Geographical and Political Predictors of Emotion in the Sounds of Favorite Baby Names

Abstract

The top 5 favorite boys' and girls' names from each state of the USA in 2000 and 2003 were analyzed in terms of the emotional associations of their component sounds and sound pronounceability. These were significantly and variously correlated with a historical factor (year), geographic factors (compass directions), and a political factor (percentage of the popular vote cast for President Bush in 2004). The expected stereotypical sex differences were observed: girls' names were longer, more pleasant, less active, and easier to pronounce ( p < .01). It was possible to predict emotional associations and pronounceability ( R2 = .27-.48, p < .01) on the basis of historical, geographical, and political variables.