What Is Your Last Name? The Surprising Link to Success in Life

We all remember when the teacher would read out names from the attendance list at the beginning of class. Did you ever wonder if your last name could affect your success at school?

A study from the University of Colorado Boulder suggests it might. The research found a connection between a student’s last name and how teachers perceive them — and that perception can actually influence how well the student performs academically.

According to the findings, students whose last names start with one of the early letters of the alphabet tend to have a better chance of success, especially in school settings. Those with last names starting with letters toward the end of the alphabet may face more negative biases which can subtly impact their academic success.

“If your last name starts toward the end of the alphabet, chances are you’re less likely to be recognized by teachers as a top student,” said Jeffrey Zax, a researcher from the economics department at the University of Colorado.

The study looked at 3,281 men from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, tracking them from their high school graduation in 1957 all the way through to 2011. The researchers compared participants who had similar IQs and grades, paying close attention to how their academic achievements in school matched up with their success later in life.

The findings showed that students whose last names started with letters early in the alphabet were more likely to be viewed favorably by their teachers. “Even when everything else was equal,” Zax explained, “the guy with the early-alphabet last name was more likely to be informally labeled by teachers as a top student.”

Interestingly, the influence of a last name’s first letter was found to be much stronger during the early years of life — illlustrating how even small details- such as where your name falls on a list- can shape your path more than we might think.

According to Zax, “The good news is that the effects we saw tend to fade by the time people reach their 30s. We noticed them most strongly in high school, college, and during those first few years in the job market — but by age 35, they pretty much disappeared.”

Why is this so? Ultimately, a person’s actual abilities, talents, and personality matter more in real life than where their last name appears in the alphabet.

For students with last names toward the end of the alphabet, Zax recommends to find other ways to stand out and get the teachers’ attention.

For teachers, he suggests to try roll call in reverse order every once in a while.

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