Can Your Name Predict Longevity?

A new study suggests that the first letter in your name could be linked to your longevity. If your name starts with “A,” then you probably have no cause for concern, but if your name begins with “D,” study authors suggest the letter’s symbolic significance could result in you dying sooner than your peers, reports the Daily Mail.

Is it all hogwash?

Not necessarily. The study, conducted by researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit and published in the peer-reviewed journal "Death Studies" this month, examined the relationship between the first letters of a person’s name and his or her time of death.

The study examined two groups of people -- professional athletes as well as doctors and lawyers. “In each sport, athletes whose first names began with the letter D lived fewer years than those whose names collectively began with E to Z,” said study authors Ernest Abel and Michael Kruger, both of whom have been involved in several similar statistical studies in the past, including one that indicated baseball players with nicknames live longer than those without.

The researchers reviewed the lifespans of more than 10,000 athletes and professionals, focusing specifically on those whose names began with A, B, C or D -- letters associated with the grading system in American schools. The study showed those with A names substantially outlived those with D names. Researchers suggest that because D is associated with poor academic performance, those with D names are more apt to suffer from lower self-esteem, making them more prone to disease. However, the most concrete finding really isn’t all that striking. Athletes whose names began with D had a median survival age of 68.1 years, while those with names beginning with letters E to Z, which have no grade correlation, had median survival age of 69.9 years. ...

via Can Your Name Predict Longevity? - AOL Health.