If you want to head a goliath, be called David
The secret that has eluded lawyers for so long - that vital attribute that will help them make partner - has been revealed.
Forget commerciality or technical knowhow. Even social skills pale in comparison with the defining quality that is… being called David.
According to exclusive research for The Lawyer, David is the most popular partner name at the top 50 firms, accounting for just over 5 per cent of the 7,098 partners in the 44 firms in that group that are LLPs.
The second most popular male name is Andrew, followed by Michael, Richard and Simon, while the most popular female partner names in descending order are Sarah, Catherine, Susan, Helen and Elizabeth.
“If you want your child to become a lawyer, choose one of these names,” commented Derek Klyhn, partner and director at Møller PSF Group at the University of Cambridge, who led the research. He also said their predominance suggests elitism.
“They’re all pretty much traditional white, middle-class names,” he said.
But David Morley, senior partner at Allen & Overy, denied unfair advantage.
“I suspect it’s a function of age - David was a popular name when I was born in the 1950s,” he told The Lawyer.
The most popular names are as follows:
Male
1 David
2 Andrew
3 Michael
4 Richard
5 Simon
6 John
7 Paul
8 Christopher
9 Mark
10 Peter
Female
1 Sarah
2 Catherine
3 Susan
4 Helen
5 Elizabeth
6 Jane
7 Caroline
8 Anne
9 Alison
10 Nicola
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Readers' comments (16)
Phil Green | 27-Sep-2010 10:10 am
No thanks. Bad enough pushing children to be lawyers, to foist on them such dreary bland names as David, Andrew, Michael would be child cruelty. Will probably call mine Leroy or Perry.
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Scep Tick | 27-Sep-2010 2:38 pm
Perry Green? Even worse than a lawyer. With a name like that he will turn out a fal-con man.
(sorry)
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Sarah (I'm a lawyer because this article says I am | 27-Sep-2010 3:27 pm
Do you get extra points for being Digital Dave?
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Phil Mycock | 27-Sep-2010 3:42 pm
Witty one there Scep Tick. Enjoyed that gem of a pun. Now are you a David or an Andrew?
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City Gent | 27-Sep-2010 4:19 pm
@ Phil Green
And if you have a daughter you could call her Teresa.
I really can't see what the beef is about them being `middle class' names. Do we really want the lower orders with names like Lee and Ryan and their vulgar Sarf Lunnon accents assaulting our delicate sensibilities and upsetting our clients? I think not!
God bless the squire and his relations
And keep us in our proper stations.
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Scep Tick | 28-Sep-2010 10:03 am
@Phil
What if I were a Robin? Or a Martin?
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Anonymous | 28-Sep-2010 11:54 am
I notice their all typically european names, there's a surprise.
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Anonymous | 28-Sep-2010 11:56 am
@ city gent
I'm glad to say that many people don't share your outdated views
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John Johnson | 28-Sep-2010 12:31 pm
This is interesting research, but in my view it does not go far enough.
What about the ideal first name / surname combination.
Is it David Davidson?
Please journo bods at the Lawyer spend our subscription money researching this point so that I can name my children accordingly.
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City Gent | 28-Sep-2010 12:35 pm
@ Anonymous 11:54
That's hardly surprising, as the firms are based in England, which is (albeit reluctantly) part of Europe.
And by the way it's "they're" not "their", and Europe, being a proper noun, is spelt with a capital "E". I assume that you are not employed by the type of firm included in the survey.
@ Anonymous 11:56
I'm afraid you are wrong. The survey clearly shows that my views are virtually universal amongst the elite firms.
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