I think this is a fascinating question. There does seem to be an association between 'better' names and higher quality, and I've been wondering why that might b

I think this is a fascinating question. There does seem to be an association between 'better' names and higher quality, and I've been wondering why that might be. Older journals have a wider range of available names so choose better? Association only in our heads between the journal quality and its name subsequent to reading the content? (I got your pop quiz completely wrong; would a junior mathematician who hadn't read or heard of any of them think that 'inventiones' was inherently a better name?) Or is a 'better' name likely, ceteribus paribus, to attract better manuscripts - starting a feedback loop that drives it up? I can't help thinking that a journal called 'Mathematics' has to have better prospects than the average questionable new journal. My own field is political communication. One of our leading journals is 'Political Communication', which could exemplify any of the above. But another is 'The International Journal of Press/Politics', which should by its name be complete shit and turns out to be excellent.