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Naming twins

To match or not to match! Advice on finding the perfect names to compliment yet differentiate your baby boy or baby girl twins.


Discuss naming twins on our forums, right now! Or, post a comment below.

Choosing a name for a single baby can be difficult enough but two or more brings up a whole-nother set of 'naming' issues. You'll need to think about how the names sound together as well as with your surname, whether the names are balanced and how you'll decide which baby gets which name - something that's no mean feat! Ideally the names you choose for your babies should compliment each other and flow together nicely but also allow for the individuality that will be all important to your children as they grow.

When naming your twins its important to choose names that have a sense of equality. For instance, if you choose a particularly unusual name for one of your children (i.e. Savannah) but a very plain name for the other (i.e. Sue) it could leave them feeling as if one has precedence over the other. The same applies to family names, for instance if you name one child after a grandparent but choose a name with no familial significance for your other child you could leave one twin feeling left out. By choosing names of equal attractiveness and significance you'll be able to avoid all of these issues.

While it can be tempting to choose cute matching names for your twins (Mindy and Minky for example) this can be confusing for everyone, even your babies (it can be difficult for infants to learn what they are called if their brother or sister has a very similar sounding name). However, if you're dead set on adorable 'Tayler - Tyler' combinations then choosing more unique middle names can be a good idea just to introduce some individuality.

If you like the idea of choosing 'twin' names but want to avoid the 'same first letter, same sound' dilemma themed names can be a good option. Some ideas include...
  • Names with the same meaning - Felicity and Alegria both mean 'happiness'


  • Names with the same origin - Perran and Zela are both Cornish


  • Names that have a common theme - Pearl and Ruby


  • Names from a common period - Joshua and Jacob are both biblical


  • Names that are an anagram of one another - Elysha and Ashley
It can also be nice to play around with spellings; perhaps choosing names where the last letter of one twin's name is the first letter of the other.

However, just because you're having twins (or more) there is no reason why you have to name them as such. Why not just choose two names that you like, that sound good together and that go with your surname. At the end of the day its completely up to you!

If you having trouble naming twins (or single babies for that matter) why not test out your ideas or indeed look for new ones on our AskBaby Forums.

Your Comments

We would love to hear your comments or views on this subject. If you would like to ask a question or start a discussion, please post a topic in our Baby Names forum.
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Naming twins could be fun yet frustrating. I think as long as the names DON'T rhyme or start with the same letter, you're good. I think rhyming the names or giving them names that start with the same letter kind of makes them one....and eventhough they are like one, they are still two different people, who need two different names!
added by Stacey1984 [Mon 21st Sep 2009 @ 09:18:21]
my husband is a twin and his mum wanted them to be individual not rhyming or same initial as they are identical or mirror image as she calls them
added by racheljay [Mon 21st Sep 2009 @ 09:18:07]
if i had twin boys i wud call em summit lyk jayden n leo tyler n finley louie n harley and if i had girl twins probs lexie n gracie tilly n jayla maya n nevaeh now if i had a boy n gal twin i wud mach ther first letta lyk maya n mase tyler n tiana summit lyk dat xxx
added by taiyatai [Thu 6th Aug 2009 @ 10:32:40]
name somethng that both can live up to such as "hope" and "faith"
added by Becki93 [Thu 4th Dec 2008 @ 08:47:17]
Personally I cannot bear twins that have rhyming names - like Annabel and Clarabel or Dylan and Daisy or other such rhyming names - I think they should be given individual names that do not relate totally to eachother - not starting with the same initial or rhyming which puts them together - they are twins they will be joined all their life - give them a bit of individuality in their names....
added by Karran [Wed 13th Aug 2008 @ 08:51:46]
i think some really cool names for twin girls are Shannon and Chloe (my girls names) and also Caitlin and Courtney. For boys i like Dylan (but not spelt Dillon) and Harry and also Ellis and Jackson
added by mumof5plus1onway [Tue 15th Jan 2008 @ 14:38:31]
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