Top 10 “Bad Boy” Names

Jul 16, 2009 | Filed Under: Featured,In the News | Tags: Baby Names

A new study in Social Science Quarterly — which I never miss an issue of — claims the more unpopular, uncommon or feminine a boy’s first name, the greater the chance he will end up behind bars.

So just what are the top 10 “bad boy” names in the United States…? They would be: Alec; Ernest; Garland; Ivan; Kareem; Luke; Malcolm; Preston; Tyrell; and Walter.

That’s right! Don’t mess with Walter. He’ll cut a bitch for beating him in Scrabble.

Shippensburg University professor David Kalist’s report shows that “unpopular names are likely not the cause of crime.” Rather, it’s the factors often associated with those names that can “increase the tendency toward juvenile delinquency.” For example, boys with uncommon names are often ridiculed by peers, come from families of low socioeconomic status and face discrimination in the workforce, according to the study.

Oh please. People warned my parents I would end up a hooker or a stripper if they named me “Candy.” And look at me! I NEVER dabbled in prostitution.

13 Responses to “Top 10 “Bad Boy” Names”

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quanon says:

“Oh please” you say? Are you snubbing the study based on your experience? Then you need to park your mouth, open your brain, and learn a tiny bit about statistics. Statistics are about groups, and tendencies exhibited within the groups. There are always outliers, and their presence does not void the overall group’s tendency – they simply keep the results from being 100%. That’s why words like “tends”, “usually” and “norm” are used. Anyone that thinks a single exception (like yourself) ruins the message of a statistical conclusion needs to go back to sixth grade and retake math (like yourself).
July 17th, 2009 at 8:01 am - Reply
- MH says:
  
  Whoa, man, calmate! Who shit in your coffee this morning?
  July 17th, 2009 at 9:57 am - Reply
martini lover says:

anyone that thinks candy was being serious needs to take the stick out of their ass and take sense of humor 101 (like quanon).
July 17th, 2009 at 12:55 pm - Reply
Peta says:

Quanon, you do realise that you’re on a satire web site…right? or are you one of those people who thinks The Daily Show and The Onion are accurate news sources?
July 17th, 2009 at 1:08 pm - Reply
Happy Go Lucky says:

Hey Candy! don’t know if you saw this:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/31960846?GT1=43001

Sweet shout out! Just wanted to share
July 18th, 2009 at 7:03 am - Reply
Mom and Grandmom says:

Oddly enough, I grew up with a ‘different’ name (still hear ‘wow, that’s a. unique, b. different, c. interesting, d. unusual)..yet I never grew up to be a serial killer, etc. and yes I was teased horribly as a child about my name..guess what?? I had parents who made me feel good about myself, and I just got a stronger character.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:10 am - Reply
Candy says:

How ’bout that! Thanks for the heads up, Happy Go Lucky.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:57 am - Reply
Jenn F. says:

Ooooh Quanon is a bit SENSITIVE about uncommon names, it would appear.

And here I thought everyone read this site for the humour!
July 18th, 2009 at 12:27 pm - Reply
Moonlight Dancer says:

Candy, glad we have someone keeping you honest with your knowledge of statistics. LOL
July 18th, 2009 at 1:19 pm - Reply
Debutante says:

OH NO !! My husband’s name is Preston ! LOL
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 am - Reply
olddog_newtricks says:

hi guys,
i’m a brit who doesn’t understand all the nuances of american humour.

so, is the paragraph:-

‘Shippensburg University professor David Kalist’s report shows that “unpopular names are likely not the cause of crime.” Rather, it’s the factors often associated with those names that can “increase the tendency toward juvenile delinquency.”’

proof that americans do do irony?
or an example of “damn stoopid yanks”?

i just don’t know what candy’s tone of voice is as she writes this.

by the way, love the column, candy.
i’ll be visiting it again.

and, just for info, the names alec, luke (or lucas) and malcolm would all be pretty respectable names in uk, and not “bad boy” names.
but what sort of bad-ass parents would call their boy ivan (“the terrible”)or garland?
those parents would be first on the list of those serial-killing sons, i reckon, lol!

thanks for listening
July 25th, 2009 at 3:45 am - Reply
- shortfire says:
  
  Candy does irony. David is a stoopid yank. Or, more appropriately, he caters to them.
  August 1st, 2009 at 7:11 am - Reply
Alec(ironic) says:

Yeah. So my name is Alec, Obviously i will prove this stereotype wrong. I do believe that if people statistically look at the names of killers, names such as “John Smith” and common names would show up. Why would unique, or rare, names show up in a system considering that out of a survey Sullivan is a common name, but Alec Sullivan is a name that only 7 people on earth have. I’m sure there is a better chance of having two John Sullivans committing murder.
November 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pm - Reply