How Names Shape Reality from my newsletter today

[Julie]

Naming is one of the most basic ways we make sense of the world. It organizes people, places, and things, often quietly shaping how they’re understood.

A recent Medium essay on the psychology of naming argues that names don’t just describe us, they shape us. The piece points to studies showing that people are more likely to enter careers that a...: Carpenters become carpenters, Bakers become bakers. A 2015 analysis of the UK medical register revealed similar patterns: neurologists named Brain, urologists named Cox, orthopedic surgeons named Limb. Psychologists call the phenomenon “nominative determinism”: the theory that your name might influence the life you end up living. It’s explained by “implicit egotism,” or the idea that people are unconsciously drawn to things that resemble them, including their own names. Your name might not seal your fate, but it can quietly steer you in a particular direction.

But names don’t just shape personal identity. They shape collective reality. The story also points out that naming has long been used as a tool of authority and control. Colonizers renamed entire continents to suit their worldview: Columbus called Indigenous peoples “Indians,” and the British declared Australia “terra nullius,” or “land belonging to no one.” Naming can erase, reframe, or reinforce how a thing is seen. Even in daily life, the names we assign — like giving pets human names or calling someone “Jason Roommate” — create subtle psychological distance or intimacy. And once a label sticks, it’s hard to unsee it. Studies show our brains use different neural pathways to process proper names th.... In other words, a name actually frames how we relate to the thing it names.

And: Biomedical scientist Bill Sullivan Jr recently wrote about how a linguistics professor determined “the top most beautiful sounding names to hear” (Spoiler alert: Matthew and Sophia are tied for first). It’s consistent with the known Bouba/Kiki effect, “which relates to how ‘round’ or ‘sharp’ a name sounds can factor into judgement of that person’s personality.”

The research makes clear that naming isn’t just a matter of language. It shapes perception, both in the moment and over time. What we choose to call something influences how it is understood, remembered, and acted upon.

To name something is never just to describe it. It is to decide what it gets to be.

— Anna Dorn

The Medium Blog