How does your name influence your life?

Would you be more successful as a lawyer if you were called Vicky or Victoria? Would the financial world take you seriously if your first name were Elizabeth rather than Britney?

  Agyness is just a Laura by any other name...By Bonnie Yuill

Your name is so personal - it's how you identify yourself, and it's how others identify you. And everyone wants that first impression to make them sound more attractive, intelligent and respected. The superstitious Romans took this very seriously and came up with the saying 'nomen est ornen' - names are destiny - But just how true is it? Can something like changing your name actually change your destiny?

Sounds sensational

Ask the average man if Melissa or Gertrude sounds more attractive and it's probably a foregone conclusion. 'M' and 's' sounds make Susan, Melissa and Jessica good name choices. Linguist Amy Perfors researched the sexiness of certain vowel sounds in first names through a survey on the website www.hotornot.com.

Perception seems to be everything

A school bully called Julia or a great teacher called Miss Baxter colours the name forever. Delilah is forever associated with Samson, Bonnie with Clyde and Bart with Simpson. Being named after a beloved relative, or a heroic famous person, can be inspiring and provide a sense of tradition in a fast-paced world. So are made-up names a good idea? Will Brooklyn, Prince Michael II and Apple thank their parents in later life? The rich and famous love to draw attention to themselves. Calling your child Apple or Moon Unit is at least a whole name per child. George Foreman sparingly called all five of his boys George. And when Mr Yippy himself, Michael Jackson, named his kids, he made sure his own name lived on. But Paris Michael Katherine, Prince Michael Jnr and Prince Michael II (or Blanket) live in such a strange world that their names are probably the least of their worries. While it's not hard to work out the meaning of 'Blanket,' which means, er, 'blanket,' other name translations can be a bit of a lottery.

So, what's in a name?

From Caleb (which means 'dog' in Hebrew) to the rather sweet Callista ('most beautiful'), some are quite inspiring, while others are just plain goofy. Algernon is from the French and means 'having a moustache,' Wesley 'west meadow' and George 'farmer.' While for the ladies - Kylie means 'boomerang,' Helen 'torch' and Rachel 'ewe'. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to dig too deeply!

Having an embarrassing start in life can give a child something to rise above, whether they are stinking rich or on benefits.

But things aren't always what they seem. Contrary to what you would perhaps expect, 'Britney' is in fact a name steeped in an elegant past - a shortened version of the French region of Bretagne. The classic chav name Tracey is an old Norman French name. Surprised? Even more baffling, Tony means 'flower', Gordon 'round hill' and Charles means 'manly, strong' while Camilla means 'young, virginal.'

If you're having a baby it's kinder to stick to some of the most popular baby names around at the moment: Emily, Ellie, Jessica, Sophie or Megan for a girl. Or Jack, Thomas, Daniel, Harry, Joshua, Ethan for a boy.

Do names change destiny?

Many cultures believe names suggests destiny and take child-naming ceremonies seriously. But not chavs! Hearing them screaming at their kids across cutprice supermarket aisles is an education in itself: Chardonnay, Kayesha, Billyjoella, Beyonce or Manchester and that's just the girls' names. Having an embarrassing start in life can give a child something to rise above, whether they are stinking rich or on benefits.

But do names change destiny? Just ask Reginald Kenneth Dwight (Elton Hercules John) Robert van Winkle (Vanilla Ice), Natalie McIntyre (Macy Gray) or Cordazer Broadus (Snoop Dog) about the psychological power of changing their name. But it's not the name that's important - they would most likely have made it anyway. Just like Eldrick T Woods who was playing golf from the age of 2: the nickname 'Tiger' only complemented his inherent abilities.

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