Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the de facto Democratic nominee for this year’s presidential race has kindled online debate over the proper way to address the candidate.
Soon after President Joe Biden endorsed Harris after he exited the race, many took to X, Reddit and Quora to hash out whether it was more appropriate to call her by her first or last name.
"I’m sick of people calling her Kamala," wrote one Redditor. "Male candidates are almost always called by their last names unless someone is trying to put them down or make fun of them."
"I get the objections to calling Kamala Harris 'Kamala' instead of 'Vice President Harris' or even 'Harris' given the history of … well everything," X user @slippish posted. "But if I were a presidential candidate, I would be psyched people were using my first name. Means you have high level name recognition"
TikTok user Miriam Lindner joined the discussion and explained why people are more likely to use first names for women and last names for men.
Since she first shared her post on July 22, it has garnered 1.6 million views and thousands of comments.
“When you talk about famous people, do you talk about Darwin, but Marie Curie? Dickens, but Emily Dickinson? Shakespeare, but Jane Austen? Yeah, a lot of people do,” Lindner, who has a doctoral degree in political psychology, explains.
“People are, on average, twice as likely to call male professionals, even fictional ones, by their last name compared to equivalent female professionals,” Lindner recapped.
For more on why we use first names for women and last names for men, TODAY.com spoke to two experts who explained why political strategy and gender bias play a role when referencing candidates.
The psychology of how gender determines the way we speak about professionals
Stav Atir, who has a doctoral degree in social psychology from Cornell University, contributed to the research article "How gender determines the way we speak about professionals."
Speaking to TODAY.com, Atir confirmed that her joint research project found that people are more likely to use first names for women than men.
“We know the first name is kind of more associated with familiarity,” she explains, noting how first names mark a person as “more familiar approachable, and surname is a little more distant.”
“There are pros and cons to each of those,” she explains. “But they tend to map on to gender stereotypes with women being a little more approachable, more familiar, lower status and men generally being seen as more competent, more less familiar.”
Conversely, she notes that using last names with or without titles like “Senator Harris” or “Trump” can emphasize hierarchy and respect while also creating distance.
Using first names can also be a campaign strategy
Ashley Etienne is an American political advisor who served on Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, then served as Harris’ communications director for her first year as vice president.
Speaking to TODAY.com, she says Democrats — regardless of gender — are more likely to use it as a campaign strategy than Republicans.
"Democrats typically refer to themselves by their first name: Hillary, Joe, Kamala," she explains, adding that first names are more common to see on formal promotional items like T-shirts, tote bags, billboards and posters. "All this sort of stuff is a way to make the candidate relatable, especially with women."
Atir emphasizes that intention in organized efforts like campaigns, public relations and speeches significantly influences the choice of first or last names by some.
“The same type of reference can mean something totally different when it’s coming from your supporters versus detractors,” she explains.
“‘Kamala,’ that name that is tied up with her identity as a woman, as a person of color. When her detractors use it, then that is potentially a way for them to spotlight her in a way that they find negative, but when her supporters do it, or even her campaign, then that can be a way of also highlighting that identity, but in a positive way of celebrating it.”
On the campaign trail versus the White House
Etienne explains that calling candidates by their first name changes when they come into office.
“I think it’s less of a gender thing on the nonofficial side, but on the official side, you have to be very dogged and intentional about making sure that women are addressed formally,” she explains. “We can start casually by calling her ‘Kamala,’ but many times, people will still refer to women by their first name when we get into a formal setting. They hardly ever do that with men.”
She contrasts this with her work for former President Barack Obama.
“On the campaign trail, it was 'Barack,'” she recalls. “We got into the White House, they called him 'Mr. President.' I worked for the vice president. We called her 'Kamala' on that campaign trail. (We) get into the formal capacity, and a lot of people were still calling her 'Kamala,' and we had to correct them.”
So what should you say?
Lindner notes in her post that no matter your 2024 presidential preference, referring to Harris by her last name will be crucial in avoiding gender bias in the election. She underlines that informal first-name references can undermine women’s capability and importance.
Etienne, Lindner and Atir agree that Harris should be referred to by her title and last name as a presidential candidate as a sign of respect.
“In formal settings, it’s crucial to address women by their formal titles to reinforce their authority and command respect,” Etienne explains.
