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Wendy Russ says it started back in elementary school. Classmates chimed "Wiinndy" every time it got blustery outside. After that, it only got worse.

Teenage boys snickered when the Wendy's fast-food chain came out with the slogan: "Where's the beef?" Then came the "hot, juicy burger" campaign. "You can imagine how that went over," says Ms. Russ, who lives in Arkansas.

Still, she loved her name because it's different "but not weird." So as the Internet heated up in the early 1990s, she snapped up wendy.com — which soon became a beacon for Wendys worldwide.

The site now represents an organization of 90 members who've bonded over nicknames (Wendikins, Wendorama, Wendy Lou Who) and favourite movie characters (Wendy Darling of Peter Pan). A revamp of the website is now in the works; there's even talk of a Wendy convention.

"So those Freds are going to have to watch out," Ms. Russ says.

That's right. She said Fred.

Turns out Wendys aren't the only ones banding together. There are Facebook groups for people named Lisel, Teddy, Peggy, Josh, Kyle, Jingying and Steve among others. After years of correcting mispronunciations or having the most — or least — common name around, they are forming alliances to make a better name for their names. And have a little fun.

"For some reason we tend to be extremely good looking," said John Michael Hammond of Greenville, S.C., moderator of a group for John Michaels.

People named Sean — not Shawn — can join the International Brotherhood of Seans, an online club where members can mail a fellow Sean (hundreds are listed), fight a common foe (people who ask: "Is 'Seen' there?"), and commiserate (over never finding a mug with your name on it).

But the granddaddy of them all is the Fred Society, a club whose mission is "to make the world a better place for all Freds."

The society was founded by Fred Daniels, a freelance graphic artist in California who was sick of weathering Fred Flintstone jokes on his own. Since its launch in 1984, the organization has grown to include thousands of members, including some Freds north of the border.

"I was going to write the head Fred and say I should become the head Fred for Canada," says Fred Kozak, a pediatric surgeon and clinical professor at the University of British Columbia. He's been a card-carrying Fred Society member for about 15 years.

While he may not have the title, he's made the most of being a Fred ambassador. He has a Fred sticker on his locker at the BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver, as well as a Fred mug and T-shirt for Fred University. "Every time I'd see a patient who's name is Fred, I'd always say to them, 'Are you a member?'ƒ|"

It's not just that he likes his name (he does — a lot). He's also worried about Fred preservation. "You know, there aren't many of us left," he says. "We're a dying breed."

It turns out Freds — and every other name group — may share more in common than just a love of their names. Over the past decade, researchers have found that your name may influence how your life turns out.

A study released last month by Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania found that boys with unpopular names are more likely than those with popular names to wind up in juvenile detention facilities. Other studies have found that certain names are predictors of a person's income and how far they go in school.

Economists, education experts and psychologists are interested in these findings because they may highlight biases and stigma that can exist in society, including among teachers and employers.

David Figlio, an education researcher at Northwestern University in Illinois, has found that people with irregularly spelled names, such as Ashlie, are poorer spellers than people whose names are spelled more typically, such as Ashley.

Another study he conducted, titled Boys Named Sue: Disruptive Children and their Peers, found that boys with names that are traditionally feminine, such as Shannon, tend to be more disruptive in class. And the boy's behaviour is much worse if he has a female classmate with the same moniker.

Dr. Figlio also found that girls with more linguistically feminine names were more likely to take humanities classes in high school. Girls with more androgynous-sounding names, such as Erin, tend to select courses in the hard sciences.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule, Dr. Figlio says, but it's research parents should note when they decide what to call their children. Names convey information people use to judge a person, he said, and that can have lasting impact.

Mohammad Panahi, 20, knows that well. He grew up in Wichita, Kan., and when he's not studying, he works at his mother's fashion boutique. But ever since Sept. 11, 2001, the world has changed for Mohammads like him, he says.

"One of the terrorists in those tragic attacks was named Mohammad and in a way unfortunately stained the name for all of us," he wrote in an e-mail. "Now I have to be careful what I say and how I act."

It may be his imagination, he says, but he feels like he gets extra scrutiny at airports.

He finds himself acting extra humble and polite, he says, "simply so people's mindsets toward Mohammads change and the negative connotations go away."

Love it or hate it?

How do you feel about your name? Think your parents made the right call? Or were they completely off the mark? Share your thoughts on your name here .