Naughtiest children's names in the UK unveiled - chosen by teachers and parents

25 February 2024 , 10:00

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Deciding your baby's name can be a hard decision (stock image) (Image: Getty Images)

Choosing a name for your child is one of the most important decisions new parents make, but imagine spending nine months refining the perfect name for your little one, only to discover it is associated with bad behaviour.

We've all dealt with naughty children at school, or come across people we don't gel with - and this can often lead to a distaste for that individual's name. A study revealed Brits make assumptions about a child based on their name alone.

Parents, children, and teachers have had their say on which names they associate with nice boys and girls, and those that ring a bell with naughtiness. Managing director at My Nametags, Lars B. Andersen, said: "We know that there are strong stereotypes attached to names and that someone's first name can really paint a picture of what they are like. These beliefs can make the difficult task of naming a child even more challenging."

It's bad news if your child is called Mia or Jack, which were chosen as the UK's naughtiest names in 2019. Survey participants agreed that boys with the name Jack are the most likely to misbehave with 23% of the vote. The name gets a particularly bad rap from teachers who admit to expecting Jacks to be mean to their classmates.

Children named George are considered by both adults and their peers to be the most intelligent in class as well as kind. 4% of those surveyed expecting Arthurs to misbehave and the name is associated with being quiet and shy, as is the name Noah. The name Charlie was voted as the most confident.

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Mia is one of the girls names that is associated with being naughty, while children themselves expect Emilys to be the naughtiest. As bad behaviour is also closely linked to intellect, 96% of teachers, children and parents don't associate the name Mia with being clever. Ouch.

When it comes to the best behaved children, Isla has been revealed as the top name in the study commissioned by My Nametags. Grace is considered to be the shyest in class, with teachers, parents and children agreeing the name tends to belong to the most introverted kids, while Olivia is said to be the most confident.

Teachers say Isabella tops the list when it comes to being smart, but children think very differently with one in 10 assuming girls with the name will be spoilt. For boys, little ones expect Harrys to be the most spoilt in the playground.

Full list of naughtiest names:

Naughtiest boys

1. Jack
2. Harry
3. Charlie
4. Oliver
5. George

Naughtiest girls

1. Mia
2. Ella
3. Isabella
4. Amelia
5. Sophia

Full list of best behaved names:

Best behaved boys

1. Arthur
2. Noah
3. Oscar
4. Muhammad
5. Leo

Best behaved girls

1. Isla
2. Ava
3. Grace
4. Olivia
5. Emily

Which list does your child's name appear on?

Lucy Marshall