Twin Names: Guide & Ideas

Posted February 13th, 2010

• Share:
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Google+
• Share on Pinterest

Twins offer a rare opportunity for parents to choose two related baby names at the same time, but also multiply the potential difficulties of sibling names.  With twins, it can be more tempting to use rhyme, sound play, and same initial names, but in our opinion pairings like Eddie and Teddy, Faith and Charity, or Nicholas and Nicole should be relegated to a time capsule.

While same-initial names that are clearly distinct from each other – Garrett and Grace, say, or Susannah and Simone – are okay, different-initial names are consistent in style and tone are preferable.

Some celebrity examples that work: Brad and Angelia’s Knox and Vivienne, Julia Roberts’ Phinnaeus and Hazel, Patrick Dempsey’s Sullivan and Darby, and Marcia Cross’s Eden and Savannah.  Although each of these sets of celebrity twin names is very different in style and feel, they all embody the qualities that matter most in twin names.  Each name in the set is distinct from the other yet they make a harmonious pair – exactly what most parents would wish for the twins themselves.

Gender compatibility may be more important for twins than it is for siblings.  One pair of starbaby twins whose names don’t quite work as well as they should: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Jessie James and D’Lila Star.  Both are girls, yet Jessie’s name seems thoroughly boyish while D’Lila’s is feminine to the point of frilly.  Melissa Ethridge’s twins are Johnnie and Miller – but unless you know their middle names, you wouldn’t guess that Johnnie is a girl, Miller a boy.  Such gender confusion seems needlessly, well, confusing.

Style consistency is also important.  Most of the examples here work really well, from the traditional Lucy and John to the quirky Juno and Rex.  The pairing of John and Juno would not be so sweet: too close in sound, yet too far apart in style.

One idea: Look for twin names that are distinct from each other and yet have a unified meaning.  For specific ideas, see our twin names blog.

The most popular twin names tend toward the matching sets.  While most of these read like a list of Don‘ts, there are a couple that work: Gabriel and Michael, for instance, or Isabella and Sophia.  Here, the current Top Ten for each kind of pair.  For more popular pairs, see the Social Security site.

POPULAR TWIN NAMES

GIRL-GIRL

Isabella and Sophia

Faith and Hope

Olivia and Sophia

Ella and Emma

Hailey and Hannah

Ava and Emma

Heaven and Nevaeh

Madison and Morgan

Mackenzie and Madison

Ava and Olivia

BOY-BOY

Jacob and Joshua

Matthew and Michael

Daniel and David

Jayden and Jordan

Jayden and Jalen

Elijah and Isaiah

Isaac and Isaiah

Ethan and Evan

Logan and Lucas

Logan and Luke

GIRL-BOY

Madison and Mason

Taylor and Tyler

Addison and Aiden

Emily and Ethan

Emma and Evan

Jayda and Jayden

Jada and Jaden

Aidan and Nadia

Ava and Aiden

Natalie and Nathan

CELEBRITY BABY TWINS’ NAMES

AVA & GRACE/Mia Hamm & Nomar Garciaparra

BRONWYN GOLDEN & SLATER JOSIAH/Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance

CHARLENE RIVA & / Roger Federer

CHARLIE TAMARA TULIP & DOLLY REBECCA ROSE/Rebecca Romijn & Jerry O’Connell

COCO TRINITY & SAWYER LUCIA/Diane Farr

DARBY GALEN & SULLIVAN PATRICK/Patrick Dempsey

DEXTER HENRY LORCAN  & FRANK HARLAN JAMES/Diana Krall & Elvis Costello

EDEN & SAVANNAH/Marcia Cross

EMME MARIBEL & MAXIMILIAN DAVID/Jennifer Lopez & Marc Anthony

FINLEY & HARPER (girls)/Lisa Marie Presley

GIDEON SCOTT & HARPER GRACE/ Neil Patrick Harris

HARTLEY GRACE & /Mark McGrath

JAID THOMAS & JAX JOSEPH/Gabrielle Beauvais-Nilon

JESSE JAMESON & JOURNEY JETT/Jenna Jameson

JESSIE JAMES (f) & D’LILA STAR/Sean “Diddy’ Combs

JOHN DAVID & LUCY ELIZABETH/Nancy Grace

JOHN & GUS/Julie Bowen

JOHNNIE ROSE & MILLER STEVEN/Melissa Ethridge

JULIANNA TEX & HENRY BENJAMIN/Emily (Dixie Chick) Robison

JUNO & REX/Will Champion (Coldplay)

MARION LORETTA ELWELL &  TABITHA HODGE /Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick

MAX & BOB/Charlie Sheen

NATALIA & SANTINO/Adam Carolla

NELSON & EDDY/ Celine Dion

ROMAN STYLIANOS & ADELE GEIRGIANA  /Molly Ringwald

KNOX LEON & VIVIENNE MARCHELINE/Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt

OLIVIA & LUCAS/Wanda Sykes

PHINNAEUS & HAZEL/Julia Roberts

THOMAS BOONE & ZOE GRACE/Dennis Quaid

VALENTINO & MATTEO/Ricky Martin