Is your child's name on the ‘highest earning’ list? New research reveals the top 20

New research has revealed the baby names with the highest estimated ‘worth’.

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Published: September 8, 2026 at 11:53 AM

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September is one of the most popular months for babies to arrive in the UK, and if you’re currently choosing a name for your little one, you may have already spent hours debating your shortlist.

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Now, new research has taken a rather different approach to baby naming, looking at which popular names have the highest estimated ‘worth’.

The research, from Fast Loan UK, matched the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) baby name data for England and Wales with figures from the Value My Name tool, which estimates the earning potential associated with a first name.

It found that Leo had the highest average worth among the boys’ names analysed, while Penelope came out on top for girls - with a £10,000 difference between men and women.

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Leo is the boys’ name with the highest estimated worth

Among the boys’ names included in the research, Leo ranked first, with an average earning potential of £41,722.

Rory followed closely behind at £40,773, while Arthur took third place with an estimated average worth of £40,644.

The top 10 boys’ names

Interestingly, the most popular boys’ name in the 2025 ONS data did not top the ‘worth’ rankings. Muhammad was given to 5,957 babies in 2025, but had an average worth of £31,760 among the names analysed.

Rory and Arthur were the only other boys’ names in the research to have an average earning potential above £40,000.

Penelope tops the girls’ name rankings

For girls, Penelope came out on top, with an estimated average earning potential of £31,155.

Lily ranked second at £30,821, followed by Florence at £30,050.

The top 10 girls’ names

Olivia was the most popular girls’ name in the ONS data, with 2,386 births recorded in 2025. However, its estimated average worth in the research was £26,011.

That means some of the names appearing most frequently in the ONS data were not necessarily those with the highest estimated earning potential.

There’s a difference between the boys’ and girls’ lists

The research also highlights a sizeable difference between the highest-ranking boys’ and girls’ names.

Leo’s estimated average worth of £41,722 was more than £10,500 higher than Penelope’s £31,155.

However, it’s important to stress that these figures are based on the Value My Name tool and should not be interpreted as a prediction of how much someone with a particular name will earn.

Joe Brunt, Consumer Finance Expert at Fast Loan UK, described the research as a “light-hearted look” at how popular names compare.

Of course, a name alone doesn't determine someone's earning potential or financial future.

Joe Brunt, Consumer Finance Expert at Fast Loan UK

"Making smart financial decisions, building good money habits and planning for the future will ultimately have far more influence on someone's financial wellbeing than what appears on their birth certificate," he says.

What does your baby’s name say about their future?

Probably much less than you might think. The research itself makes clear that a name does not determine someone's earning potential, career prospects or financial success.

For parents currently agonising over whether their favourite baby name is ‘the right one’, that’s perhaps reassuring. Whether you opt for a classic like Arthur or Florence, a popular choice such as Olivia or Muhammad, or something much more unusual, your baby’s future will be shaped by far more than what is written on their birth certificate.

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The analysis also only included names for which data was available through the Value My Name tool, so it is not a definitive ranking of every baby name in the UK.

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