Money-making monikers - Which names are most likely to live a life of luxury?

Could our names be more than just what we're called? Could they play a role in shaping our future wealth and success? 

We have explored the most popular baby names from recent years to reveal which show a higher likelihood of making it big and living a life of luxury!

Using an online calculator, we've found the value of popular names. The calculator compares the top-ranking names with corresponding salaries of over 500,000 CVs in the UK. We've then compared our rankings to lists of the wealthiest people in the world to see how our findings line up! 

Get ready to find out if your name gives you a head start on striking it rich.

Nancy is the most valuable girls’ name, at £33,192!

If you’re looking for a name that could set your daughter up for success, look no further than Nancy. People with this name carry an average value of £33,192, £65 more than Heidi in second place.

Meaning pure, grace, and favoured, this classic girls’ name is an excellent choice for expectant parents to set your baby up for wealth!

With a value of £33,127, the name Heidi could promise a lifetime of excitement and boundless opportunities. If that wasn’t reason enough to add this to your baby name list, this Germanic name also means “noble” or “kind type”. 

With a substantial £31,864 value, Lara claims the third highest position. Though trailing Heidi by over £1,200, Lara maintains a healthy £709 lead over the fourth place Penelope. Although Lara is one of the most popular girls’ names in the UK, it is perhaps most well-known as the name of the video game star Lara Croft. 

Steeped in old-world charm and elegance, the name Penelope exudes a sense of timeless grace and is worth £31,155. Choose this name to potentially set your child up for success and have your daughter join the likes of Penélope Cruz and Penelope Ann Miller. 

Lily rounds out the top five with a respectable £30,821 value. Though falling short of the higher-ranked names, this flowery moniker's value still significantly outranks most girls' names.

The most valuable boys’ name is Albert, worth £45,224

Sitting firmly at number one, the name Albert boasts an impressive £45,224 value. This name, often associated with royalty, leads over the second-ranked Bobby by £1,905 and is worth a substantial £5,934 more than 10th place Toby!

The casual name of Bobby has a value of £43,319, which is £4,493 more than the value of Robert! If you’re looking for a name with just the right amount of playfulness and value, then you just may have found it.

In third place is Leo, with a £41,722 value. Though outranked by Albert and Bobby, Leo maintains a narrow £105 lead over the fourth-ranked David. Whether it’s the chance of future success that sways you towards this name or celebrity influence from Leonardo DiCaprio and Leo Tolstoy, it’s bound to be a good choice! 

The classic name David is in fourth place with a value of £41,617. This name has many ties - with links to the bible, art, literature, and even Hollywood! So, why not opt for this historic moniker and potentially destine your baby for riches? 

Completing the top five is Rory, whose £40,773 value places it well above the bottom half of the list. Though trailing the leader Albert by £4,451, Rory's name value tops the sixth-ranked Arthur by a respectable £129. Babies with this name could join a very elite and talented group, which includes four-time golf champion Rory McIlroy!

What’s the perfect name length for success?

Our research has found that if you want your future child to grace the walls of a mansion, then opt for a four-letter name for both boys and girls. This length occurred the most in the top 10 most valuable names. Think Lara, Rory, and Rose. 

Just one letter separates the top from the bottom though, as the most common name length of the lowest-value names was five. Some of these names included Chloe, Rowan, and Ethan. 

Which names appear on the Forbes Rich List the most?

We’ve delved into the Forbes Top 200 World’s Billionaires List in 2024 to find which names appear the most. David, the fourth most valuable name in the UK, appears seven times. With billionaires such as David Thomson, David Tepper, and David Duffield, this moniker may be your best chance to set your child up to be driving a Ferrari in the future. 

The names John and Michael both appeared five times each in the top 200, from the likes of food and beverage tycoon John Mars and former mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. 

Methodology

We used ONS data on the most popular baby names in England and Wales in 2021. This is the latest government dataset available. 

We then found the value of each name by using Adzuna’s Value My Name calculator. 

Lastly, we used Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List 2024 to find the most common first names in the top 200 richest people in the world. 

All data was collected on 08/05/2024 and is correct as of then.