Do names change your character? Malaysia’s National Registration Department has designed a guide to parents naming new children — with particular caution against the names “Evil”, “Skibidi”, “Bodoh” and “Busuk.”
Malaysia says no to babies called Evil
Do names change your character? Malaysia's National Registration Department has designed a guide to parents naming new children - with particular caution against the names "Evil", "Skibidi", "Bodoh" and "Busuk."
There are few things more embarrassing than forgetting somebody's name.
So imagine being friends with Hubert Blaine Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff Sr (abbreviated), a German-American with 27 names and a 666-letter surname.
It is hard to envy such a long name. But according to the Malaysian National Registration Department, it could be worse.
It has had to warn parents against giving their children names with negative connotations, such as "Evil", or Gen-AlphaGeneration Alpha, term used to describe the generation of people born (or who will be born) between 2010 and 2025 slang, like "Skibidi".
Research suggests our names can guide us down particular paths, a phenomenon known as "nominative determinism".
For example, studies have shown that people living in the city of St Louis are more likely than average to be called "Louis".
Scientists call this "implicit egoism": a tendency to feel positively about things that resemble our own names. But others are not so convinced.
They argue what really matters is what other people think about our names. Research has found when presented with two identical CVs under two different names, one stereotypically White and the other stereotypically Black, employers are 50% more likely to call back the candidates with the White names.
Similar work has found teachers treat children differently depending on their names. So other people's attitudes towards our names can dictate the opportunities we get.
Do names change your character?
Yes! Studies suggest that our names determine where we go to university, what profession we pick and what friends we make.
No! Our character is determined by our background, which also influences the names our parents choose to call us.
Gen-Alpha - Generation Alpha, term used to describe the generation of people born (or who will be born) between 2010 and 2025
Malaysia says no to babies called Evil

Glossary
Gen-Alpha - Generation Alpha, term used to describe the generation of people born (or who will be born) between 2010 and 2025