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?

I voted YABU purely because it's none of your business what other people choose to name thier children! & She's supposed to be your friend, I think it's a little unkind to make a thread on the internet about how you think it's a "bad idea" that your friend wants matching names for HER children. You don't like 'matching' names, don't have them. She likes them so let her be

I went to school with two pairs of twins. One were called Edward and Edgar. The other - Tom and Martin.
So parents either have some sense or they don't.

My dads dogs are Ronnie&Reggie 😂

Obviously she can name them whatever she wants but I do agree with OP. I have identical twins and was careful about their names. Mostly because they have the same DOB, address, surname and face, the last thing they needed was matching first names. Or to sound like a cheesy double act. There was a pair in our twin toddler group called Charles and Charlotte, they both answered to Charlie.

I do remember sounding out names in pairs to make sure they didn't merge weirdly when I said them together. Like Sam and John, said out loud sounds like Salmon-John. Or Alice and Jess sounds like Allison-Jess.

I know of siblings with those names. Not twins, but still…

I have a very dear friend who has done this with her twins - 1/2 their first name is the same and they totally rhyme - not only rhyming first names but middle too. In addition their other dc (so they don't feel left out) use their full name including 2 middle names all the time. So it's Guy Christopher Tobin how was school today? Andrew Mark Gregory it's dinner time. They do it so the other dc don't feel they miss out on having cool names like the twins.

I have never said anything...!

Also what is cute at preschool is cringey by highschool / adulthood.

This. ‘Cute’ is for toddlers, puppies and kittens. I’ve never got why people think of it as a good thing.

It can be dangerous.

We have twins at a nursery I work at and they have names that begin with the first syllable, rhyme and only have a slight difference.

One of the children has a severe food allergy and we have tobserve them on seperate tables and take a lot of precautions. Even with that there has been a few near misses. So imagine what could happen as they get older

I've always thought if I had twins, I would go down the themed name route, something like:
Lily and Rose
Harris and Lewis

This. I know Americans use it to mean good looking but it does make me cringe to hear a grown man referred to as cute.

I went to school with twins named Henry and Henrietta. When we got to secondary school she started using her middle name (Lily) and then eventually had it officially changed to her middle name. She hated the fact her parents had given them similar names.

What is wrong with Peter and Paul, or James and John? They are totally normal non matching names?

Sam and Ella?

Oh, the chaos their names can cause for an Exams Officer, I had a similar experience teaching in Bradford with lots of Patels and a lot of them had the same first name too. We used to have to double, triple check their exam numbers.

Why? I have the same first initial as a few of my siblings, I can't understand why this is even a thing. I've never felt like I wasn't an individual. The only time I can see it might be an issue is with twins.

My Grampy was a twin…they were Ronald and Donald 🤦🏻‍♀️

Biblical. They were all apostles - James & John were brothers.

I vote for Phil and Lil

I remember being pregnant with my first in lockdown and thinking how rude it was for people to comment on other peoples baby names. The sense of protection over my new baby and wondering how anyone could possibly dislike anything about him was beyond me! However, it’s a very natural thing which I was guilty of when SIL named her baby after a very famous boxer with a very unique name.

I also know a Nancy and Frank, and a Henry and Harvey.

Dressing twins in the same clothes is one thing; my pet hate is siblings of different ages being dressed identically…

Interesting comment from PP about raising them as a ‘pair’ with matching names etc being detrimental - in contrast to another PP saying their friend raised their twins as independents and they gravitated back to wanting to be blended!

Great thread, albeit at the expense of your dear friend.

I know a set of twins called Katy and Kathy and also siblings called Catherine and Katie. Mind boggles really…

Twin names always seem to bring out huge imagination don't they .I have heard ruby an sapphire which I quite liked really. Obv not dan and Jan or suchlike.

I agree with you that they're cringe. But though you can't say that to your df, you can point out some of the practical issues i.e. rhyming names - if you're trying to get one of their attention/ calling for one of them or can be difficult to distinguish which name is being said - it quickly gets irritating. And matching initials is confusing for post/documents.

Howling 😂😂😂😂

Yes I know, but it isn’t unusual for siblings to have biblical names? My point is they don’t rhyme/sound similar/aren’t the male and female versions of the same name or anything that makes them cutsie and unsuitable.

I am an identical twin & my sister & I have matching first names.

In fact, my name is a diminutive of my sister’s name - such as Lizzie & Eliza.

It’s not cute, or fun, or cool. Mum’s reasoning was that they said we were going to die at birth, only had boys names & needed some girls names fast.

We’ve had each other’s medical notes presented at hospital appointments, dental appointments double booked as they thought only one child would be attending, and I’ve lost count of the number of people who call us ‘xx and xx’ instead of our individual first names, even 50 years later.

Even in the last week of my Dad’s life he couldn’t tell us apart (not a dementia or mental illness related death). My Mum still can’t tell us apart on the phone.

Don’t do it folks.