About Name Halo
A free tool for exploring how names shape first impressions
About Name Halo
Name Halo is a free tool that explores how names shape the first impressions we form about people. Before you meet someone, their name has already created a perception. Name Halo lets you see exactly what that perception looks like.
The data behind Name Halo comes from published psychology research by Albert Mehrabian, Professor of Psychology at UCLA. His work systematically measured the associations that names trigger in listeners, revealing patterns that are remarkably consistent across people.
Over 1,700 names scored across 6 perception dimensions: Success, Warmth, Morality, Health, Cheerfulness, and Masculinity-Femininity.
What You Can Do
Name Halo gives you several ways to explore how names are perceived:
- Search names to see a full perception profile for any name in the dataset
- Compare names side by side to see how two names stack up across every dimension
- Browse by category to filter names by dimension, gender, length, or thematic combinations
- Save to your shortlist to keep track of names you like and revisit them later
- Explore rankings to discover the highest-scoring names across each perception dimension
The Research
All perception scores on Name Halo are drawn from the work of Albert Mehrabian, published in his book The Name Game (2001). Mehrabian's research measured how names create impressions of personality traits in listeners, independent of any actual person bearing the name.
Participants in the study rated names on dimensions like intelligence, warmth, trustworthiness, and vitality. The results showed strong consensus: people tend to agree on how a name sounds, even when they have never met anyone with that name.
For a detailed breakdown of the scoring methodology, dimensions, and study limitations, see the full Research & Methodology page.
Our Approach
Name Halo presents the research data without modification. We do not adjust scores, add editorial opinions, or rank names as "good" or "bad." Every score you see is the original value from the published research.
We are transparent about the limitations of this data. The research was conducted with US-based participants, scores reflect perceptions rather than reality, and name associations change over time. We present these findings as one useful lens, not a definitive judgment.
Name Halo is free and accessible. No paywall, no premium tier, no account required to search or compare names.
Contact
Have feedback, questions, or a suggestion? Reach out at hello@namehalo.app.