What's In A Name?

If your child is named Aaron, Callum, Abbie, Courtney, Scott or Beth then they could be in line for more detentions. According to two recent surveys these are the names more associated with bad behaviour.

So what should you call them?

Figures show thatone in five parents regret the name they give their child.

Some names are clearly going to cause trouble. Take the case of Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. In 2008 poor nine-year-old Talula was been made a ward of court in New Zealand so she could change the silly name that she hated.

Of course we're used to celebrities giving their offspring bonkers monikers. Think Katie Price's Jordan's baby daughter Princess Tiaamii or David Bowie's son Zowie. But plenty of ordinary people are giving their children shockingly daft names too.

What was most interesting about the Talula story was the children's names that had actually been allowed. They included Number 16 Bus Shelter, Benson and Hedges for a pair of twins and, worst of all, Violence!

There are many more bizarre names out there. A trawl of official records by author Russell Ash discovered children labelled Anna Sassin, Pete Sake, Ada Poo and Minty Badger.

Now researchers and scientists are delving in to what you might want to choose or avoid.

According to a School Stickers survey of 57,000 pupils Jacob and Abigail were the names most often associated with success. The study also suggested that kids whose names are not shortened do better.

A study by scientists at Shippensburg University in America suggested that uncommon names for boys like Ivan and Garland were linked with an increased tendency to juvenile delinquency.

There are other factors too. David Figlio, professor of economics at the University of Florida found that girls with more feminine names like Elizabeth or Anna were less likely to study subjects like maths and physics than say a girl called Alex.

Perhaps you're best off just giving them a name that makes them happy. According to a Manchester Metropolitan University study the happiest names for girls are Judy, Stephanie, Linda, Pam, Pat. While Joshua, Jason, Matthew, Terry and Barry are the names most likely to leave boys smiling.

Dr David Holmes says: "Names are like product brands in having a powerful effect on attitudes and should therefore be chosen with care."

Do you regret the name you gave your child? What's the silliest name you've ever heard?