What image does your name give???

Here at work we have all sorts of baby name books floating around. Tonite I found a new one: The Baby Name Survey Book: What People Think of Your Baby's Name. Of course, the first thing I do is look up my own name. Then Derrick's. Since it's ridiculously slow, I look up the names of people I know, and proceed to hand write them down on a sheet of paper. (Yes, I get paid the big bucks to do this. Don't be jealous.) Some of them are right on, some not so much. This will obviously be much more entertaining if you actually know people with these names. I think I shall allot a scoring system. One through five, with one being not so accurate to five being spot on. If you're looking for a reference, all of these people have blogs linked to the left.

Karen: People think of Karen as a plain, brown-haired woman who is dependable, fun, and a good friend. 4/5. Plain???

Derrick: Derrick is described as a tall, good-looking, masculine and athletic blonde who is either tough or quiet and shy. 3/5. Tall?? Blonde?? Good-looking??? Just kidding!

Joel: The name Joel calls to mind a small, sensitive man who is very popular and nice, though a bit conceited. 5/5. Ding, ding, ding!!

Whitney: People picture Whitney as a tall, thin, pretty, young black woman who is talented, chic, rich, outgoing, and successful, like Whitney Houston. 4/5. Pretty sure the Whitney I'm thinking of is not black. Haha.

Linda: Pretty?? You bet! People expect Linda to be a blue-eyed blonde who is sweet and quiet. 3/5. Linda is neither blonde nor quiet. :) But she is sweet and pretty.

Mike: Mike is pictured as a strong masculine guy who is either friendly and easy going or tough & bullying. 5/5. But which is he? Easy going or a bully?? You be the judge....

Lindsey: When people think of Lindsey, they imagine a small, cute athletic girl who is popular and outgoing. 4/5. Thinking of the verde Lindsey here...outgoing might not be my first choice of words. However, cute definitely is.

Casey: Casey is pictured as a good-looking Irish athlete who is a fiery competitor, but warm and friendly off the playing field. 5/5, and I don't even know his ancestry!

Cassidy: Cassidy brings singers Sean and David Cassidy to mind, so it's no surprise that music is strongly associated with this name. People picture a tall, thin girl who's very nice, friendly, and outgoing--a musician or athlete, perhaps. 4/5. Cassidy...are you tall??

Grant: People describe Grant as a tall, handsome, sophisticated professional who is well dressed, well liked, witty, and sexy. 5/5 Grant Lundgren I'm sure would agree with this description 100%. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote it.

Amy: People picture Amy as a small, slender woman who is quiet, calm, educated, and refined. 5/5. Lab, you are all of those things!

Jim: Jim is described as a good-looking athletic blonde who is friendly, quiet, and ordinary. 3.5/5. Gotta take a point off for the blonde bit and a half point for the ordinary.

Ashley: Ashley is described as a very beautiful professional woman who is shy but friendly with good values and taste. Ashley may play the piano, enjoy the company of an exquisite cat or schnauzer, and wear long, flowing dresses designed by Laura Ashley. 2/5. Mrs. Johnson, while indeed very beautiful, is not what I would consider shy, nor can I imagine her hanging out with "exquisite cats." Do those even exist??? Docking points for piano skills and long flowing dresses.

Ryan: Ryan is described as a strong, active man who is extremely good-looking, though shy, like Ryan O'Neal. 4/5. Not only is Ryan good-looking, he's EXTREMELY good-looking. Just ask his wife, Ashley. But not shy.

Jody/Jodee: Jody is a unisex name that calls to mind a cute, athletic, freckle-faced girl with a cheerful disposition and a high level of energy. Girls named Jody tend to be regarded as tomboys. 4/5. Jodee, you don't have freckles, do you???

David: David is described as a strong, handsome, intelligent man who is friendly, good-humored, and dependable. 5/5. I think Jodee's hubby is all of these, don't you think??

Caitlyn: Caitlyn is pictured as a cute, slender woman of Irish descent who might be either a trendy yuppie or a friendly, charming country woman. 5/5. Caitlyn, yuppie or hick? Hmmm...it's a toss up.

Dave: People say Dave is a real fun guy--a tall, good-looking, well-built man who is easy-going, outgoing, and popular. 5/5. Again, I'm sure Mr. Reid wrote this description himself.

Chris: Chris is described as a clean-cut, average, all-American blonde guy who is smart, likable, and lots of fun. 4/5. Not so average, not so smart. I mean blonde. ;)

If your name is not on here, it's because I probably had to do some actual work. But I will take requests. I work tomorrow night.. I'm sure I'll have time to get back to you.