What’s in a candidate’s name? Plenty.

Kamala vs. Trump. Trump vs. Kamala.

That’s the typical language used to describe the presidential matchup.

But why not Donald vs. Harris? Or Harris vs. Trump?

The election is just one example of how men are often referred to by their last name and women by their first. Stav Atir, an assistant professor in Management and Human Resources at the Wisconsin School of Business, was curious. That curiosity became the joint research project, “How gender determines the way we speak about professionals.” 

So how is gender affecting the way we talk about professionals and presidential candidates? Let’s find out.

Considering your research, let’s start things out right. How would you like to be addressed?

To be honest, my natural inclination is to go by Stav — I generally prefer the informality and warmth of first names. But my research has made me more mindful of how forms of address and reference can affect professional perceptions. So, in formal or professional contexts, I sometimes push against my own preference and use ‘Dr. Atir.’

Glad I asked. Dr. Atir, you say this research was inspired by something you kept noticing — men referred to by just their last name and women more often referred to by their first name. Was it one of those things where once you noticed, you couldn’t stop seeing it?

Exactly. It’s like when you notice a squeaky wheel – once you hear it, you can’t ignore it. Suddenly I was noticing it everywhere. In academic talks, political commentary, even casual conversations about authors or scientists. What started as a nagging observation turned into a serious research question: Was this a real pattern, and if so, what were its consequences?

My co-author, Dr. Melissa Ferguson from Yale University, was curious too, so we conducted a series of studies to find out.

You found, on average, that people are more than twice as likely to refer to male professionals by surname than female professionals. Why does it matter?

This matters because language shapes how we think about professionals, and how we think about professionals also shapes the language we use. Our research found that people referenced by surname (as opposed to full name) are perceived as more famous and therefore as more eminent. In one study, scientists referred to by surname were seen as 14 percent more deserving of a major career award. When women are systematically referred to differently, it can subtly undermine their perceived status and accomplishments.

We have a presidential election that seems to back your research up. Did you have the election in mind when starting your research or was it a coincidence?

Political coverage at the time was indeed one of the contexts in which I noticed the phenomenon most, and current coverage also provides vivid examples. Of course, this pattern extends far beyond politics. We found it across academia, science, literature, and other fields. The election coverage makes the pattern more visible in a high-stakes setting, but it reflects a broader phenomenon in how we talk about professionals of different genders.

Do the particulars of the name play a part? I saw an online discussion of this topic — a couple of the comments:

“Kamala is much more unique and distinctive than Harris.”

“I just like saying ‘Kamala.’  It sounds nice” 

Did you find anything about more unique names being used more often?

We actually tested this hypothesis! In our studies, we controlled for how distinctive first names and surnames were. While more distinctive names were more likely to be used in general, the gender effect was present even after accounting for name uniqueness; in other words, even when controlling for how common a name is, gender still predicts whether someone will be referred to by their surname​.

We’ve seen some male presidential candidates choose to use their first name as part of their campaign. “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg and all the signs bearing Bernie Sanders’ first name. Seems strategic … are there benefits in being more known by your first name, in particular for men?

More research is needed, but context likely matters. First names may create a sense of approachability and connection, but they are less useful for signaling authority and status. Even within the context of a political campaign, different settings will call for emphasizing one aspect or the other. Women, however, may not have that same flexibility without risking a perception of diminished status​. In my mind, although it’s interesting to consider which form is “better,” it’s equally important to understand whether we apply different standards based on gender.

Society is moving more and more toward respecting individual people’s identities and pronouns. It can be difficult to speak up when our name is said incorrectly or when we aren’t addressed the way we want to be. Does this happen to you? If so, what do you do? Any advice for others?

This is such an important question. I think preemptive approaches work best, for example introducing yourself using your preferred form, pronouns, and/or correct name pronunciation, or including this information in your email signature.

For corrections, a light touch often works best – something like ‘Oh, I usually go by [preferred form]’ can be effective. But you’re right that it can feel awkward. One approach is to frame it as helping others: ‘To avoid confusion in professional settings, I prefer…’

The takeaway from my and others’ work is that how we’re addressed subtly affects how we’re perceived, so it’s reasonable to have preferences about it.