Quarterly Journal of Economics Vol. 119 No. 3 2004
The Causes and Consequences of Distinctively Black Names
Abstract
In the 1960s Blacks and Whites chose relatively similar first names for their children. Over a short period of time in the early 1970s, that pattern changed dramatically with most Blacks (particularly those living in racially isolated neighborhoods) adopting increasingly distinctive names, but a subset of Blacks actually moving toward more assimilating names. The patterns in the data appear most consistent with a model in which the rise of the Black Power movement influenced how Blacks perceived their identities. Among Blacks born in the last two decades, names provide a strong signal of socioeconomic status, which was not previously the case. We find, however, no negative relationship between having a distinctively Black name and later life outcomes after controlling for a child's circumstances at birth.
- DOI
- 10.1162/0033553041502180
- Volume
- 119
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 767-805
- Language
- en
- Sources
- bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref