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Conformism and name dynamics: A cliometric study of ancient Greek names

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  • Gauthier, Laurent

Abstract

Extending the sociological study of conformism in naming, we develop a dynamic model of name choice, reflecting conformist or non-conformist behavior. This allows us to account for more degrees of freedom than the statistical physics approaches that have generally been used in name modeling. Testing our model empirically, we find that conformist naming accounts for the unique shape of name distributions in ancient Greece, which differs from contemporary name data.

Suggested Citation

  • Gauthier, Laurent, 2025. "Conformism and name dynamics: A cliometric study of ancient Greek names," Mathematical Social Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:matsoc:v:138:y:2025:i:c:s0165489625000666
    DOI: 10.1016/j.mathsocsci.2025.102451
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Reed, William J. & Hughes, Barry D., 2003. "On the distribution of family names," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 319(C), pages 579-590.
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    4. Laurent Gauthier, 2025. "Epidemiological Modeling of Romanization and Christianization in Ancient Greece," Post-Print hal-04621133, HAL.
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    6. Lee, Mi Jin & Jo, Woo Seong & Yi, Il Gu & Baek, Seung Ki & Kim, Beom Jun, 2016. "Evolution of popularity in given names," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 443(C), pages 415-422.
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    10. Laurent Gauthier, 2025. "Epidemiological modeling of Romanization and Christianization in Ancient Greece," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 19(2), pages 421-444, May.
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