Employers ‘black’list Irish names

IRISH Americans who name their children after their favourite county could unwittingly be exposing their children to anti-black discrimination.

That’s the warning of an American Studies professor after a new survey found that job applicants with white- sounding names are twice as likely to receive a response from employers as those with the Irish name Tyrone, which is heavily identified with black Americans.

A recent study by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago found that the Christian name Tyrone provokes anti-black discrimination even though it had been traditionally associated with Irish immigrants.

The researchers sent out 5,000 resumes to job ads in sales, administrative support, clerical and customer service and found that traditionally white names such Neil, Emily or Greg received twice as many responses from employers as black names such as Tyrone and Tamika.

According to Kimberly Phillips, an associate professor of history and American studies at the College of William and Mary in Virginia, Tyrone became a “black name” because of the popularity in black neighbourhoods of the movie actor Tyrone Power, whose name comes down from his great grandfather, Grattan Tyrone Power, an actor from Waterford.

“It is a very popular name with black sports starts and it’s far more common among my blacks students that my white students,” she said. “It’s not too long ago since the signs read ‘No Irish apply’, now it’s African Americans with an Irish name who suffer the same discrimination.”

Ms Phillips said the name might also have gained popularity in black communities because of its close resemblance to the African slave name Tyro. She said that another Irish name, Tara, was also believed by many Americans to be African.

According to the popular online baby name service, babynamenetwork.com, Tyrone first originated in Ireland at an unknown date and has since become a popular boy’s name in the United States.

Ms Phillips said many African names such as Kara have become popular choices for white and Asian-American girls.

“This is just another way for employers to get around anti-discrimination laws. It could target Irish people as well as African Americans,” she said.