I've been noticing something in working with bookkeeping. People toward the beginning of the alphabet use more credit cards. They request more often to have statements mailed to them. People with names in the middle of the alphabet pay in advance more often and comply with instructions with greater density. Toward the end of the alphabet there starts to be a looser attitude- they don't reply to mailings right away.
I am picturing these people in school as kids- the early alphabet names go first, get that instant gratification, then have to wait around bored while the class finishes. The middle group has their anticipation rewarded after an ample wait. The final group waits, but with a fatalistic acceptance that nothing is going to change anytime soon.
I wonder if there are patterns of last names in who seeks bankruptcy or divorce or induction of birth(I would expect to see the earlier in the alphabet names) or in antidepressant use, and use of anaesthesia (I would expect to see the later names). I don't think one could predict how someone will turn out from their last name, but I think if one looked at the data of a population, these patterns might appear. After all, it is the sort of thing that will afflict a person susceptible to circumstance more than a proactive person.
And of course people get married. I started life as a C and married a V. I have continually been amazed at my husband's endurance through what seems to me absurdly unfavorable circumstances.
I certainly don't think anyone's fate is determined by their name. Often, I think just being aware of a tendency is enough to keep from acting on it.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
That's totally fascinating.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I agree.
I've never heard anyone draw that conclusion before. I am certainly a lazy person from the R-Z group.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Where's the cutoff in your "middle of the alphabet" and "end of the alphabet" observations? Mine begins with P
FG
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
Having a last name that starts with an M, I can tell you something about our waiting habits in school. One thing that was always true, was that when the teacher got to L, there were still a lot of people left before getting to Meyer. First all the Ls, which usually are plentiful, then I would have to wait through all the names starting with Mc. Like McCormick or McDonald. Then the Ma names, which there were usually a couple of. Then there was always one Me that was before me.
So it would go something like LaRock, Lewis, Lawrence, McCormick, McDonald, Martin, Mentor, Meyer.
So I would be waiting for my name to be next for like five minutes. I wonder if there's a personality trait corresponding with that...
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
One other thing about middle-of-the-alphabet people like you, Phil:
Sometimes teachers, in order to be "fair" decide to reverse order -- and go from the end of the alphabet backwards.
Either way, you're still in the middle.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
So true!
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
As a U with a mom who was a Z, I can say that the whole "going backwards" thing weirds out end-of-alphabet kids. I'm prone to daydreaming because I know I'll always be last in everything. I'm a destructive procrastinator because I'm used to having alot of waiting time before I do anything. I was never first to give a report in class or first to walk across the stage for assemblies.
Interesting idea. I see the validation. I'm surprised no one has ever mentioned that kind of a theory to me.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
My last name starts with a T. I can vouch for the reversing the order freaking me out too.
"What!? I have to go NOW!?"
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
That's really fascinating, great observation!
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I took my wife from a Y to a C. I'll have to ask her if she's noticed any difference.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I was born a W, married a W, and then had my lastname legally chaged to my grandmother's maiden name (C). What does that say about my personality?
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
I'm a B, but I'm unclear as to the implications for the beginning of the alphabet.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
I like this theory. I'm a W, and I don't reply promptly to mailings, email, or much else. I generally have about a dozen "I need to do this sometime fairly soon" things going on in my head, instead of just getting them out of the way.
--Enigmatic
Posted by Astaril (Member # 7440) on :
Hmm. I am an E, with a very lax bookkeeping attitude. And my teachers rarely went backwards. Explain that one!
Posted by Anonymous Antecedent (Member # 4495) on :
quote: I wonder if there are patterns of last names in who seeks bankruptcy or divorce or induction of birth(I would expect to see the earlier in the alphabet names)
I'm a bankrupt who was induced - my surname starts with 'B'.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
Hm, I'm an H... Though going with the 'middle' of the alphabet is fairly trivial. For example, I notice that there are a lot of last names that start with A, B, C, and D... but not so many with E, F, G, H, or I. J you get quite a few.
So, while I'm at 8 in the Alphabet, I was usually thrown in the middleish-front of the classrooms from how many A-Ds there were and then pushed forward by S and Ws.
Though you know, you might be onto something with this...
(Edit: Just grabbed a yearbook of mine. There are 13 total pages of students. I am at the bottom of page 5. That means I am roughly at the middleish-front.
Going for technicallity, I should be at about the middle of page four and not towards the end of 5.)
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I'm an A and a terrible procrastinator. A counterexample, I guess.
Posted by Danzig (Member # 4704) on :
Is S at the end? I know I am a lazy person. I do not expect anything from anyone, but that includes myself. I like speculative fiction, and my favorite drugs are narcotics. I put stuff off until the last minute, or ignore it until it goes away.
Cool theory. I think I like it.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
Why yes, I do believe you are. In dividing the 26 by 3, you find that it is not a nice number... (8.6 continuous) That means roughly 9 letters to determine the placement.
A-I is technically the beggining. J-R is technically the middle. S-Z is technically the End.
However, in using my year book, the S names are on half of 9 and goes to the bottom of 10. This is out of 13 pages.
So, in doing the math, you find that for beggining, middle, and end in 13 is rougly 4. Because you are on 8+, you are also, in surname alphabetical order frequency, in the end.
Put simply. Yes, you're in the end.
(Edit: I can spell!)
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
That's so interesting!
And you know what's weird, is that in English, my last name is W... so I'm at the end. But in Hebrew, my last name starts with a ו which is the sixth letter in the Hebrew alphabet. So all my life I've been used to being at the end, but whenever I'm in Israel, it always takes me by surprise when my name is called before about 70% of the class!
You've totally aroused my curiosity, mothertree! I'm going to be watching out for this now.
Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :
Better move back to the States before you go bankrupt then.... Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Tatiana my initial theory would support As being procrastinators because they aren't used to perservering.
I was just noticing that all the people on this payroll, which is a non-profit, are toward the end of the alphabet. I wonder if people toward the end of the alphabet are more likely to find martyrdom gratifying. Again, not a scientifically valid study.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
That's it. I'm changing my name to an unpronounceable symbol. I shall henceforth be known as "The Hatracker Formerly Known as Tante Shvester".
Keep 'em guessing. Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl: One other thing about middle-of-the-alphabet people like you, Phil:
Sometimes teachers, in order to be "fair" decide to reverse order -- and go from the end of the alphabet backwards.
Either way, you're still in the middle.
Exactly. When I was growing up, my last name was Aaronson. I can't remember not being the first (or last on occasions like the ones you mention). Now it's Liel, and I'm smack dab in the middle.
Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
So THAT'S what is wrong with me! I have been trying to figure it out my whole life. I was an S and my mother was a B so I drove her nuts. I am motivaionally challenged (so much better than lazy), divorced, in debt, and a mother to an almost induced baby (she came without induction on her induction date).
I think I will call my therapist and ask for a refund for all those years I paid him to try and figure out what was wrong with me. It was all my name.
I am currently an M and have been coping so much better since my marriage! Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Fascinating!
Posted by Ophelia (Member # 653) on :
When I was in elementary school, the entire amount of thought that I put into what I wanted my future husband to be like was this: his last name would be somewhere between F and P. (I'm an S, and hated being at the end of the alphabet--but I also didn't want to be at the very beginning!)
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