最近發布的一項調查報告顯示，八分之一的年輕人擔心他們的名字會成為找工作或者繼續攀登職業高峰的絆腳石。調查發現，擁有約翰、雷切爾等傳統名字的人在職場中比擁有如韋恩、凱蕾等現代名字的人更有優勢。參與調查的600多名20歲至35歲之間的職員認為，取名相對傳統的同事，特別是馬克、雷切爾等來源于《圣經》的名字，更加受到老板的青睞。該調查機構發言人還指出，我們第一次見到某個人時，會不自覺地按名字把他們歸類。另外，他們還發現姓名在不同行業的影響程度也有不同，法律和保險這種傳統行業對現代名字的容忍度較低，而銷售和市場這種新興行業則對現代名字相對更加包容。2011年英國最受家長歡迎的女孩名字是艾米莉亞、奧莉維亞、莉莉、杰西卡和艾米麗；最受歡迎的前五個男孩名字為哈利、奧利弗、杰克、阿爾菲和查理。

Blame the name: Being a Wayne, like Rooney pictured, can make it more difficult for people to get a job or a promotion

If you’ve done your research and laid out your smartest clothes, you might think you’re ready for your job interview.

But one detail that’s a little more out of your control could still be holding you back.

One in eight young workers fear their name stops them from climbing the career ladder – or even getting a job in the first place, a report has revealed.

It showed people with ‘modern’ names such as Wayne and Kayleigh were losing out to those with conventional ones such as John and Rachel.

More than 600 workers between the age of 20 and 35 were asked how they feel about their names and whether or not it has helped or hindered their career prospects.

The report, published yesterday, warned: ‘They told researchers that they felt colleagues with more traditional names, particularly those found in the Bible such as Mark and Rachel were more likely to be rewarded by bosses.’

One in 20 of those questioned said they had been passed over for a promotion in favour of someone with a more traditional name.

One legal worker called Kyle said he suspects there is ‘a lot of unspoken snobbery around’.

He said: ‘I started straight out of university and even getting a job was harder for me than for friend with names like David and Daniel.

‘I am just as well qualified as them yet potential employers struggled to take me seriously. I am convinced my name is to blame.

‘When I did eventually find work, I was overlooked for promotions while others with nice, safe, solid names such as Matthew and John were recognised ahead of me.

‘I have got to the point now where I am actually thinking of using my middle name for work. I definitely blame my parents.’

A spokesman for Officebroker.com, the serviced office experts which commissioned the poll, said names ‘really should not make a difference.’

But he added: ‘When we meet someone new, we do unconsciously categorise them by their name.

‘Our study shows that happens in the workplace and may even hamper career prospects in certain professions.

‘Traditional sectors such as law and insurance seem to be less open-minded when it comes to accepting modern names than more youthful sectors such as sales and marketing.’

It comes after a former Apprentice star Katie Hopkins triggered fury last week after declaring she vets her children’s friends according to their names.

The mother-of-three said she uses names a ‘shortcut’ to working out whether or not the child comes from the right sort of family to make an appropriate ‘playdate’ for her children.

She told ITV’s This Morning: ‘For me, there’s certain names that I hear and I hear them and I think “urgh”.

‘For me, a name is a shortcut to work out what class a child comes from and: “Do I want my children to play with them?”’

She added: ‘I tend to think that children who have intelligent names tend to have fairly intelligent parents. They make much better playdates therefore for my children.’

Miss Hopkins claimed children called Tyler, Chardonnay and Charmain are less likely to have done their homework and been disruptive at school, claims dismissed by her fellow guest as ‘snortworthy’.

She went on to insist she hates any child named after a footballer, a season, a geographical location - even though one of her children is called India - and a celebrity.

The presenter Phillip Schofield pointed out that children with all types of names, such as Monty, can still be ‘nasty, self-centred airheads’.

The most popular girls’ names chosen by parents in England and Wales in 2011 are Amelia, Olivia, Lily, Jessica and Emily, according to the Office for National Statistics.

For boys, the top five options were Harry, Oliver, Jack, Alfie and Charlie.

(Source: Mail Online)

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（中國日報網英語點津 實習生 張益欣，編輯 Helen ）