Whether we realize it or not, we’ve all got personal associations and biases with names. These can be based on negative experiences, celebrities, people we admire, or other public associations. For example, you might always associate the name George with your favorite cousin, but despise the name Katie because of your middle school bully.

And those associations can impact how you perceive people when dating. You might not realize it up front, but when you give it some thought, chances are you actually do consider someone’s name when deciding whether to swipe right or left.

Keep reading to learn what we discovered when we surveyed our audience about names and dating…

BabyNames.com name and dating survey results

BabyNames.com conducted a survey about names and how they impact people in the dating world. We had over 27,000 respondents and their answers gave us a lot of information on how we perceive names!

First, we asked respondents if a person’s name matters when choosing a person to date. 41% said no, 28% were unsure, and just 31% said yes.

At the end of the survey, we asked again: does a person’s name matter when dating? The responses will surprise you… but first, let’s dig into the demographics.

Survey demographics

Who filled out the survey? We allowed respondents to select multiple boxes when answering their race. Here’s the breakdown:

• 80% Caucasian/White
• 12% Hispanic/Latinx
• 11% Black/African American
• 7% Native American or Indigenous
• 4% East Asian
• 2% Asian Indian
• 2% Pacific Islander
• 1% Arabic

When it comes to gender, we had a mix of 94% female, 5% male, and 1% non-binary. Age ranges of our respondents were, in order of amount, primarily 19-24, under 19, 25-34, 35-44, and 45+.

MALE NAMES

We asked respondents who date men: would you date someone with the following names? Barney, Jupiter, Adolf, Miguel, Muhammad, Elmo, Sexany, Ashley, and De’Shaun.

Here’s how the names ranked:

1. De’Shaun

Coming in as the top male name from our list, De’Shaun had 40.45% “yes, I’d date him” votes. Many identified this name with Black men, with others saying it sounds French. This follows a naming convention of using the prefix “De” with an apostrophe, which originated in southern Creole culture and was popularized within the Black American community. When filtered by Black respondents, the name was even more popular, although a few said, “He sounds like a player.”

2. Ashley

Ashley was second as a male name, with 40.13% saying “yes, I’d date him.” Ashley was included into this survey as purposely gender-ambiguous. Many respondents associated this name with the character from the film Gone with the Wind. Many were adamant that Ashley is a feminine, “girly” name. One woman did, reasonably, respond, “That’s my name, so it would be weird.”

3. Barney

Datable name, or… big purple dinosaur? Turns out, 26.94% of our respondents would be glad to date a Barney. Aside from the children’s TV series character, people associated the name Barney with Barney Stinson, the character from How I Met Your Mother played by Neil Patrick Harris, Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show, and Barney Rubble from The Flintstones cartoon.

4. Jupiter

24.35% of respondents said they would date a man named Jupiter. Jupiter was the name of a Pagan god, and some respondents found it “sexy” or “dashing,” while others found it too out-there. Jupiter was included in the survey as an unusual or “fringe” name.

5. Muhammad

22% of our respondents said they would date a Muhammad. While it’s the most common male name in the world, not everyone was a fan. One responded said it would be hard to pronounce, while another said that, because it’s the world’s most common name, “It just tells me his parents come from a different culture and aren’t very creative.” We included this name to see if there was any cultural bias against Arabic names. When we filtered the answers by Arabic respondents, the feedback was largely positive, with some still saying it’s too common.

6. Miguel

19% of respondents said they would date a Miguel. “Cool name,” and “nice,” was the general vibe. This name was included in the survey because it’s primarily a Latino name, and we wanted to see if there was any specific cultural bias.

7. Elmo

While 17% of respondents said they would date a man named Elmo, some found the association with the adorable Sesame Street muppet, just a little cringy. “I would,” said one respondent, “if he was super attractive.” The name actually comes the same Germanic root as the name William: “Helm.”

8. Sexany

This name received a “yes” vote from just 13.89% of respondents — probably in part because it may not actually be a real name one would encounter in the wild. We included this created name because of the inclusion of the the word “Sex” to see if that would be a deterrent or a draw.

9. Adolf

Unsurprisingly, Adolf scored low on the list with just 9.76% saying they would date a man with this name. Most said no, with some noting this name is illegal to give in some countries. We included this name in the survey because of its overwhelming negative public association with the German dictator.

FEMALE NAMES

For those who date women, we asked their thoughts on these names: Ashley, Angelina, Tyra, Bertha, Guadalupe, Crystal, Gertrude, La’Keisha, Sexany (again), and Wilma. Their popularity ranks like this:

1. Angelina

The top-ranked name was noted as elegant, sexy, and reminiscent of Angelina Jolie. We included this name because we knew most people would associate it with a popular actor.

2. Tyra

A lot of respondents said Tyra reminds them of Tyra Banks, while others found it “strong,” “adventurous,” and “slightly aggressive – in a good way.” We included this name because most people would associate it with the celebrity model/TV host.

3. Jupiter

Coming in third, Jupiter is associated with the Roman god and the planet. Others associated it with “large,” while others found it a little too weird. It surprised us that Jupiter ranked higher for women than men.

4. Bertha

“Too mature,” said our respondents, with some associating it with the character Bertha Mason in Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre…or their grandmothers. 

5. Guadalupe

Commenters shared that Guadalupe may be too difficult to pronounce, but it came in solidly in the middle of the rankings. We included this name because it’s primarily used in Latin cultures, and tested to see if there was a cultural bias.

6. Crystal

Respondents noted that crystals are beautiful, that Crystal is a great name for a guitar, but also that it doesn’t have the most “wholesome” of connotations as a name, commenting that it is a “Stripper Name.”

@babynamesdotcom What’s in a Stripper Name? #strippername #exoticdancerlife #babynames #namestok#greenscreen ♬ Belonging – Muted

7. Gertrude 

Gertrude was labeled as old-fashioned, although some respondents said they liked the nickname Trudy.

8. La’Keisha

Several respondents said this name is too unique, while others found it “interesting,” “unique,” or “exotic.” Like De’Shaun, we included this name because it follows Black American naming patterns, and we wanted to see if any cultural bias manifested in the survey.

9. Wilma

Many associated this name with The Flintstones or their grandmothers.

10. Sexany

“Very pretty name,” said one comment. Others found it fashionable, sexy, or associated with adult viewing material.

As you can see by the above results, most respondents didn’t originally think they judged potential dates based on their names, but changed their mind by the end of the survey. When we again asked if names matter when dating, the answers were dramatically different than before. A whopping 71% said yes, 16% were unsure, and only 13% said no. Do you think you’d judge a potential mate by their name?