The poshest house names in Britain

Homes with that name tend to be more expensive than those with any other, research has found.

To buy one, you would typically need about £4.8million.

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In their search for the most pricey property names, researchers trawled through the eight million homes sold in England and Wales over the past seven years. They identified houses with reasonably common names - at least three must have sold in that period - then worked out the average value.

Properties called Courtenay House came top of the chart.

Three were sold over three years - one in Winchester, Hampshire, one in Exeter and one in North London.

The value of the homes ranged from £2.9million to £7.7million - an average price of £4.8million.

Doves House, Ormidale, Bar House and South Penthouse were the runners-up.

The priciest name is linked to the House of Courtenay, a dynasty from medieval France. A branch of the family settled in Britain in the 12th century, and the name remains particularly popular in Devon. It is also the family name of the Earl of Devon.

There are family homes, manor houses, bed and breakfasts and hotels which all use the name Courtenay.

The research - by property information firm Mouseprice.com - also reveals the property names which change hands most often.

Since 2000, more than one house called The Cottage has sold every day. Over seven years, 2,701 such properties changed hands, according to Mouseprice. The typical value of a property with this name is nearly £290,000 - well above the average property price of about £180,000.

'A particular tree or flower'

Other common names to change hands include Rose Cottage, Ivy Cottage, Woodlands, The Willows, Hillside, Orchard Cottage and Meadow View.

Selwyn Lim, of Mouseprice, said when homeowners name their house, 'people tend to adhere to a natural theme, for example a particular tree or flower or landscape feature.'

Mouseprice recently revealed the most expensive addresses in the country.

The winner was Kensington Square, in West London, which boasts large houses and a big communal garden.

The average value of a home on the square, regularly voted one of the capital's 'best addresses', is £5.5million.

In November, the average asking price in the borough of Kensington went above £1million, the first place where this has happened.

The most popular

1. The Cottage 2. Rose Cottage 3. The Bungalow 4. The Coach House 5. The Barn 6. The Lodge 7. Ivy Cottage 8. Sunnyside 9. Orchard House 10. Woodlands

The most expensive

Source: Mouseprice.1. Courtenay House 2. Doves House 3. Ormidale 4. Bar House 5. South Penthouse 6. Kings Chase 7. Woodhay 8. Gatsby 9. Corner-Croft 10. Nairn