Revealed: The 'naughtiest' names for children in Milton Keynes according to behaviour charts

Harry and Mia have been revealed as the naughtiest names amongst children in the Milton Keynes area, according to a new survey.
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And children named Arthur and Isla are considered to be the most well behaved, while kids called George are considered to be intelligent and kind.

Researchers commissioned by children's name label company My Nametags spoke to parents and teachers in the region and a quarter agreed that youngsters named Harry and Mia are the naughtiest.

Isla came out out top of the behaviour chart for girls, with just two percent of those surveyed in the region expecting children with this name to be misbehaved.

Boys named Arthur are also considered to be among the shyest in the class, with their peers agreeing children with this name tend to be amongst the most introverted.

By contrast, girls named Sophia are seen as the most confident children in the region. For boys, it’s Olivers who are assumed to be the most self-assured, with only two percent of the children surveyed considering them to be shy.

Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Scientist, Linda Blair, explained why these stereotypes exist.

She said: “In today’s information-rich world, we’re exposed to far more data than we can deal with at any given moment. To help sort through this avalanche, we form stereotypes about what people will be like based on only a few easily obtained facts such as facial expression, body posture and a person’s name.

“Rather than making judgments about others scientifically - taking a dispassionate look at everyone called Noah or Isabella, for example - we create our stereotypes using just the people we know, as well as those we think we know via social and other media.

“Once we’ve formed a stereotype, it becomes fixed in our minds because of a phenomenon known as ‘confirmatory bias’. This is when we look for and remember people who match up to the stereotype we’ve formed, while at the same time ignoring information that doesn’t fit. This is why we become so convinced our stereotypes are correct. For popular names, these stereotypes are likely to be at the forefront of our minds because most of us will already know or have read about someone called Jack, Harry or Emily - and we’re quite likely to meet more of them.”

The study found people are quick to make assumptions about a child based on their first name, with strong stereotypes associated with each of the names featured in this year’s top 20 baby names list.

It found children named George are considered by both adults and their peers to be the most intelligent in class, with over one in 10 believing this is the most intellectual name from this year’s top 10 boys names list. They also associated it with kindness, with teachers and children regarding boys named George as kind-hearted.

According to teachers, Isabella tops the list for girls when it comes to intelligence. However, children’s attitudes of Isabellas differ drastically, with over one in 10 children assuming those named Isabella will be spoilt, based on their first name alone. For boys, its Harrys that children expect to be spoilt, whereas teachers consider those named Oliver to be the most indulged.

Lars B. Andersen, Managing Director at My Nametags, 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. It was interesting to discover that these stereotypes are formed from a young age, with children and adults quick to make judgements about children based on their first name alone. These beliefs can make the difficult task of naming a child even more challenging, but we hope that our research will help give expectant parents an insight into society’s opinions of the most popular boys and girls names in the UK right now.”

My Nametags has created a Playbuzz quiz to help expectant parents decide what to name their child. To take the quiz, click here.

Top 5 Naughtiest Boys Names in the South East

1) Harry

2) Jack

3) Charlie

4) Oliver

5) George

Top 5 Naughtiest Girls Names in the South East

1) Mia

2) Sophia

3) Emily

4) Ava

5) Isabella

Top 5 Best-Behaved Boys in the South East

1) Arthur

2) Noah

3) Muhammad

4) Oscar

5) Leo

Top 5 Best-Behaved Girls Names in the South East

1) Isla

2) Olivia

3) Ella

4) Grace

5) Amelia

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