Credit Simple reveals best (& worst) names ranked by score

22 May 2017

Is credit health all in a name? Data reveals Enid, Joan, Beryl and Muriel are credit winners
CreditSimple.co.nz reveals best (and worst) names ranked by credit score

Parents-to-be may want to rethink their choice of baby names after new data sourced by credit score companyCreditSimple.co.nz shows what your first name says about your credit health. While names such as Beryl, Joan and Muriel might sound old-fashioned, they’re winning in the health stakes when it comes to credit scores - but newer, more creative names such as Levi, Tiana and Stevie unfortunately score near the bottom.

CreditSimple.co.nz has unveiled a list of average New Zealand credit scores by name, and the results show women lead the pack for the best credit score. Eighteen of the top 20 credit score names are female, with Enid, Joan and Winifred taking out the top two spots with an exceptional average credit score of more than 814. The lowest average scores were claimed by Cheyenne, Tyson and Junior with scores in the 300s.

CreditSimple.co.nz spokesperson Hazel Phillips said it was a very close race between women and men when comparing average credit scores, and women are actually one step ahead across all generations.

"The data shows that overall, women have an average credit score of 621 compared to 617 for men,” Ms Phillips said. “This is consistent across generations: Gen Y we see 483 for women compared to 481 for men; Gen X, women score 609 while men score 606; and Baby Boomer women score 722 while men score 720.”

Ms Phillips said that although women tend to average higher than men, the top credit score by name is largely reflective of age. “Older names popular in previous generations such as Enid, Joan, Winifred, Beryl and Muriel all rank in the top 10, which shows your credit score typically gets better as you get older. As people age they tend to become more financially stable and responsible, and have a longer credit history which helps raise their credit score.”

New parents might be interested to know how the most popular baby names of 2016 stack up on the list. Royal fans seem to know a thing or two about credit health. Charlotte ranked second most popular baby name in 2016, a name that nets an average credit score of 611, while William was the third most popular name but with a very respectable credit score of 711.

Ms Phillips said that no matter what your name, knowing your credit score is the best place to start when it came to credit health.

“Regardless of your name or gender, it’s important to know your credit score to determine how credit-worthy you are, including what you might need to do to improve your score if it’s low, or how to use a good credit score to get a better deal on with banks and utility providers.”

Kiwis can check if their credit health is in shape by getting their credit score for free at www.creditsimple.co.nz.

*CreditSimple.co.nz’s data, sourced from parent company credit reporting agency Dun & Bradstreet, excluded any sample sizes with fewer than 200 credit files, and are therefore listed as NA in the tables.
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