To think matching twin names are cringy?

[AfricanRain]

My friend’s pregnant with twins and is excitedly shortlisting names in our group chat. Quite a few of her suggestions have either matching initials or rhyme, or both.

Obviously it’s her and her husband’s choice and I’m not going to piss on her chips, but AIBU to think matching names are a bad idea?

Could you link some of the research? I’d be interested to read it.

My brother and I (not twins - there's seven years between us) have names that are very similar. Not going to say what they are, but think along the lines of, eg, Luke and Lucy or Sean and Sharon.

Nobody's ever said anything about it and neither of us is bothered. It's not something I ever even thought about until I was an adult and friends started having babies and discussing names. Might have been more of an issue if we were twins; I don't know. But definitely no need to feel sorry for us!

Memories of a Bill Bryson book where he wrote of a family with children Lonnie, Donnie, Bonnie and Connie, there may have been more that I forget!

They weren't the real names of an actual family, though - he just assigned those names to them in his head as a joke.

My friend has twins with rhyming names. It is the done thing in her culture.

I'm a twin and as I still look exactly the same as her, I'm glad our names have no theme or similarity.

Tia and Mia. They were often referred to as Tia Maria. Or Tia and Tamera.

@AfricanRain Themes are, in my mind, nicer than rhyming.

You could even use it for a pub quiz round, what theme do these names represent.

John & Lyndon, George & Dan = ????

Mick & Bill, Ozzy & Geezer = ????

Stan & Oliver, Barry & Paul =????

For some odd reason Ronnie and Reggie is also popular.

Those examples are much less close than Murray and Mary, though! They are so close that they can easily be muddled or misheard for each other (the way people pronounced them round where I grew up anyway) and they had noticed it themselves at primary school age.

My twins have ended up with rhyming names because one uses their middle name.
So although on paper they look different in RL they sound super matchy.
It isn't actually a an issue though that anyone has ever mentioned to anyone.
Plenty of siblings have quite matching names when they aren't twins.

As a twin I am grateful my parents didn't. One it's not cute past pre school and probably quite cringe by the time you are teens, two we are individuals not a matching set.

Me too! Or Holly and Ivy if born at Christmas.

I knew a pair of identical twins called Claudette and Claudine.

My husband's daughters aren't twins but close siblings. First names sound like a rhyme and begin with the same letter which is ok but their middle names also begin with the same letter. Caused no end of problems when a building society account tried to pay cheques to them miss DF surname and Miss DF surname. Not sure who's idea it was to use the same initials!

Agree! They are her babies it's up to her what they are called. I also have twins and their names don't rhyme but start with the same letter.

Ironically my twins set themselves up with their matching names as tweens. Proving that what dc like most is being contrarian.
As they use nn they can always change it later.

Had twins in my class called Shania and Twain. Boy and girl.
Also girl twins Tia and Maria.

I don't believe that for a moment! 😂

Absolutely 100% true.
The names some parents inflict are appalling.
Had a little boy once called Blu Kirton. May as well have called him ' laugh and then punch me' because that was what happened.

I know someone with twins called Zylo and Yoxi- they are 7 now and through the most horrendous tantrums.

Should say *throw of course 🤦🏻‍♀️

🤣🤣

I don’t mind same initials although could envisage that being a problem.
The thing I really dislike is parents ( and it’s nearly always men). Naming their child the exact same first name as they have. Bloody hell, do you have zero imagination?

I'm usually each to their own but have to agree on rhyming twin names, there is a Macy & Darcy in DDs school which I did a bit of a 😬 when their mum told me the names. I think it didn't help that I knew at least 4 Darceys who were born within weeks of each other.

There are several sets of twins in both mine and DHs family, also went to school with a few, they all have individual names, closest rhyming names were Kelly & Mandy but she was Amanda preferred Mandy.

I know a happy and lucky - do I win? 😉🤣

Oh to have had twin boys. Harry and Barry. Perfection 🥰