86- The Psychology of Namesaking

Namesaking is the practice of naming a child for someone else- usually a close relative. Today, we will be exploring the psychology and impacts of this practice.

Sources for this episode:

• Abel, E. L. (2013), Jr. Naming Etiquette. Names 61(4): 230-238.


• Bird, A. E. and McAndrew, F. T. (2019), Does Namesaking a Child Influence Attachment Style? North American Journal of Psychology 21(13): 39-44.


• Busse, T. V., Busse, K. and Busse, M. (1979), Identical First Names for Parent and Child. The Journal of Social Psychology 107(2): 293-294.


• Cameron, C. (1987), Trouble With Junior: Father-Naming, Child Abuse, and Deliquency. Sociology and Social Research 71(3): 200-204.


• McAndrew, F. T., King, J. C. and Honoroff, L. R. (2006), A Sociobiological Analysis of Namesaking Patterns in 322 American Families. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 32(4): 851-864.


• McAndrew, F. T. (2022), The namesaking of children as an investment strategy for managing kin relations and bonding fathers to their children. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences 16(3): 220-228.


• Rossi, A. S. (1965), Naming Children in Middle-Class Families. American Sociological Review 30(4): 499-513.


• Šaffa, G., Štĕrbová, Z; and Prokop, P. (2021), Parental Investment is Biased toward Children Named for Their Fathers. Human Nature 32: 387-405.


• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Eleanor Roosevelt (online) (Accessed 16/04/2024).


• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Joe Biden (online) (Accessed 15/04/2024).


• Author unknown, Wikipedia (date unknown), Manila City Council (online) (Accessed 11/04/2024).