Choosing a name for a brand new human being is a huge responsibility that many parents find downright daunting. Your child is special and must have a name that reflects that specialness. But what if in your quest to be unique, you choose a name that ultimately leads your child to a life of crime? According to a new study out of Canada, there is a connection between a boy's name and his chances of ending up in some sort of trouble later in life. Research presented recently to the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of B.C. suggests that boys with unique, rare or unpopular names are more likely to find their way into the juvenile justice system than their popularly-named counterparts.

Researchers chose an unnamed American state for the study and compiled a list of first names for boys born in that state between 1987 and 1991. For each of the 15,021 unique names, a Popularity Name Index (PNI) was assigned. The PNI was based on how many children were given that name - for example, the most popular name of Michael has a PNI of 100 while the half-as-popular name of David has a PNI of 50. They then compared the names and their associated PNI ratings with the names of boys in the juvenile justice system between 1997 and 2005.They found that regardless of race, the more unique and unpopular the name, the more likely it was to be found in youth crime files 10 to 18 years later.

But before you run out and start filing name-change papers for your little Ivan, there is another important aspect of this study to consider: the research found that the PNI of a child's name is often associated with that child's socio-economic condition and family structure. In other words, kid's names with low PNI scores tend to hail from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"We're arguing it's not the name per se, that causes the juvenile to behave badly, but it's the family background,'' says Daniel Lee, co-author of the study. "It's all right to give unique names to your children, but make sure you become a good parent.'' All together now: duh!