Sophia, Ivy, Zayn and Riley are among the most beautiful-sounding baby names in the world – backed by science.
Researchers have studied the sounds of the popular names of 2022 to find which conveyed the most positive emotions to the human ear when said out loud.
Zayn has been crowned the number one most beautiful-sounding baby name for boys, according to the University of Birmingham study.
Jesse and Charlie follow behind as the second and third.
Sophia took the lead, with Zoe and Everly rounding out the top three most beautiful names for girls.
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The list features major influences from British royalty, with Louie, William and George entering the top 10 names for boys after they were found to be more pleasing to the ears.
Harry narrowly misses the top 10, ranking at 17, while Charlotte and Elizabeth proved particularly lovely sounding for those across the world after earning their spots in the top 50 for girls.
The study found girl names beginning with the letter ‘E’ were increasingly popular, with Ellie, Emily, Evelyn, Eliza, Eva, Emma, Eleanor, Ella, Eden and Erin ranking in the top 50.
It seems celebrity children’s names are present throughout the list, with Ivy (similar to that of Beyonce’s child Blue Ivy), Willow (Will Smith’s daughter) and Daisy (Katy Perry’s daughter) ranking in the top 50 for girls.
Floral-inspired names also ranked highly for the girls, with Ivy, Lily, Rose and Violet all placing in the top 25.
The research, commissioned by baby brand My 1st Years, in collaboration with Dr Bodo Winter, an associate professor of cognitive linguistics, used principles of linguistics to rank 50 of the most popular girls’ and boys’ baby names in the world.
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Top 10 most beautiful names for boys
1. Zayn
2. Jesse
3. Charlie
4. Louie
5. William
6. Freddie
7. George
8. Ali
9. Daniel
10. Riley
Top 10 most beautiful names for girls
1. Sophia
2. Zoe
3. Rosie
4. Sophie
5. Ivy
6. Phoebe
7. Violet
8. Willow
9. Hannah
10. Ellie
Do you agree with these lists? Which names do you love and hate? Let us know in the comments section below.
When President Kennedy & Jackie had their children, both Jack or John, plus Caroline became very popular too. They never shortened to Carol. Also of course, Jacqueline. With the movie star era passing, Katherine or variations was popular too. But not Marilyn. This theme continued with Sean or Shaun due to the James Bond movies. Noticeably missing is Madison or Maddison from 90’s which is still very popular. Shame it’s reduced to Maddie. Imagine calling some of the famous Jennifer’s by Jenny. It just doesn’t have the right sound.