As Women’s History Month comes to an end for another year, it’s a great time to reflect on the progress we’ve made, but also how far we have yet to go in terms of reaching gender parity in a number of arenas. When it comes to leadership roles in the corporate world, we know that the disparity has been stark for quite some time.
New data from global career expert resume.io reveals a stark gender gap in corporate leadership finding that men are nearly twice as likely as women to reach senior leadership in their careers, and candidates’ names play a big role in success in attaining leadership positions. We’ve seen the way the names “John” or “Jon” have had an outsized presence in the halls of Congress and in the Fortune 500 world in recent years. So what does this disparity look like today?
The resume.io study analyzed 3,046 LinkedIn profiles of professionals in executive positions, from CEOs to managers, to explore the influence of names in corporate leadership across America. The findings highlight key trends in gender representation and the most common names among top-ranking leaders.
Key findings:
- In the United States, John is the most successful name in the business world, followed by Michael and David
- Only 36% of women hold positions of corporate leadership in comparison to 64% of men
- Jennifer was revealed as the top-ranking name among the women in leadership positions and was the only female name in America’s overall top 10 most successful names
- Men are 1.78 times (or 78%) more likely than women to reach senior leadership positions
In a world where first impressions play a huge role in how a person is perceived, what impact does their name have?
According to Amanda Augustine, resident career expert for resume.io and a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC), “Our campaign highlights a long-standing trend in corporate leadership,” she said.
“Certain names appear more frequently in positions of power, reflecting deeper societal and workplace biases. While skills and experience should define success, unconscious bias can influence both hiring and promotion decisions, favoring those with classic American, masculine names.”
The resume.io data identified these names and marked a notable trend of male dominance in these positions of corporate power.
Top 10 most successful names in America
The data revealed that overall, only a third (36%) of the profiles analysed were women. Therefore a staggering 64% of those in positions of power in America are men. This is unsurprising as recent research found that only 36.4% of women were hired into leadership positions in 2024 falling from 36.9% in 2023. This means that men are 1.78 times (or 78% ) more likely than women to reach senior leadership positions in their career.
The most common name amongst those in higher positions in the workplace was found to be John with a staggering 63 appearances. John is followed closely by Michael and David in second and third place boasting 56 and 45 appearances respectively. The name Robert comes in fourth with 38 appearances and Mark rounds off the top five with 32 appearances.
Interestingly, only one female name is on the top 10 list overall which is Jennifer in sixth place with 28 appearances. The dominance of male names in this list is not a coincidence but merely a reminder of the systemic barriers that women face in attaining senior leadership positions in the corporate world. This trend serves as a reminder of the ongoing need to foster greater inclusion and diversity in corporate hiring practices.
Only a third of leadership positions were found to be held by women
The data revealed that overall, only a third (36%) of the profiles analyzed were women. Therefore a staggering 64% of those in positions of power in America are men. This is unsurprising as recent research found that only 36.4% of women were hired into leadership positions in 2024 falling from 36.9% in 2023.
Jennifer tops the list of the most common names amongst female leaders in America with 28 appearances. The name also ranks as the 6th most successful on the overall ranking.
The names Lisa, Mary and Karen follow in a tie for second place with 14 appearances each. Julie comes in third place with 11 appearances. Michelle, Kimberly and Emily round up the top five by all coming in fifth place with 10 appearances.
The most prominent names in each position of leadership
The data also uncovered which names were the most prevalent in each position from CEO to managers.
Once again we can see the underrepresentation of women in these roles as male names dominate the list with John and Michael having frequent appearances. However, the name Kim tops the list as the most common name at the Director level.
The gender discrimination in leadership roles can also be seen in the average salaries earned in leadership positions. According to salary.com, the average annual salary for a CEO in America is $889,420 which is more than four times the annual salary at Director level of $193,407.
“The gender disparity in leadership roles highlights the ongoing conversation around diversity and inclusion in corporate leadership. Encouraging a wider range of perspectives at the executive level can help create a more balanced and representative workforce,” said Amanda, reminding us all of the work that still needs to be done.
You can see the full report and more of the data by heading to resume.io.
