John Varano

For the most part, people stick with the name their parents gave them and don't ever give it too much thought. Sure, you've got the power to change it to just about anything you want but, unless you're stuck with something horrible, why would you go through the bother? After all, your name doesn't determine much of anything beyond what people call you, right? Well, according to new data from Zillow, your name may have something to do with the house you buy. For example, homeowners with the names Stuart and Alison own the most valuable homes in the country, with a median price of more than $330,000. Of course, there is no real correlation between your name and the price of the home you own but, if your name is Peter, Alexandra, or Geoffrey, you may be more likely to own a more valuable home than most. Also, if you're a woman. Though the number of homeowners is pretty equally split between the two genders, in 30 of the 46 analyzed states homeowners with traditionally female first names owned more expensive homes than their male counterparts. But what does this all mean for homeowners and home buyers? Not much, but it does say something about the diverse backgrounds of homeowners across the country.