Sparks fly when Rod meets Becky

Rod and Becky, when your parents named you they set you up for a life of allure and charm.

Sam and Pam, you were not so lucky.

Last week psychologists at Berlin's Humboldt University released research into what names attract the most response on dating sites.

They found people called Mandy, Justin or Chantal attracted less response because, for some reason, their names were associated with trouble-making.

But those called Jacob, Alexander, Charlotte, Emma, Hannah or Max were much more likely to have good luck, the researchers found.

So what names are hottest here?

New Zealand dating website Find Someone carried out its own research.

Overall it found guys called Rod and girls called Becky were the members who drew the most attention. Sam and Pam were the least pursued.

But there are regional variations.

Julia and Brad got the most consideration in Auckland, while Cheryl and Thomas had the least.

Meanwhile, down in windy Wellington it was Katherine and Simon who were "hot" while Susan and Robert were not so lucky in love.

Andrea and Dean lured fellow daters in Canterbury, leaving Sharon and Josh pining.

Waikato members thought Rachel and James were a win while Donna and Shane lost out.

Kiwi sporting cult hero Rod Latham, who opened the batting for the New Zealand cricket team and also played for the Canterbury NPC rugby side, was amused to hear his name was top of the list.

"That's exciting," he said.

Did it make him feel hotter?

"Not at all mate," he said.

"That's a classic."

- © Fairfax NZ News