The most "beautiful" baby name choices for this year have been revealed, with Zayn and Sophia taking the top spots.
New research carried out by parenting gift site My1stYear has shown which popular baby names are the most beautiful, according to the theory of linguistics.
Jesse and Charlie follow as the second and third most beautiful names for boys, while Zoe and Rosie complete the top three most beautiful names for girls.
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Working with Dr Bodo Winter, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham, My1stYears measured exactly which of the 100 most popular names this year convey the most positive emotions to us when said out loud.
The data revealed that Zayn and Sophia are the most beautiful-sounding baby names of the year.
Originally an Arabic name, Zayn means ‘beauty’ and ‘grace’ and was popularised within the UK alongside One Direction boy band member Zayn Malik’s rise to fame. Meanwhile Sophia, which originated in Greece in the 4th century and means ‘wisdom’, has influential icons like Sophia Copolla and Sofia Vergara to thank for its increase in popularity in the late 90s.
Next on the list for both genders is Jesse and Zoe. The name Jesse has its origins in both English and Dutch history and means ‘God’s gift’ or ‘King’, while Zoe has its roots in Greek language and means ‘life’.
Completing the top three most beautiful sounding names of 2022 is Charlie and Rosie; Charlie being a pet form of Charles, and historically a boy’s name but now one of the most popular unisex names in existence, and Rosie, of English origin but a diminutive form of Rose, which has its origins in Latin.
Gareth Chadwick, Head of Marketing at My1stYears, said: "Naming our newborns can sometimes feel incredibly overwhelming, particularly if you haven’t already got a shortlist by the time they’re born! Whether it’s choosing the right spelling, imagining what nicknames they’ll end up with or considering how it’ll sound when they’re older - there’s a lot to think about before signing that birth certificate.
"We’re passionate about names and personalisation and so we were really keen to find out if there’s any science behind which names truly are the most beautiful to the ear, and we were so grateful to work with Dr Bodo Winter, in order to rank this year’s most popular baby names according to the hugely interesting linguistic theory of iconicity. Of course, it goes without saying that any of the names in our study can be applied to either gender, and all names are truly beautiful."
Top 25 most beautiful names for girls
- Sophia
- Zoe
- Rosie
- Sophie
- Ivy
- Phoebe
- Violet
- Willow
- Hannah
- Ellie
- Emily
- Evelyn
- Rose
- Eliza
- Eva
- Chloe
- Penelope
- Lucy
- Ruby
- Lily
- Olivia
- Emma
- Eleanor
- Bella
- Luna
Top 25 most beautiful names for boys
- Zayn
- Jesse
- Charlie
- Louie
- William
- Freddie
- George
- Ali
- Daniel
- Riley
- Omar
- Arthur
- Rowan
- Leo
- Joseph
- Theo
- Harry
- Noah
- Toby
- Jude
- Isaac
- Teddy
- Samuel
- James
- Elijah
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