36 Names Least Likely to Land a Job: What Research Shows

Recently, a headline claiming that 36 particular names are “least likely to land a job” has swarmed social media. Yet without visible methodology or peer-reviewed backing, it begs scrutiny.

That said, name-based hiring bias is a well-documented phenomenon—not in sensational lists, but rigorous experiments across continents show clear trends disadvantaging job candidates with non-Anglo, ethnic, or unfamiliar names—even when resumes are identical.

Evidence from Global Studies

U.S.: White vs. Black-Sounding Names

One foundational study found that resumes bearing traditionally white-sounding names—like Emily or Greg—received 50% more callbacks than identical resumes with Black-sounding names like Lakisha or Jamal.

A more recent large-scale audit confirmed this—sending 83,000 fake resumes to Fortune 500 companies revealed white-sounding names were 24% more likely to get callbacks. Auto-sector employers showed some of the highest disparities.

Australia: Leadership Bias by Name

In another revealing experiment, over 12,000 applications with ethnic names were 57.4% less likely to receive callbacks for leadership roles and 45.3% less for non-leadership positions—even though the resumes were identical. The disadvantage was highest in customer-facing roles.

Sweden & Europe: Foreign-Sounding Names Hurt Prospects

Swedish researchers sent 5,641 matching applications—with Swedish vs. foreign-sounding names—and candidates with foreign names were nearly 15 percentage points less likely to get responses.

Pronunciation & Academic Careers

A study in the U.S. found that candidates with names hard to pronounce were significantly less likely to land academic roles at prestigious institutions or tenure track posts—even after controlling for credentials.

Names and Societal Signals

Names convey ethnicity, origin, or socioeconomic context—and trigger implicit biases during quick resume scans.

Studies show that under time pressure (as with typical resume reviews under 10 seconds), employers resort to harmful heuristics, favoring familiar-sounding names.

Strategies for Fairer Hiring

Experts advocate for blind recruitment—removing names from resumes, using structured criteria, and standardized interviews. While these approaches can help reduce unconscious bias, they require consistent application and organizational commitment

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