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Naming any baby can be a challenge. Your challenge is double as you have to come up with two sets of names for your twins.
Here are several things to remember and helpful tips for naming your twins.
Remember Individuality
Twins may arrive on the same day and look the same, but each twin is an individual person.
So remember your twins’ individuality when deciding on what names to give your twins.
You may be tempted to give your twins rhyming names. Although this may sound cute, don’t do it. Your twins will have to live with their names their entire lives.
(RELATED: Love podcasts? Check out the entire Dad's Guide to Twins Podcast archive for additional twin tips and interviews with twin dads.)
Questions to Ask When Naming Twins
Put any potential twin name to the test:
- Will your twin baby’s name still sound good, professional, and practical when she heads off to college?
- How about on a resume for a job?
- As a byline in a news article?
- On that Nobel Prize she will win?
Many of the same questions that come up with naming a single baby are applicable to naming twins:
- Does this name remind me of someone else I liked or disliked?
- What are the nicknames for this name?
- What do the initials for this name spell? Anything we’d regret?
- Do we want to honor a family member by using that name?
- How easy is the name to spell and say? Will the twins constantly be correcting people their entire lives?
Cut the cute crap and give your twins a name that will still sound good long after they outgrow their newborn diapers.
Start with the Same Letter
Many twin parents will name their twins both starting with the same letter. For example, Matthew and Michael.
This can be clever but you may end up stuttering when calling to them since they both start with the same sound.
Birth Order
During those countless ultrasounds you get during the twin pregnancy, your twins will constantly be referred to as Baby A and Baby B.
(RELATED: Still looking for the right twin gear? See my Twin Baby Gear Essentials.)
When naming your twins, you can use the “A” and “B” as the basis for a name. For example, Abigail and Benjamin.
Paired Names
When naming your twins, you may be tempted to use a name pair which naturally groups them together. For example, Faith and Hope.
Be careful with paired names as they unintentionally group your twins together for better or worse. Others will already struggle with dealing with your twins as individuals and not just “the twins”. Paired names could reinforce that your twins are a pair and not unique.
Using a Theme for Twin Names
You may want to have twin baby names that fit a theme. This could be two names that are related but each stand on their own. For example, Irish, French, Spanish (or another language) name based on your family history and heritage.
(NOTE: Still expecting? Get weekly updates on your twin pregnancy here.)
The twins’ names may also be themed around place names, nature, ethnicity, or religious references.
Be sure to keep it positive. You don’t want your babies to have names that when translated, have some negative meanings.
Avoid Stereotypical Twin Names
Please, at all costs, avoid naming your kids some stereotypical twin name pairs like Luke and Leia or Bonnie and Clyde. Hey, I love Star Wars as much as the next guy, but I’m not putting that burden on my twin babies.
Not Too Similar Names
You don’t want your twins to be confused with one another. Very similar names like Jayden and Kayden could be a problem. Medical and school records are just one place where your twins can get mixed up. Put them in the other’s class at school? No problem. Give them the other’s medicine? Potential disaster.
Everyone else that interacts with your twins won’t know them as well as you. Others need all the help they can to distinguish between your twins. This is especially true in recordkeeping and computer systems whose data entry is done by someone other than you.
Balance in All Things
Not all names are created equal. If you name one twin Jacob and the other Jehoshaphat, things will be a bit out of balance. You’d have one twin with a very easy to say and spell name and the other with a life-long naming challenge.
Name them both with quick, easy to spell and pronounce names or double down on the challenge for both. Don’t pick a favorite this early by bestowing them an “easy” name.
Twin Names that Mean “Twin”
You can be sneaky and name your twins a name that actually means “twin.” That can be your private inside joke as most people will never know. If your family or relatives come from another country, you might be able to honor that tradition by using names from that location or language.
Ambiguously Unisex
Avoid unisex names that can be used for both a boy or girl (like Taylor,Jessie, Drew, or Avery). These are challenging enough with a singleton child. If you have boy/girl twins, people won’t know what to call them if the names aren’t clearly masculine and feminine.
No Relation at All
Don’t get so focused on the perfect pair of twin names that you forget each child’s unique nature. It is perfectly fine to pick two names that have nothing in common. As you’ll see with your twins, each will be totally unique and their names are a reflection of that.
For our twin girls, we ended up with a name we pulled from our family history and one that we just liked how it sounded. They weren’t paired together nor did they rhyme or start with the same letter.
Final Twin Name Check
Go to your back door, open the door, and yell into the backyard your two twin names in rapid succession as if you were calling them for dinner.
Do they sound good? Will your neighbors think you’re crazy when they hear those names over the coming years?
If your names pass this final test, you’re good to go.
It is OK to Wait
Once you settle on a pair of names that you like for your twins, it is OK to wait until they are born to decide which name goes with each baby. This way you’ll see each of your twins and get a feel for if Baby A is really a match for the name you had picked out for Baby B.
Your twins will grow into the names you give them. Regardless of your name choice, it won’t be too long before you couldn’t picture them with any other name. You’ll also forget all the dozens (or hundreds) of names you considered before narrowing it down.
Still need some inspiration? See some popular twin names below. Note that many of these twin name pairs break some of the rules above. You’ll need to focus on what is important for you and your family and that may just be a few of my recommendations above.
Best of luck naming your twins!
If you’ve already picked names for your twins, let us know in the comments how you came to that decision.
Twin Names for Girls
Here are some popular girl twin name pairs:
- Olivia, Sophia
- Gabriella, Isabella
- Ella, Emma
- Faith, Hope
- Makayla, Makenzie
- Isabella, Sophia
- Mackenzie, Madison
- Hailey, Hannah
- Abigail, Olivia
- Ava, Emma
- Ava, Olivia
- Ava, Mia
- Emma, Olivia
- Ava, Ella
- Isabella, Olivia
- London, Paris
- Faith, Grace
- Haylee, Kaylee
- Samantha, Sophia
- Abigail, Emily
- Anna, Emma
- Chloe, Zoey
- Elizabeth, Emma
- Emily, Evelyn
- Abigail, Emma
- Abigail, Sophia
- Sarah, Sophia
- Elizabeth, Katherine
- Emily, Olivia
- Emma, Sophia
- Natalie, Nicole
Twin Names for Boys
Having twin boys? Here are some popular boy name pairs:
- Daniel, David
- Jacob, Joshua
- Isaac, Isaiah
- Jayden, Jordan
- Ethan, Evan
- Elijah, Isaiah
- Matthew, Michael
- Ethan, Nathan
- Landon, Logan
- Logan, Lucas
- Caleb, Joshua
- James, John
- Jeremiah, Josiah
- Logan, Luke
- Alexander, Benjamin
- Andrew, Matthew
- Chance, Chase
- Alexander, Nicholas
- Gabriel, Michael
- Jacob, Joseph
- Andrew, Benjamin
- Andrew, Anthony
- Benjamin, Samuel
- Christian, Christopher
- Brandon, Bryan
- Jacob, Lucas
- Liam, Logan
- Nathan, Noah
- Alexander, Andrew
- Alexander, Anthony
- Elijah, Ethan
- Nathan, Nicholas
- Aiden, Ethan
- Aiden, Noah
- Jason, Justin
- Logan, Mason
- Nicholas, Noah
- Benjamin, William
- Garrett, Gavin
- Henry, William
- Jeremiah, Jeremy
- Jonah, Noah
- Jordan, Justin
- Matthew, Nathan
Twin Names for Boy/Girl Twins
Here are some popular boy/girl twin names:
- Olivia, Owen
- Emma, Ethan
- Isabella, Isaiah
- Emily, Ethan
- Ella, Ethan
- Alexander, Isabella
- Ethan, Olivia
- Aiden, Ava
- Abigail, Andrew
- Abigail, Benjamin
- Alexander, Sophia
- Emily, Matthew
- Emma, John
- Charlotte, Henry
- Elizabeth, William
- Isaac, Isabella
- Samuel, Sophia
- Addison, Jackson
- Andrew, Emma
- Ava, Jackson
- Emma, Jack
- Emma, Jacob
- Isabella, Jacob
- Robert, Sophia
- Zane, Zoey
- Abigail, Alexander
- Abigail, Jacob
- Abigail, Zachary
- Addison, Austin
Read more about names and the other things you need to get ready for your twins in my book, the Dad’s Guide to Twins: How to Survive the Twin Pregnancy and Prepare for Your Twins.
Picture by Brian McGuirk
