The Name Game

It all depends on vibrations

First names make a difference. Try joining a street gang if your name is Chauncey or a law firm if your parents named you Fifi.

In fact, says Christopher Andersen in his new book The Name Game, every first name sends forth "psychological vibrations" that affect our lives. Summarizing four studies that sampled public reaction to first names, Andersen, who writes for PEOPLE magazine, lists "894 Names and What They Really Mean." The results will displease people named Martha --which psychologically vibrates to mean "unexciting"--Patricia (plain), Mark (spoiled) and Basil (sinister).

The sexy female names include Candy, Beverly, Loretta, Dawn, Marjorie, Adrienne and Joanne. Sybil is intelligent, Amanda is cultured and Zelda is aggressive, perhaps because of that grating z sound. Sally connotes blonde and sassy --Andersen is not sure why, but suggests that Fan Dancer Sally Rand, Actress Sally Struthers and Journalist Sally Quinn might have helped shape the image.

In general, mellifluous names tend to have passive or negative meanings, and the macho names tend to sound like sharp, short yelps (Bart, Kent, Mac, Matt, Bill, Nate). Despite Bogart, Humphrey retains its depressing image ("terribly unpopular, sedentary"), but Sophia Loren has influenced her first name, which now means "a bombshell." Gina, Brian and Douglas are among the most dynamic and positive names.

The saddest include Beulah (homely, plodding) and Irvin, listed simply as "a schlemiel."

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