Kylie Minogue and Chris Moyles both have sexy names ...

The most important factor is the type of vowel sound within a person's name, research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested.

Men with a "front vowel" sound made at the front of the mouth, such as "a" in Matt, were most attractive to women.

Those with a "back vowel" sound, such as "aw" in Paul or George, were less sexy, New Scientist magazine said. In women, the situation is reversed.

Hot or not?

Men were more attracted to those with back vowel sounds in their names, such as Jordan, Rachel, or Kylie.

...But Nicole Kidman does not, according to US researchers

Women with front vowel sounds, such as Kate, Emma or Elizabeth were considered less attractive.

The study was carried out by linguist Amy Perfors, who posted photographs of men and women on the "Hot or Not?" website, which invites viewers to rate strangers' attractiveness.

Each photo was posted at different times, with different names, to see what difference this would make to their attractiveness ratings.

Sexy names? Edgar Christopher Martin Daniel Claudia Jade Rita Gloria

While most scientists believe there is no inherent relationship between the sound of a word and its meaning, Perfors believes there is some evidence to the contrary.

She says front vowel sounds are often perceived as "smaller" than back vowel sounds, so the difference could be that women were seeking "sensitive" or "gentle" men - traits often considered "feminine".

Unsexy names? Norman George Peter Tony Hannah Emily Nicole Cherie

Other studies have also shown men with slightly feminine characteristics to be attractive to women.

But men thinking of switching to more feminine names to approve their luck with the ladies should beware - men with women's names were ranked least attractive of all.

Having a man's name, such as Bob, had no negative effects on women's attractiveness ratings.