Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

A New Survey Revealed America’s Most Hated First Names

Condolences to all the Karens out there.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

It’s important to make a good first impression, but we usually think of that as a handshake and a hello. Sometimes, your name gets there first. And if you’ve got one of those names people instinctively recoil from, you may be starting at a deficit.

According to a recent survey conducted by Talker Research and reported by StudyFinds, some names carry overwhelmingly negative associations, and if yours happens to be one of them, well… condolences to all the Chads, Donalds, Johns, Damiens, and especially the Karens out there.

The survey of 2,000 Americans found that nearly one in five people admit they judge someone based solely on their first name. Karen really has it rough, and it’s no surprise why. The name became forever associated with a particular kind of upper-middle-class entitlement since it became a derogatory term back in 2020. Ever since then, it’s been hurled at people who are not literally named Karen but are spiritual Karens, the type of middle-aged women with bob haircuts, possibly with some ugly dyed streaks of blonde, who carry a distinct,........

© Vice