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List of Most Intelligent-Sounding Names: What’s In a Name?

Names make an impression—and your own moniker may end up helping or hurting your career. Which names are most likely to make you sound intelligent? The list below—from the book 100,000+ Baby Names—is based on a poll of more than 100,000 parents about their impressions of names.

Girls:
Abigail
Agatha
Alexis
Barbara
Dana
Daria
Diana
Eleanor
Grace
Helen
Jade
Jillian
Kate
Kaylyn
Laura
Leah
Lillian
Mackenzie
Marcella
Meredith
Meryl
Michaela
Shauna
Shelley
Vanessa

Boys:
Adlai
Alexander
Barton
Brock
Clifford
Colin
Dalton
David
Donovan
Esteban
Fraser
Jefferson
Jerome
John
Kelsey
Kenneth
Merlin
Ned
Nelson
Roderick
Samuel
Sebastian
Tim
Virgil

(List presented with permission from Meadowbrook Press)

The Sinrod Marketing Group’s International Opinion panel surveyed more than 100,000 parents on their opinions and impressions of names. The complete results of the poll are presented in The Baby Name SurveyBook by Bruce Lansky and Barry Sinrod. The book explains which names people most commonly associate with certain attributes such as intelligence, athleticism, or attractiveness.

First published April 2008

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Key terms (tags) for this article:
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Comments

I definitly do not think Alexis should be on there. Agreeing that being called 'Lexi' just sounds like Sexy which doesnt do the name ANY favours in my opinion. I also do not think that Jade Brock or Clifford should be on there. Clifford, yes, i know, to me as well makes me think of the fictional big red dog. Brock sounds like a jerky name. and Jade- well... stripper comes to mind. The ones that DO sound smart are: Meredith Meryl Grace Helen Agatha Jefferson Jerome Kenneth Michael Dalton.... etc etc.

Abigail is actually a much older name, coming from the Hebrew from "Joy of the father" or "fountain of joy." I have it as my name and I've found absolutely no one who knows about the maids who were called Abigails. No, people more frequently think of Abigail from the Bible, explicitly described as "intelligent and beautiful" or Abigail Adams, who's objectively awesome.

I find it interesting that Jade is on the list. I tend to associate it with strippers. Probably because I'm aware that in english vernacular it is synonymous with slut.

I think the list is horrible. Clifford, I keep thinking of the big red dog. Who ever came up with these names as being the top 100, must live in another world.

I have always found it funny that people would choose the name Abigail for a human child. The word Abigail originally meant to differentiate a type of uneducated woman who was unmarriable and whose only occupation could be a nanny or a teacher of young children, one that didn't require much knowledge. So I really snickered when I saw it at the top of *this* list.