The QWERTY Effect Does Not Extend to Birth Names

Abstract

The QWERTY effect suggests a consequence to word meaning deriving from the placement of letters on a QWERTY keyboard. reported that words formed primarily of letters from the left side of the keyboard were more aversive in nature, whereas those on the right side were more attractive (right-side advantage, RSA); they concluded that those individuals branding new products could ensure a positive affect by attending to the balance of letters. I tested this hypothesis on arguably the most important branding decision an individual can make, the naming of a baby, by associating name popularity against RSA. Names and their rank among the top 1000 names reported to the Social Security Administration were gathered for each decadal interval between 1880 and 2010 (n=28,000 names). I found no evidence for the QWERTY effect in child names (β_RSA=0·007; 95% CI=[−0·014, 0·027]). Instead, gender-specific patterns in name popularity were related to length of name (β_{Name Length}=0·079 [0·058, 0·099]). Parents should not be concerned that positive affect is dictated by the QWERTY effect.

Keywords:

• birth name
• cumulative link model
• name length
• ordinal regression
• right-side advantage
• Social Security

I thank R. H. B. Christensen for statistical assistance and K. Lohman and two anonymous reviewers for comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this article. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Notes on contributors

Wayne E Thogmartin

Wayne Thogmartin is a Research Statistician (Biology) with the United States Geological Survey in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His primary research interests are at the intersection of statistics, regional conservation planning, and the population ecology of rare or declining species. This is his first foray into onomastics.

Correspondence to: Wayne Thogmartin, United States Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, 2630 Fanta Reed Road, La Crosse, Wisconsin, 54603, USA. Email: [email protected]