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Original poster

Twin names - do you think they have to "go" together???

68 replies

twinteresting · 27/07/2013 17:50

Expecting twins but don't know what sex and aren't planning on finding out (!)

Like q traditional names but not boring (!)

Do you think they need to go?

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sleepingbeautiful · 27/07/2013 18:35

I think EuphemiaLennox gave good examples, and I agree with all the comments on a normal sibling level of similarity with extra avoidance on first letter matching.

I have twins and we just picked names that we liked. They are both short names with a vaguely Celtic heritage (so not one frilly Georgian name and one Puritan name or one Hispanic name and one Russian name), but don't start or end with the same letter or rhyme etc - so sort of they 'go' without being in any way matchy matchy/twee.

muminthecity · 27/07/2013 18:48

My Great Grandmother named her twins Paul and Pauline! What on earth possessed her? I agree that the names should complement each other but definitely shouldn't 'match!'

Nellelephant · 27/07/2013 18:52

I know identical twins called Alice and Ellie. I wouldn't say that they were matchy names but I think they compliment each other. I also know non identical twins - Zoe and James.

figrus · 27/07/2013 18:59

I know twins called Emily and William. Everyone (behind the mothers back) calls them Millie and willie

TwelveLeggedWalk · 27/07/2013 19:22

figrus If I was their mum I'd think that was hilarious!

DH sometimes calls ours by a version of Shazzer and Bazzer (not that, but an 'az' adaptation of their names). I cant make up my mind about that... I'm thinking, no.

JollyHolidayGiant · 27/07/2013 19:28

I think you're on the right track by not calling them 'the twins' and not telling them who is older. My sisters are twins and do not know who is eldest. They are also referred to as the girls, or the bairns when they were younger. I cringe when I hear twins being called 'the twins' rather than their names.

Floralnomad · 27/07/2013 19:51

My husband is a twin and the knowing who is older thing has never been an issue for them although they're not particularly close so don't know if that makes a difference . I would imagine that when they were small they were dressed identically knowing my MIL and probably referred to as the twins .

Mollie272 · 27/07/2013 20:09

I was really careful not to give my twins matchy names, but I did want names that sounded ok when said together and had a similar feel.

frecklemum · 27/07/2013 20:21

I'm an identical twin- we are Rachel & Rebecca. It hasn't bothered us at all that they are matchy- but agree with others the thing that really grates is being called "the twins". Especially as we have an older brother so it was always, DB and the twins, rather than our own names. My girls have rather matchy names- but they were not deliberately chosen to match.
However one downside was some years ago when we all lived at home, my sister went into the bank in a flap because she had forgotten her handbag. She gave the bank all her personal details, mothers maiden name, address, d.o.b etc and they gave her the money out of my account by mistake - she thought it was fab- I didn't

TravelinColour · 27/07/2013 20:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

beachesandbuckets · 27/07/2013 21:00

I am going to have to decide pretty quickly, mine are due in 4 days, and haven't got names yet! Someone also advised me that naming two twins of the same gender, the same Dob and the same address could cause identity mix up.

BlueStarsAtNight · 27/07/2013 21:18

I have to say I don't see the issue with 'the twins' (when they're the only children - it's different if it's 'xxx and the twins'). Everyone i know with 2 girls or 2 boys (not twins) calls them 'the girls' or 'the boys'.......I don't see tge difference?

WRT the names, I agree with everyone else that they should complement but not match.

Goooooooooooooooooooooood · 27/07/2013 21:24

It is best if their names start with a different letter. The was a Money Box program on Radio four a few months ago where triplets had all been given a 'k' first name. As 20 year olds one of the teens had debt problems which buggered up ALL of their credit ratings.

Goooooooooooooooooooooood · 27/07/2013 21:29

Blue. That is so true my DC's are called 'the kids' . They are mostly adults but I don't see it changing anytime soon.

Alisvolatpropiis · 27/07/2013 21:44

Only insofar as it's nice when siblings names flow well together.

They don't have to "match" more because they're twins.

squeak2392 · 28/07/2013 02:43

They should go together, but not more so than if they were regular single siblings. As a general rule, the more related a family's names are too each other, the less I like it.
So Kelly & Ellie, Andrew and Andrea, Lily and Leila are to be avoided...
But at the same time so is Margaret & Skye.

Although of course if you just happen to love too such names, then why not?

AdoraBell · 28/07/2013 04:05

I don't and our twins have very different names, one Hebrew and one Russian, although both routinely used in the English language. I can't help finding twins with "twin" names a little cringeworthy tbh.

We also made sure the standard abbreviations of our chosen names for DDs didn't "go" either.

nooka · 28/07/2013 05:54

I think it's a bit odd to conceal who came out first information. Isn't that the sort of thing everyone is curious about? My twin cousins laugh about being big/baby brothers fairly regularly.

superbagpuss · 28/07/2013 08:13

my twins also know who was first and take the big brother/ little brother roles very seriously

however as we don't call them twins that often and they are not identical they have yet to realise they are different from any other sibling group

saintmerryweather · 28/07/2013 08:21

one of the first questions twins usually get asked is 'who is the eldest' ... think its a bit weird to keep that a secret, it never did me or my sister any harm!

RustyBear · 28/07/2013 08:29

There were three sets of twins at the school I work at last year, and each pair's name had the same first letter. In fact the youngest pair's names sounded very alike, the girl's just having an extra ?a? sound on the end, and they both had the same middle name. It was a real pain when giving them usernames for our online services...

agendabender · 28/07/2013 08:44

My dad and his twin have different names that "go" as it were, but both have been shortened to a matching pair. My grandmother always said she couldn't tell them apart for a few months anyway, so they could have grown up with the wrong names anyway. My dad has a picture of his twin in his passport. Cringe!

eatyourveg · 28/07/2013 08:46

I know twins, everyone calls them owen and toby but I try to make an effort to say toby and owen - don't know anyone else who says toby first - whilst owen and toby may have a ring to it, I do think it unfair that one gets mentioned first all the time - choose something that works both ways

Bunbaker · 28/07/2013 08:48

No. I think it is twee. Although I agree that they should be easy to say together for when you are calling out for them in the garden for example.

Goooooooooooooooooooooood · 28/07/2013 09:32

Don't worry about who is the eldest my DS always asks which is the good twin and which is the evil twin Confused

I think people of being a little oversensitive to their twins feelings. I call my kids 'oi you lot' 'whatever you are called' (whilst pointing in the direction of said child). 'You horrible children' etc I don't think it has done them any harm

Twins get more attention than other kids. It is cool being a twin and people are more likely to remember you. Dressing twins the same and treating them as a single unit is obviously daft but other than that I wonder how much it matters?

I could be wrong......