First names and social distinction

Middle-class naming practices in Australia

Bibliographic Data

ID2399366
AuthorsJ Lindsay (0000-0001-9717-627X, Monash University, corresponding author), D Dempsey (0000-0002-0343-6681, Swinburne University of Technology)
Year2017
Volume53
Issue3
Pages577-591
Publication date2017-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1440-7833 • E-ISSN: 1741-2978
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1440783317690925
OpenAlexW2583834280
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited22

Naming practices provide a novel way to explore contemporary gender and class processes in Australia. Names are important everyday symbols of social location and signify family history, gender, class, ethnicity and religion. In an individualised society a name is the ultimate personal 'brand' and is used to locate children in social space. In this article we draw on qualitative interviews with 41 parents to focus on class and gender distinctions in naming practices. Naming a child was considered to be an important responsibility and names were viewed as central to identity and social classification. Through our exploration of naming preferences and judgements by middle-class parents, contemporary processes of social distinction come to light. Discussion of name choices illustrated parental aspirations and fears and the drawing of symbolic class-, gender- and sexuality-based cultural boundaries in Australia

Aesthetics · Class (philosophy) · Epistemology · Ethnic group · Focus (optics) · Human sexuality · Identity (music) · Middle class · Social class · Social group · Social identity theory · Social science · Sociology · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research · Psychology · Romani and Gypsy Studies · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub