Katrine Kehlet Bechsgaard

Current research

The purpose of my PhD project is to investigate, which parameters are significant when parents choose names for their children in Denmark in the beginning of the 21st century, and to investigate if and how the process of naming varies between groups of people with different social backgrounds and lifestyles.

Most parents spend a lot of time deciding which first name to give their child, but how do parents end up with the name that they do? Is it a question about whether the name fits the last name or siblings' names, the popularity of the name, family history, religion, or maybe simply that the parents find the name beautiful? To which extent is there a connection between people's social background and lifestyle and the names they pick for their children? And is there any social variation in the thoughts that parents have when choosing a name? These are the questions that I focus on.