Research suggests that Sarah and David are the most common surnames in the charity sector

Sarah and David are the most popular names in the UK charity sector, according to a name survey.

The research, compiled by employee share scheme specialist Vestd, is based on the 25 most popular male and female names in the UK and data from just over a million LinkedIn profiles.

This data shows that just over 10% of charity workers (10.47%) are named Sarah and just under 10% (9.73%) are named David.

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Across all sectors, Davids now accounts for almost 8% of the UK workforce, while Sarahs accounts for more than one in 10 workers.

David was also a leader in another nine of the 20 industries analyzed – including healthcare, manufacturing and finance. Sarah ranks first in 13 out of 20 sectors.

In the charity sector, the research found that Sarahs held roles including charity manager, fundraiser, volunteer coordinator and grants specialist; while David dominates in roles such as fundraiser and volunteer coordinator for male names.

The data also suggests that, overall, compared to women, men are seven times more likely to become business leaders, including CEOs or managing directors. However, in the charity sector it was found that there were more women in all roles.

Commenting on the findings, Ifty Nasir, CEO of Vestd, said:

“Our exercise may have been lighthearted, but its results reflect broader social trends. The lack of representation in some positions and industries shows how persistent some stereotypes are, including those regarding the types of jobs women and men perform.

“Many organizations recognize the value of diversity in the workplace, both ethically and commercially. This has led some of them, including the civil service, to adopt blind recruitment tactics in which candidates omit information such as name, gender, age and ethnicity.

“Another way to improve diversity is through employee stock ownership or corporate management incentives (EMI programs), which literally create equity for people in the company, regardless of their role or background. It is also a powerful incentive for employees to climb the ladder and hopefully improve representation at senior levels in the future.”

About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter, specializing in writing for and about the charity and marketing services sector since 2001. She can be contacted via thepurplepim.com.