# Name association thread!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [March 4, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013 "2006-03-04T04:05:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/1 "2006-03-04T04:05:15Z")
What traits to you associate with different first names? When you hear a name spoken, what is the first set of traits (stereotype?) that springs to mind?
Here’s a few to get the thread started:
Zack: a moderately athletic extrovert with a boyish personality
Vladimir: A thin, sallow, evil-genius type (probably too many movies with Evil Russians)
athelas: Brilliant, charming… 🙂
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### Author:  [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/2 "2006-03-04T05:20:42Z")
_ **athelas** _ - wasn’t that the name for the magical healing plant in Lord of the Rings… -? No… -?
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/3 "2006-03-04T05:34:20Z")
I associate the name Brad with petty, officious jerks. In point of fact I’ve never met a guy named Brad who was like that, so I have no idea where it comes from. Sorry to any Dopers named Brad who are reading this.
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### Author:  [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/4 "2006-03-04T05:35:35Z")
A Moses/Moises/Moshe is studious and amazing at math and physics.
Jennifers are blonde.
Megans could stand to lose a little weight but are darned cute anyway.
Natalies are individualistic, listen to really indie music and have their lives planned out.
A Tony (but not an Anthony or an Antonio) is eccentric and lots of fun.
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### Author:  [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/5 "2006-03-04T07:05:03Z")
Helen is usually very carefree and ditzy.
Carol is brash and tactless.
Rob is amazingly self-centered and boorish.
(Apologies to anyone nice here with those names.)
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### Author:  [@ThreadPirateRoberts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThreadPirateRoberts)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/6 "2006-03-04T13:18:37Z")
Travis- sweet and sexy
Adam- eccentric and a little gone
Steve- old yuppie
Norine- maternal and controlling (kind of biased on that one though)
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### Author:  [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/7 "2006-03-04T14:57:59Z")
Some of it also depends on what they do _to_ their names…
Peter is quiet and somewhat shy.
Pete, on the other hand, is overly cool.
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/8 "2006-03-05T00:22:20Z")
But Julie is good right? RIGHT?
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/9 "2006-03-05T00:25:35Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#):
>
> But Julie is good right? RIGHT?
I’ve only had good experiences with Julies and Julias. Well, mostly. But I’m sure you’re okay.
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### Author:  [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/10 "2006-03-05T00:53:22Z")
As wrong as it may be, I have no fondness for the name Kevin. Every Kevin I’ve ever met has been a loud-mouthed, self-important ass. I’m sure there are many, many nice Kevins out there, but I have yet to meet them.
Oddly, my image of my own name (Julie/Julia) have nothing to do with my own self-perception. I tend to see them as somewhat girly, perky and bubbly. Don’t have any idea why that is - I’ve known very few people with my name (as in, there’s two I can think of off hand, and one was in the second grade).
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### Author:  [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-association-thread/347013/11 "2006-03-05T01:06:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> I’ve only had good experiences with Julies and Julias. Well, mostly. But I’m sure you’re okay.
I shall lay claim to “okay” with delight. 🙂