--- title: "The Shorter Your Name, the Higher Your Earning Power" id: "17375" type: "post" slug: "the-shorter-your-name-the-higher-your-earning-power" published_at: "2013-05-13T16:10:43+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-15T20:14:23+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/05/13/the-shorter-your-name-the-higher-your-earning-power/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/05/13/the-shorter-your-name-the-higher-your-earning-power.md" excerpt: "If you don’t already have a nickname, you might want to consider giving yourself one. New research has found the shorter your name, the higher your salary." taxonomy_category: - "Career Development" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "Business" - "Career Path" - "names" - "New to Associations" - "NextGen" - "salary negotiation" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Early Career" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » The Shorter Your Name, the Higher Your Earning Power After celebrating your mother yesterday, you might want to thank her again if your name happens to be Tom or Lynn. Those two names were found to be the highest-paid monikers of working professionals, according [to a study (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.theladders.com/) by job-matching site TheLadders. In recognition of Mother’s Day, researchers at TheLadders wanted to see how the names our moms gave us can impact our careers, so they analyzed data from their almost 6 million members, looking at things like industry, salary level, and location. What the company found is the shorter your name, the more money you make. The sweet spot of higher earning power factored in at around five letters, while every additional letter cost roughly $3,600 in annual salary. To further test this idea, the researchers looked at full names versus nicknames—Stephen v. Steve, William v. Bill, Deborah v. Debbie, etc. When comparing 24 pairings, only one full name, Lawrence, had a higher average salary than its nickname counterpart, Larry. So parents-to-be who are considering bestowing multiple syllables on their children may want to contemplate names that can easily be shortened. Even spelling names with one less letter made a difference in salary, the study found. For example, Saras, Philips, and Micheles made more money on average than Sarahs, Phillips, and Michelles. For men, the top earners included Tom, Rob, Dale, Doug, and Wayne. Although fewer letters meant more money in the study overall, that correlation did not hold perfectly for the top five highest-earning female names, which included Lynn, Melissa, Cathy, Dana, and Christine. The study also looked at the most common names of individuals in C-level positions. For women, the top five names included Christine, Denise, Cindy, Shannon, and Sarah. For men, the most popular names among C-suite executives were Bob, Lawrence, Bill, Marc, and Martin. How many letters are in your name? Would you consider shortening it if it meant a higher salary? (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Katie Bascuas](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Katie Bascuas is a former associate editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/) Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/) [#Career Path](https://associationsnow.com/tag/career-path/) [#names](https://associationsnow.com/tag/names/) [#New to Associations](https://associationsnow.com/tag/new-to-associations/) [#NextGen](https://associationsnow.com/tag/nextgen/) [#salary negotiation](https://associationsnow.com/tag/salary-negotiation/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE’s The ExchangeApril 24, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/04/24/asaes-the-exchange/) - [ArticleHow Associations Can Assist Young ProfessionalsJune 12, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/12/how-associations-can-assist-young-professionals/) - [VideoAllison Isch, PMP Shares Her Experience at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/allison-isch-pmp-shares-her-experience-at-the-2026-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [ArticleNegotiating Salary Like a ProfessionalJune 11, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/11/negotiating-salary-like-a-professional/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F05%2F13%2Fthe-shorter-your-name-the-higher-your-earning-power%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !