Love the name, love the person?

I met someone named Bea the other night and I knew instantly that I liked her.

How could I not, given how much I liked her name? To me, the name Bea feels accessible and down-to-earth yet at the same time unusual and elegant — a fantastic combination. And once my new friend Bea told me the history of her name — that her full name was Beatrice, but that her mother really wanted to name her Bridget after her grandmother, which was also my grandmother’s name — I decided we were going to be good friends.

Which set me thinking: Do you automatically like someone if you like their name? Do you find yourself positively disposed, friendlier than usual, simply on the basis of an attractive or intriguing name?

Of course, people may prove to be not as charming as their names.

But do you find liking a name makes you more open to liking the person? Or do names fail you as an indicator of personal connection? Tell us more….