I’m a psychologist and here’s what your name says about your personality & it’s bad news if you’re called Molly

YOU may have been answering to it your entire life, but have you ever stopped to think what your name says about your personality?

According to Aaron Surtees, a psychologist and hypnotherapist who runs award-winning clinic City Hypnosis in London, your name has the first and foremost influence over someone’s perception of you.

Psychologist Aaron Surtees says that your name can reveal a lot about your personality. Pictured, stock imageCredit: Getty

“It’s normally the first thing someone learns about you, which is why it’s so important,” he explains.

“Your first name affects everything from how old people think you are, how successful in your career you are and your personality traits and even personal interests’.

Here, Aaron reveals to Fabulous the top ways your name can reveal your personality and why:  

Double-barrelled first names are linked to social climbers 

Names: Marie-Claire, Sarah-Jane, Tommy-Lee, Ashley-James

According to Aaron, people who use their first name and middle name generally feel they have a common name and don’t want to be seen as such.

“It also gives the impression of a higher social class and people associate that person with being upper middle class or more interesting,” he explains.

The psychologist notes that it can additionally be linked with tradition or heritage, cementing people’s perception of you as posh.

“Some people will also have two middle names, which some new parents might choose to adapt in an attempt to make their child’s name feel “posher” sounding,” he continues.

Aaron goes on to discuss the popular decision for newlyweds to keep their own surname and use their moniker as their middle name, which was recently seen in the instance of Brooklyn Peltz Beckham.

“The personality trait of someone with a double-barrelled first name will see themselves as special as it can be seen as unique to have a hyphen in between two first names,” he points out.

“They tend to have an inner confidence, do not feel the need to try hard at achieving their goals, find it easy to make friends and they will have a relaxed/smooth demeanour.”  

The reason being, people assume they are wholesome and well connected, making life a little easier for them on all levels.” 

Made up sounding names signal you’re hiding something

Names: Crystal, Munroe, Jordon, Destiny, Diamond, Blac Chyna

Aaron goes on to say that some first names sound unique and interesting, but warns in today’s world they can sometimes come across as “fake.”

He explains: “This could lead you to be perceived as untrustworthy – even going as far as some people assuming you’re trying to hide something and bury your true identity.”

He adds that an alias or pseudonym can be used for authentic reasons, but notes how the natural process of the mind makes you wonder if their moniker is fake and why this might be the case.

“Someone who actively changes their name and uses a ‘stage name’ in everyday life tend to be confident hustlers,” he continues.

“Psychologically they want to change how people perceive them and create a unique strong name to express their ‘brand’ and how they want others to view them.”

According to Aaron, people with these named love networking, show ultimate dedication, and are willing to take risks to achieve what they want and will embrace any opportunity.  

He adds: “They tend to believe they are always right and will stand up for their beliefs.”

Soft-sounding names suggest you’re homely and thoughtful

Names: Mo, Anne VS Kate, Parker

Aaron says that several studies show that the sound of your name can influence what others think about you.

“Softer sounding names such as Rose, Mo, Abi, Theo or Anne generally appear to be friendly, down to earth and likeable personalities who are seen as more homely and thoughtful,” he says.

In contrast, he notes that Kate, Alex, Madison and Parker are all examples of stronger or harder sounding names.

“We subconsciously interpret their personality type to be an extrovert,” he says. “These personality types love partying, socialising and love sports.”

Names that trend can swiftly impact our perceptions 

Names: Karen, Stacy, Becky, Chad, Molly, John. 

The psychologist points out that there are names made popular in society that affect how we perceive a particular moniker.

He notes that in recent times, someone named Karen is perceived as an “entitled or demanding woman.”

“First names can also be used as an informal word to describe other things such as ‘Molly’ which many people now associate it with a type of drug,” Aaron says.

He goes on to say that if your name falls into this category, society will shift soon enough and there’ll be other new names that emerge and start to trend.

Character’s made famous by popular TV become real to us

Names: Phil, Sharon, Deirdre, Pat, Rodney, Kevin and Vicky

Famous TV shows and films have created characters that have left strong perceptions in our minds about a someone’s personality because we identify them with the actual character, Aaron says.

He offers Bird of a Feather, Only Fools and Horses, Harry Enfield and soaps such as Corrie or EastEnders as examples.

“Some TV shows have even been pulled from TV and streaming services, such as, Netflix for their offensive character’s and how their character’s names become synonymous with a name, such as, Vicky Pollard which made fun of the working class,” he says.

“Parents will even avoid calling their children certain names from TV to stop any association because they don’t want to tarnish their child to be seen as “Phil from EastEnders”.

People will autonomically perceive him as stereotypically masculine and a bit of a trouble maker.”