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Call Me Rutherford: Names and the Intergenerational Transmission of Political Preferences Over the Long Run

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  • Davide M. Coluccia

Abstract

We document that the names of newly elected politicians become more popular following their election. Their prevalence is correlated with county-level voting and with individual level political behavior. We apply this insight to measure the political preferences of 18 million US census records and examine their intergenerational transmission from 1830 to 1940. Family and political environment account for comparable shares of variation in individual political preferences. Intergenerational persistence is 45% weaker when parental political views conflict with local political conditions. Transmission varies over time: political preferences were more mobile in the nineteenth century and became considerably more persistent between 1900 and 1940. Transmission displays similarly large spatial variation and is non-monotonic in electoral competition. These findings document how environmental factors influence the transmission of political identity across generations.

Suggested Citation

  • Davide M. Coluccia, 2026. "Call Me Rutherford: Names and the Intergenerational Transmission of Political Preferences Over the Long Run," Bristol Economics Discussion Papers 26/832, School of Economics, University of Bristol, UK.
    • Handle: RePEc:bri:uobdis:26/832
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