Journal of Labor Economics Vol. 35 No. 4 2017

The Economic Payoff of Name Americanization

Costanza Biavaschi¹; Corrado Giulietti²; Zahra Siddique³

¹ Norwegian University of Science and Technology · ² University of Southampton · ³ University of Reading

Abstract

We provide the first evidence of the magnitude and consequences of the Americanization of migrants’ names in the early twentieth century. We construct a longitudinal data set of naturalization records, tracking migrants and their naming choices over time. We consistently find that migrants who Americanized their names experienced larger occupational upgrading than those who did not. Name Americanization embodies an intention to assimilate among low-skilled migrants and reveals the existence of preferences for American names within the labor market. We conclude that the trade-off between individual identity and labor market success was present then as it is today.

DOI

10.1086/692531

Volume

35

Issue

4

Pages

1089-1116

Language

en

Sources

openalex crossref

Cite

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