What Does a Name Say About You

What’s in a name? Plenty according to a study by Elitesingles.  

The study analysed user data of 22,000 singles to discover the top five names for men and women across three dimensions: attractiveness, intelligence and sense of humour.

Christian and Deborah= Intelligence

Christian was the name ranked at the top of the smart scale, followed by Charles, Eric, Henry and Martin. Those that admitted to being… not the sharpest tool in the shed… were Corey, Bryan, Ali and Bradley, followed by Dylan, who was ranked in last place.

When it came to the women, Deborah ranked first, followed by Jacqueline, Marina, Yvonne and Maureen. The lowest average intelligence was claimed by those with the names Kellie, Holly, Brooke and Jess, followed by Tash, who secured the bottom spot. The only pattern we spotted was that the longer the name, the smarter you perceived to be. 

The Most Sexy Names are Jonathan and Victoria

According to the study, names with the good looks are those named Jonathan, Charles, Alex and Nicholas, followed by Billy, who got the highest average score on the sexy scale. Less fortunate lookers are Keith, Graeme, Wayne and Barry, followed by Don, who claimed last place.

Victoria topped the scale for the women, followed by Elena, Olivia, Stephanie and Bella. The least attractive were named as Janine, Carol, Pam and Diane, with Annette rated the least attractive on average.

The Funniest Singles

Australia’s funniest singles are those named Rob, Shaun, Darryl and Graham, with the Wills of this world claiming top funny-man status. Those most lacking a sense of humour were Harry, Joshua, Mick and Nathan, with Doug receiving the lowest funny points on average.

Female comedians were Diane, Olivia, Melanie and Debra, with Sonia ranking in first place. Less likely to make you laugh are Alice, Lily, Shelley and Elena, with Irene at bottom position.

Our Take:

I think you associate names with the first person you meet. My friend Amy has had a trial of terrible dating experiences with a guy name Michael. She has vowed that she will never date another Michael again. I’ve had similar experiences with all names starting with R. 

If you’re looking for baby names, you might want to stay away from any names that bore the resemblance of a car manufacturer.

When I chatted to our guy panel (all 5 of them), all agreed that any woman named after a car will always remind them of porn stars (a bit harsh I know but you can actually be prejudged by your name). Of course, it all comes down to personal preference – my favourite names start with a B.

What about yours?

Photo credit: Lea Dubedout via Unsplash