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Multiple births

When do you start showing with twins? What is life with twins like? Join the conversation on our Multiple Births forum.

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Original poster

Same sex twins - how to decide which gets which name?!

22 replies

soon2bmumof3 · 17/10/2012 13:04

Currently debating this as our twin boys are due on friday. If you have same sex twins (or more) how did you decide which name to use for which twin? Was it just first one born will be X and second one Y? Or did you wait to see their faces and decide who best suited each name?

OP posts:

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chesticles · 17/10/2012 13:36

I decided that the one born first would have the name lower down the alphabet. That way the younger twin would come first sometimes, for instance in school registers. It wasn't a major reason to me, but had no other factors to decide which boy got which name.

mrsdaisaku · 17/10/2012 19:13

I'm due in december and expecting two girls. For us we have made the decision based on the little personalities they appear to have already. One is slightly smaller but more active, the other is slightly bigger and likes to go for my ribs (so she's more mischievous) so given them the names that suit them best on those factors... Whether it will work out that way once they are born is another thing entirely :)

spyinglife · 17/10/2012 19:20

I thought long & hard about exactly this when pregnant with same sex twins!

I didn't come to any conclusions & when they were born changed the names chosen pre birth to entirely new ones which definitely were picked specifically for them individually.

Handsfulloffun · 17/10/2012 19:38

We have twin boys - although we did not know what we were having until they were born, so we had 3 different combinations of names we liked.

So yes we did it first one born will be X and second Y. We were really stuck between 2 boys names and couldnt decide which of our choices we would use if we had b/g twins.

WhyMeWhyNot · 17/10/2012 19:48

I love your idea chesticles

DeadQODy · 17/10/2012 19:55

For those that have twins, do you always use their names the same way round?

When I was at primary, I knew Esme and Sara, identical twins, never ever ever were they Sara and Esme.

If you do, is it always the older? I mean my mum refers to my sis and I as "QOD's sis and QOD" as I'm younger

Handsfulloffun · 17/10/2012 20:48

Yes we always say their names the same way round, T2 goes first then T1. It just rolls of the toungue nicely that way. when writing their names - in cards etc I put T1 first. Not to sure why - just do.

RedBlanket · 17/10/2012 21:04

We both loved one name and had a couple of options for the second name. First born got the one we both loved, DT2 got one of our other options.

We always say DT2, DT1 the other way round just sounds wrong. Like handafuloffun i swap round on cards to redress the balance

Desiren · 17/10/2012 21:37

My boys are named the same way as Chesticles, wanted DT2 to come first sometimes.

WineOhWhy · 17/10/2012 21:44

Friend has girl twins. She did not know in advance what she was having so they chose 2 girls names, 2 boys names and had pretty much decided which girl's name and which boy's names they woud use if had one of each. Twins asked her recently which name she woud have used if she had had one of each. Potentially an awkward conversation for the twin with the other name!

Aspiemum2 · 17/10/2012 21:58

We didn't know what we were having so when the first one was born (girl) we gave her our only favourite girl name. Luckily our next was a boy so we didn't have to worry about thinking of another one as gave him our favourite boy name.

If we'd had a second girl we would have waited to see what suited her and just not told anyone our names until they both had one

jellybeans · 17/10/2012 22:01

We just decided first one out would have a certain name and second one the other. Never knew which was which in the womb to name them! I had anterior placenta..Always call them same way round although some others do it the other way.

Original poster

soon2bmumof3 · 17/10/2012 22:02

Thanks all, I have heard about the alphabetical thing before so might go with that then. We're like you tho red blanket, like one name more and ive been called T1 that already in my head but as its lower down the alphabet I'd have to swap them now. Obviously I can do that but seems a little odd as T1 much more active than T2 so have a vision in my head of his personality!

OP posts:

silverangel · 18/10/2012 10:44

I did the same as Chesticles - I read about it in a twin book and it said as people always ask who was born first then at least the other one would be alphabetically first!

silverangel · 18/10/2012 10:44

I did the same as Chesticles - I read about it in a twin book and it said as people always ask who was born first then at least the other one would be alphabetically first!

gardenpixies32 · 18/10/2012 15:48

We decided on 2 names and gave them the names about a week after they were born. It was very clear to us who suited which name and now, 3 weeks later, we definitely made the right choice.

gardenpixies32 · 18/10/2012 15:49

Plus we got fed up of them being called Twin 1 and Twin 2 in the hospital!

sandyballs · 20/10/2012 08:18

We decided the minute we saw them. DD1 came out and we both said "now she is def a ***.". The names just suited them. Wouldn't work if they're identical!

throckenholt · 20/10/2012 08:43

Mine was easy - one was much smaller than the other - the are Tim and Ben and no way were we going to saddle them with Tiny Tim and Big Ben - so the littlie got Ben .

I usually write their names in the same order (DH uses a different order), but not when talking to or about them - that is more random. And we don't make a big deal about who is the elder - although they do know (and make a little bit of it among themselves).

instantfamily · 22/10/2012 11:15

I was "forced" to give DDs their names in the operating theatre - all by myself so that the nurse could write something on the bracelets.

DH and I had not talked about it before going in for the cesarean as I thought I would have a few days to give the names that were on our list. In my daze, I gave the names in the order in which we had agreed on them which also happens to be in alphabetical order.

A few days after the birth I had the idea of changing them around but as we had already used them it seemed silly.

Even later I thought I should have given the nurse their pregnancy pet names Huey, Dewey and Louie.

LeChatRouge · 25/10/2012 23:43

I didn't know what I was having, so we had names picked for two boys, two girls and then different names altogether if boy and girl.

First boy born, the staff wanted a name for the bracelet, but I said we had to wait until the next one, so he did get Twin 1 on his band (I still have this, it is so so so tiny, he was 4lb 5oz and is now 18yrs old). We then waited until second boy was born.....in the 'break' we did discuss the chosen names again.

When Twin 2 was born and I saw his face, I completely changed my mind! So, the first one got the name destined for the BG twin and Twin 2 got the name destined for Twin 1.

They pretty much are always T1 and T2, it flows better due to the syllables.

LeChatRouge · 25/10/2012 23:47

Ooh forgot to ask, OP did you have your babies?!

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