Matilda and Matthew

[Reiltin]

We’re having awful trouble coming up with names for our not-yet-born twins. This week’s ‘maybe’ is Matilda and Matthew. We have various reservations but I won’t mention them - let’s see if anyone else feels similarly! Thoughts?!

Hmm both could end up with the shortening of Matty. I love both names individually. Also could be called m and m but not necessarily an issue.

Yup, these are two of the issues we’ve thought of! But we’re having such trouble finding names, I’m not sure if they’re deal-breakers.

Agree with above - Matty as potential shortening for both. And personally I wouldn't go for two names beginning with the same letter.

I do love Matilda though!

Congrats!!!

I love both names individually but big sure if they go together. Matilda is slightly quirkier, in my mind, than Matthew. Then there’s the Matty problem, although I guess you could have Tilly & Matty.

Not a fan of sibling alliteration - bit matchy matchy -

Suggestions:

Matilda & Marcus

Matilda & Sebastian

Matilda & Oscar

Matilda & Julian

Matilda & Joseph

Matilda & Thomas

I think you can partially influence shortenings. I have a Charlotte who is Lottie because I don’t like Charlie as a shortening and it has so far stuck with her friends.

They are both lovely names but they are a bit too similar .... my first thought was that they sound very much like Anne of Green Gables's adoptive parents, although she was Marilla not Matilda. I'd avoid the same letter if at all possible.

I like them as a pair and I think Matilda is far more likely to be Tilly than Matty

If you like Tilly what about Otillie?

I think they sound great together tbh, and they are both terrific names. You could always shorten to matty and tilly.

I know a lot of Matildas and Matthews and none of them go by Matty. Highly unlikely to be an issue. I say if you love both names, go for it

I think the nickname thing is highly unlikely to be an issue- most Matilda's I know have tilda or Tilly as a nickname not matty. Equally any Matthew I know is nicknamed matt rather than Marty.

If you like the names and combo then go for it I say

I hate Matilda. It’s precocious.

What about: Thea, Ava, Madeline?

I know two Matildas. One is Tilly, and the other is Matty. I think Matilda and Matthew are possibly too similar. Ottilie/Ottoline for a girl? (nn Tilly). Is either name non-negotiable? If I had twins, they would be Gertrude and Augustus (Gertie and Gus).

PS Heartysoup, your post made me laugh. Matilda is my DD's fourth middle name. It is there as being relatively standard!!

As others have said, you can influence the nicknames by using them from birth. I like Tilly & Matt/Matt & Tilly.

On a practical note, you can just label all their stuff as M YourSurname. Think of the savings!

Netballhoop, haven't you realised that you can make the same savings by having name-tapes made which say X ILLEELLAILLUD Y and then chop off the first or last initial? Obviously, works if you have only two DC.

Our twins have names starting M and H (that is the order they were born) and the number of “H&M!!” Comments we’ve had is bizarre- it never occurred to us! So I’d say to expect “m&m” comments. Not sure if thats necessarily a bad thing but if it’s likely to annoy you...
We also considered two names with the same initial and I’m glad we didn’t. Just being able to refer to them as M and H in e.g. texts and emails is very handy. At least yours are boy/girl but there’s a lot of scope for confusion with two people with the same first initial and surname born on the same day.
On day 1 of our twins life when they had the newborn hearing test they wrote the results in the wrong red book (one passed and one failed) and so had to consider them both failed and retest them the next day. Just these little mixups that are minor but annoying.
They are both lovely names - actually our M is Matthew :) - but I just wouldn’t use both.

I have two Ms (of which one is a Matilda) and works fine. No MnM comments yet, other than by us. Lovely names and go for them if you want them. There will always be comments from others.

Our daughter is Matilda. DH's twin is Matthew and one of the many reasons we chose the name is because he wanted to incorporate the 'mat' element. If we'd had twins I'm not sure we would have gone for both Matilda and Matthew though because they are quite similar. Our son is called Marlow.

Nice names but (as a mum of twins) I find then a bit too "matchy" and would echo what other parents have said about the handiness of twins having different initials for all sorts of reasons. My two like the fact that they have different initials. We named the second born twin with the name that was nearer to the start of the alphabet, which she really likes because although she's the youngest she gets called first at school etc....these little things matter hugely to all the twins I know !

Our DD is Matilda and if she's been a boy would've been a Matthew.

That's not helpful... I suppose I find them matchy. That Matthew is the male Matilda!

But, why not!

Nice names but too twee and matchy as twins names.

The problem is you can’t control what their friends call them. You may call them Matt and Tilly at home. But if their friends call them Matt and Matty it will just be confusing and irritating.

I think they might be too similar - my DH is Matt / Matthew so we've had to take Matilda off our list! Sad because I think Matilda nn Tilly is fab.