Can First Names Determine Homebuyer Trends?

Jan 09, 2019

The Shakespearean query “What’s in a name?” is taking on a new resonance via Realtor.com’s analysis of first names on 2018 home sales deeds. And if this analysis is any indication, homebuying is being driven by women, Millennials and Hispanics.

According to Realtor.com, 10 of the top 20 and seven of the top 10 fastest-growing buyer first names are pegged as being predominantly Millennial female names—with Hannah, Austin, Alexis, Logan, Taylor, Brooke, Kayla, Alexandra, Alyssa and Devin ranked in the top 10.

Realtor.com also noted that home deeds with predominantly Millennial first names grew 5.3 percent year-over-year.

Furthermore, home sales associated with traditionally Hispanic first names increased 4.1 percent year-over-year. Julio, Jesus and Andrews ranked 11th, 14th and 16th, respectively, among the top 20 names. And while Michael, John, David, James, and Robert were still the top five first names on sale deeds by sheer volume, those names recorded 3 percent to 5 percent decline over 2017.

“First names associated with women, especially Millennial women, saw a significantly faster level of home sales growth in 2018, giving us a sneak peek of homeownership trends in 2019,” said Javier Vivas, Director of Economics Research at Realtor.com. “Hispanics and Millennials names overall also saw a surge in home purchases last year. If these buyers can continue to break through the affordability barrier, they are likely to make up a larger share of owners than ever before and dominate the market for years to come.”

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Phil Hall

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Jan 09, 2019

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