Singles seeking a spouse with a fat wallet should swipe right for Ed and Liz

Valentine hopefuls looking for a partner with a large pay cheque are best off dating men called Ed and women named Liz, according to new research by job search-engine Adzuna.

The study, conducted in February 2018, uses Adzuna’s ValueMyName tool to reveal which potential partners are likely to earn the most dough.

Singletons seeking a well-paid spouse should swipe right for women named Liz (£38,800) or men named ‘Ed’ whose average earnings of £61,400 top the salary charts, according to the data.

Other monied male names to look out for include ‘Giles’ (£59,400), ‘Gerry’ (£58,300) and ‘Philippe’ (£57,800), who typically all also come with full wallets.

Meanwhile, those seeking a wealthy wife should date women called ‘Liz’, with those going by this name typically earning £38,800, the most of any female moniker. This is followed by those named ‘Jo’ (£38,700), ‘Michele’ (£36,300) and ‘Alexis’ (£36,200), who are the next highest female earners.

A word of warning for the money-hungry: those who prioritise earning-potential in a future partner should avoid dating men named ‘Reece’ and women called ‘Paige’ as these names typically belong to low earners, averaging £23,000 and £20,200 respectively, the lowest valued names studied.

Most attractive names slip lower down the salary stakes

The research also looked to see if names which are perceived as most attractive stack up with names belonging to the highest earners, using rankings on the most attractive names from online dating app Happn.*

‘James’ is perceived as the most attractive male name, according to the data. However, men with this title don’t earn the biggest bucks with average salaries of just £38,100, far below the list of top male earners.

The next most attractive male names, ‘Richard’ and ‘Tom’, also miss the highest-paid hit list, with average salaries of only £43,100 and £39,800 respectively.

The trend also holds true when looking at female names, with all of the top 10 most attractive women’s names valued at less than £30,000. Women named ‘Sarah’, rated as the most attractive name, earn an average of just £29,800 a year, while women with the next most attractive name ‘Sophie’ typically take home just £25,900.

Doug Monro, co-founder of Adzuna, comments: “If a fat pay cheque is a key criteria in a future partner, you can narrow down your search by selecting a date with a high value name. ‘Ed’s and ‘Liz’s bring home the bacon with the highest average earnings of men and women in the UK, so may well be worth a swipe right. ‘Giles’ and ‘Jo’ are also worth a go according to our research. But unless you’re happy to go Dutch at the dinner table, avoid dating those named ‘Reece’ or ‘Paige’, who are most likely to come with a lower salary.

“Those wishing for bragging rights for an internet dating profile could also consider looking up the value of their own name. ‘William’s for example may want to go by ‘Bill’ to appear more monied, with ‘Bill’ making our most valued name list. And with the most attractive names list packed full of nicknames, using a shortened name on your profile may help attract future dates in the first place.”

Table 1: Most attractive male names and their average pay-packets

Table 2: Most attractive female names and their average pay-packets

Table 3: Top 5 most valuable male names

Table 4: Top 5 most valuable female names