Identity and names in 2003: Résumé names as race cues

Spanish-style two surnames usually encode two parental lines. Forms that drop one surname erase part of that map. What did the Emily/Lakisha study show about identity? It showed that others assign racialised identity from a name alone, then allocate opportunity. That is their inference, not the bearer’s essence.

Chinese generation names and Korean 돌림자 mark cohort and lineage. They are kinship identity, not destiny scripts. Can a brand name become personal identity? Performers and founders sometimes live in a mark. Trademark law and personality then collide — see brand-naming. States need a stable key. Frozen spellings can fight with lived pronunciation and chosen names.

Name-changes for the legal path; gender-and-names for sexed naming; usernames for digital identity. Before hereditary surnames, many people carried a given name plus a situational byname — identity was local and renegotiable. Modern identity systems want one string that matches across borders, which is why chosen names and legal names now need explicit policy.