Baby Names, Careers, and CEOs

Every morning, I drive to Starbucks and get my coffee from a boy named Dakota. He’s not a boy, really, but a young man who is attending college and looking towards the future.

• I wonder, what does the future hold for a boy named Dakota? Or Tarragon? Or a girl named Nevaeh?

Naming a child is such a personal, cultural, and psychological process. I’ll never experience it, but I’m fascinated by the process. We live in a country governed by a man named Barack Obama, but I’ve never worked for a CEO or VP who didn’t have a traditional name. Some questions for you.

• Does your child’s name influence her career options in life?
• Did you intentionally choose your child’s name to influence her career choices?
• Do you work for anyone who has a non-traditional name?

I’ve read Freakonomics and I understand the socioeconomic implications of baby names. I wonder if you have any insight into the possibility of a woman named Roshanda or a man named DeShawn being hired as the CEO of your company? How about a boy named Dakota?

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