Popular names are given less frequently to babies in individualistic countries: Further validation of unique names as an indicator of individualism

Abstract

A prior study showed that popular names are given less frequently to babies in individualistic countries in European, Anglo-American (North American), and Oceanian cultures. However, the samples of the previous study were limited, and it did not examine other cultures, leaving it unclear whether the relationship is still found even when other cultures are included. It is important to confirm validity of indices cross-culturally. Thus, the present study included two unexamined cultures in the analyses: East Asian culture and Latin American culture. Following the previous study, I calculated the rates of popular baby names in Japan and Puerto Rico, and examined how the addition of these two regions affected the results. Analyses showed that the negative relationships between the rates of popular names and individualism scores were still salient. Therefore, this study further confirmed the validity of unique names as an indicator of individualism in more diverse cultural contexts.