actually Sha-Nequa) and I get tired of, 1st, having people mispronounce my name. 2nd, I get tired of going to the movies and hearing my named called when they want to use a ghetto name. I am an intelligent 22 year old black woman, and people will hear my name and automatically think I am incompetant. Even though I didn’t begin hearing jokes about my name until I got to high school, I haven’t liked my name since I was little. I always make sure I bust my ass at whatever I do. I am a senior in college and I have a classmate named Shamecqua(prononced Shameeka) and one named Shenika. I have had the same classes with the same people since August of 2005 and they still get our names mixed up (mostly the whites). I feel like alot of times white people don’t even make an effort to see what you’re about once the see your “ghetto” name. M
Did you ever notice that black people have no problem referring to all white women as Becky? But all hell breaks loose when white women refer to all black women as some generic ethnic name like Shaniqua? Gotta love the double standards.
Jalen really.. that is soooo not black.. come on now! and emma.. thats my grannys name.. thats everybody grannies name..lol..
I think names with apostaphies and hyphens can have a meaning as well. My uncle died in ’96 and the next year my niece was born on his birthday so my sister named her Na’Vonnah after my uncles middle name Navon. At first my sister was gonna name her Mariah. I like Na’Vonnah better.
And my name is Aqueenah (Uh Keen Uh) and people always call me aQUEENah at first I didn’t like it but now I do because its different and nobody else I know or heard of has that name.
Damn that sucks…because my name is on the blackest girl names…
I BEGG YOUR PARDON MR OR MRS SMURF LOL TARIQ IS A BEAUTIFUL AND VERY POWERFUL NAME AND ITS ARABIC AND ARABIC NAME ARE PRETTY AALIYAH IS ALSO ARABIC AND TO ME ISNT CONCIDERED A BLACK NAME Y YALL AINT GOT MEIGAN OR TYLER OR ASHLEY OR NICHLAS ON THE WHITE LIST THOSE OF THE MOST COMMON WHITE NAMES I KNO YALL KNO HOW MANY ASHLEY AND MEIGANS THERE ARE!!!!LOL!!! I DIDT SEE KYLE EITHER MY NAME IS SYMONE AND I THINK MINE IS IN BETWEEN
This is bs a little bit my names Jasmine and most people can’t tell that I am black just from my name get real with it
These are Muslim names- Jamal, Aaliyah, Jada, Jasmin, Malik
Pfft, I never realised how corny the “whitest” names were.
Black names are sexy and unique. Be proud of that!
THAT MAKES NOSENSE AT ALL. IM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN. YOU ARE GOING TO B WHO YOU ARE NO MATTER WHAT YOUR NAME IS .MY NAME IS JALISA AND I ‘M AN HONOR STUDENT. YEAH IM GHETTO. YOU CAN B GHETTO AND STILL BE A NICE PERSON.IF YOUCARE BOUT SCHOOL YOU CARE NO MATTER IF YOU ARE CONNOR,OR TERRANCE OR EMILY OR DIAMOND. EVRY1 ALWAYZ PRONOUCE IT AS IF IT IS JOLISSA ,JALISSA,OR JULISSA. ALWAYZ WHITE PEOPLE. I MEAN DANG. IT’S PRETTY SIMPLE CAN’T THEY GET IT RIGHT. LIKE IF I C THE NAME DeAndre IM THINKING HE IS PROBALLY GHETTO OR STREET BUT PROBALLY A COOL PERSON TO KNOW. IM NOT GON B LIKE I DON’T WANNA GET TO KNOW HIM IM GOIN TO TREAT HIM LIKE I TREAT ANYONE ELSE NICE HE MIGHT TURN OUT TO B THE NICEST DUDE I KNOW.I DON’T GET WHITE PPLE. AND WHY ISNT KEISHA, KEYSHIA ,KIESHA HOW EVER YOU MIGHT SPELL IT. WHY IS JAZMIN ON DER 4 DIFF TIMES. WHAT ABOUT POSHA. SOME OF YALL PPLE MESSED UP.
Well, I think that most of you people are very wrong.
You are jumping to conclusions that white people are racist. Thats not true at all. Most blacks put themselves in that posision. They name their kids these weird names with a lot of these things in them:
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And who are we to call someone racist??? We have nigro college funds, but if a white person makes a caucasion college fund, we get all upset saying that THEY are racist. WE ARE THE RACIST ONES JUST BECAUSE OF THE PAST!!!!!!!!! GROW UP!!!!!!!!!
My name is Jaylen and I’m a white girl. haha my name is on the black boy list. Thats pretty cool
Well…24, 34, and 37…my name is Ja’Von Akiyl Garrett. I love my name, it’s beautiful and unique. I thought Ja’Von wasn’t a very common name. At my job, I work with the elderly and there is only 1 black resident, and all of the white people LOVE my name. They have so many compliments and ask me how to say it and everything. I don’t think that this 1 thing in perticular chooses your fate. I am a very intellectual person, even as a junior in high school, I have received Outstanding Achievement awards from the president, and have been accepted into ivy league colleges, and I haven’t even taken my SAT’s yet. Never will I let my name STOP me from pursuing something that I want, and I will never CHANGE my name. This shouldn’t be an issue. If you want soneone to know how smart you are, show them, and keep on bugging them until they give you a chance. Even at 16 years old, I have learned from experience. Letting a name stop you is an excuse and excuses are the tools of the incompetent that build monuments of nothingness, and those that specialize in them seldom excel in anything else. So be mindful that names are just a way for someone to be able to acknowledge you.
Ja’Von Akiyl Garrett
There’s more than one reason why “black” names don’t fly to well in the job market. Often the made up names simply don’t follow correct phonetic english, when an employer looks at a black name, two things stand out as possiblities, by using a black name it seems to indicate that blacks don’t wish to work within the norms of society by using unconventional names. People who buck trends for no other reason than being black sends a message that they aren’t interested in the rest of the norms of society. Whether its true or not is dependent on the individual of course, but it does indicate that the person isn’t the right fit for an employer. Secondly, using names that don’t conform to phonetic english (and these aren’t culturally based names (like may present in Asian or Hispanic cultures)gives the impression of a lack of education on the part of the family who named the child and by association, the education of the applicant is called into question (given the state of education for minorities in this country). The MN Viking player who’s name is Vishante (Vi-shawn-te)ignorantly claims the E is silent in his name making it pronounced Vi-sant. What are employers supposed to think of an applicants education when they appear to lack basic english skills.