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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Boy girl twins

42 replies

stj000 · 27/06/2017 03:22

Hi, I'm having boy/girl twins and am struggling to come up with a good boys name to go with the girl name I've chosen. We have a very plain and common single syllable surname (like Smith, Jones, Brown, etc) so long names should be fine.

I really like 'Benedicta' for a girl, but was wondering if the name 'St John' to go with it is too much? My husband's only opinion on the matter is that he didn't like my choice of 'Bernadine' for a girl because he doesn't like "ine" names, but he does like Benedicta. He's not much help with boys names.

My main problem is names like 'Michael' and 'Gabriel' look a bit plain to me next to Benedicta. Any thoughts? Thanks!

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PhuntSox · 27/06/2017 17:50

Laurence
Hector

I would pronounce St John correctly as would most people I know.

Elbi · 27/06/2017 17:49

I also quite like Benedicta but would be worried about teasing potential with the 'dick' sound in there Confused Benedetta from a pp is nice. Haven't heard that before.

MollyHuaCha · 27/06/2017 17:42

I think most people would know how to pronounce St John. Maybe it could be a middle name?

noodlebum · 27/06/2017 16:41

I like Beatrice/Beatrix, Briget/Bridgette, and Sebastian for a boy, out of the names you've mentioned so far.

MammieBear · 27/06/2017 14:42

Seems to me you like saint names why do they you Google them? Benedicta is certainly a female name as is the french form benedicte you need to look a tad papal names, a couple for you:

Alexander
Maximilian
Francis

NavyandWhite · 27/06/2017 14:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

steppemum · 27/06/2017 14:25

love Benedicta though, go for it.

Unadon · 27/06/2017 14:25

I like Beatrice and Sebastian.

steppemum · 27/06/2017 14:24

St John pronounced Sinjin is a name.

It is a very old name, been around forever, if you haven't come across it, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!

There is another one too, another saint, but I can't remember what.

And the boys name Sinclair probably comes from St. Claire.

Having said that, I don't like it as a first name, and with Benedicta it sounds as if you are some mad branch of the catholic church!

Raines100 · 27/06/2017 14:15

Beatrice and Sebastian are lovely.

I also know little Benedetta, which I think is beautiful. Her mother is Italian.

Pennywhistle · 27/06/2017 13:04

I have twins. It is important to be able to say them together easily without them running together as you'll be doing it a lot. Grin

A good tip I've read on MN previously is to stand at the back door and try shouting your chosen names to see if they work.

I think Beatrice and Sebastian are lovely choices.

bridgetreilly · 27/06/2017 12:57

St John is a real name with a long tradition. But it is very class-connected and old-fashioned, so I probably wouldn't.

Benedicta and Aloysius
Benedicta and Sebastian
Benedicta and Valentine
Benedicta and Ambrose
Benedicta and Jerome
Benedicta and Clement
Benedicta and Dominic
Benedicta and Raphael

I think Benedicta is a great name. She'll be a Ben or a Benny, which is really cute. And with a short simple surname, you can definitely carry off longer first names. Go for it!

Amee1992x · 27/06/2017 10:01

I love Bernadine, my friends sister is called that. Has several nicknames Berd, Bern, Birdie, Berdie lol

Sugarpiehoneyeye · 27/06/2017 09:52

I love Bridget.

Yika · 27/06/2017 06:58

Berenice and Dominic

roodienoodiefoodie · 27/06/2017 06:53

I've got boy girl twins and i thought it was important for them to "go". And to be easy to be said together as certainly for the first few years you'll be saying them together constantly (firstly to the 50 billion people who stop you to ask every time you step out the house and then when they instantly run off in either direction).
I actually really like Benedicta but not sure about St. John. We considered Beatrix and Sebastian but I like to shorten and found Bea and seb awkward to say

allegretto · 27/06/2017 06:49

Beatrice and Sebastian are lovely. St Kohn you would forever be explaining. I really like Benedict too but maybe not with Beatrice as I wouldn't give twins a romantic couple's names (and I know the spelling is different).

Original poster
stj000 · 27/06/2017 06:43

I don't want them to match too much, especially considering they're twins (I know a few twins with names that are almost the same and it's not cute), but I just want them to be kind of the same length (i.e. not "Jo" and "Magdalena") and kind of a similar style (i.e. not "Christina" and "Zosimus"). :)

Anyway, the general verdict seems to be Beatrice & Sebastian are the best, with Simon in a close second.

Thanks to everybody who helped!

OP posts:
GoneDownhill · 27/06/2017 06:27

Beatrice and Sebastian are both lovely names

GoneDownhill · 27/06/2017 06:24

Why on earth would you want twins to have matching names or names that go together. Just use you favourite boys name and your favourite girls name - as long as they don't rhyme or sound silly together then job done.

junebirthdaygirl · 27/06/2017 06:16

Beatrice and Simon
Two of my favourite names.
Remember if you are having two babies together its best not to have it too complicated or long winded..
Good luck with your twins.

Jooni · 27/06/2017 05:52

Wow. I would have known to pronounce St John "sinjin" but it's not a name I like particularly or think is wearable, and together with Benedicta... well, it's more than a bit much, isn't it?! Confused

Beatrix/Beatrice and Sebastian would be lovely.

Original poster
stj000 · 27/06/2017 04:42

I did think of Barbara, but I'm not sure I like the sound of the name.

how about-

Beatrice Mary
&
Sebastian John or Charles
Simon John or Charles

OP posts:
Rockhopper81 · 27/06/2017 04:27

'St John' is absolutely a name (albeit one I personally don't like), so it's not just "put(ting) Saint in your child's name"!

Honestly? I think Benedicta and St John will be forever correcting people, or assuring them that yes, that really is their name.

Beatrice and Sebastian would both be lovely for you I think. Smile

nooka · 27/06/2017 04:27

My sister ended up with a very interesting saints name in the Sophronius vein. The nuns at our school refused to put it on the register (middle name)!

B catholic/saints names seems a bit challenging. Barbara and Bertha don't seem to have quite the right vibe. Barbara and Simon would be an amazingly dated sib-set. Possibly very chic now I guess.