If you have found out you will be expecting twins, you now have the job of choosing not one but two names. Most people find choosing a name for one baby an arduous task as it is!
For twins, you will want to approach their names like most other things in their life. You will most likely want to match them while also finding a way to make them distinct from each other.
Tips for choosing your twin baby names
- Try to stick to a theme, such as names that start with the same letter, or both names inspired by nature, two names that rhyme with each other, or that end with the same sound.
- You could choose the names so they rhyme or at least sound similar.
- Naomi Dorland has some tips. She is a twin mum and founder of Twinfo, an online community and directory for multiple birth parents.
- She says, “Choosing names for twins and triplets is a more complex task than you might think. These are questions you need to answer before you even start to think of names.”
- Are you planning on having middle names? Do you have family names you wish to honour?
- How matchy matchy do you want them to be or not to be? For example, are you planning on having rhyming names (ie Blake and Jake) or themed names (i.e. Floral – Poppy and Daisy), names that start with the same letter (i.e. Kate and Kane) or themes from Star Wars (i.e. Luke and Leia), royal names (Andrew and Charlotte) or do you want completely non matching names (Astrid and John)?
- Are you finding out the gender? If not, you need to think of potentially six first names (girl/girl and boy/boy and also boy/girl – as you may decide on a totally different name set if you have different genders).
- Say the names out loud: Dorland suggests, “Go to a park and YELL those names. In all orders, with all possible shortened nickname combinations. There is a very good chance you will be yelling out those names a lot in the future!” Doing this can ensure they flow well together, especially when you say both the names together.
Decide who gets which name: For same gender twins, you will need to decide which baby gets which name. Dorland says one way is to let siblings choose which baby gets which name. This may help the siblings feel more involved.
“Or maybe they seem to suit their names based on their movements in the womb. Ethan, which has a Hebrew meaning of strong and firm, may be your more active baby. While Beau means beautiful and gentle, which may be for your more chilled out baby in utero.”
Below are some themes for matching twin names to consider:
Boy and girl twin names with similar meanings
Laszlo and Orlando
Meaning “famous”.
Andrew and Andrea
These two names mean “manly”, even though Andrea is a feminine name.
Frederica and Milo
Both mean “peaceful”.
Jade and Jayden
Both mean “stone of the side”. Jayden became popular after Britney Spears chose it as a name for one of her sons. Jayden is the male equivalent of Jade.
Esme and Imogen
Meaning “beloved”.
Arthur and Orson
Meaning ‘’bear’’.
Pallas and Ramona
Meaning ‘’wise’’.
Oliver and Olivia
Meaning “olive tree’’. Oliver is now a hugely popular name, having held the top spot.
Asher and Felix
Meaning ‘’happy’’.
Ada and Oberon
Meaning ‘’noble’’.
Cyrus and Surya
Meaning ‘’sun’’.
Jonah and Jemima
Both these names mean “dove”.
Brianna and Brian
Meaning ‘’noble’’.
Benedict and Winifred
Meaning ‘’blessed’’.
Twin names that start with the same letter
Twin girls
Abigail and Amy
Sadie and Sasha
Natalie and Nicole
Harper and Hazel
Twin boys
Matthew and Michael
Jacob and Joseph
Ethan and Evan
Jet and Jasper
Landon and Logan
Jackson and Joseph
Curtis and Cooper
Garrett and Graham
Twin boys and girls
Ava and Alexander
Alexander and Abigail
Brian and Brianna
Connor and Chloe
William and Sophia
Tyler and Taylor
Samuel and Sophia
Luke and Lily
Mila and Max
Landon and London
Charlie and Charlotte
Julia and James
Samuel and Sophia
Zoe and Zachary
Isabella, Isaiah
Michael and Madison
Ava and Aiden
Quincy and Quin
Patrick and Poloma
Dillan and Delanie
Riley and Reagan
Ella and Ethan
Emma and Evan
Jayden and Jayda
Emma and Ethan
Twin names that rhyme
Twin girls
Abby and Gabby
Isabella and Sophia
Ava and Emma
Amanda and Miranda
Olivia and Sophia
Hazel and Laurel
Gabriella and Isabella
Sadie and Katie
Hannah and Sarah
Faith and Grace
Twin boys
Ian and Ryan
John and Shaun
Marley and Rory
Hunter and Walker
Sawyer and Cooper
Daniel and Nathaniel
Olive and Xavier
Jordan and Justin
Boy and girl twins
Marie and Zachary
Sam and Pam
Madison and Mason
Wilson and Alison
Finn and Quinn
Isaiah and Isabella
Addison and Aiden
Reversed names to match for twins
Leon and Noel
Nadia and Aidan
Ari and Ira
Heaven and Neveah
Using anagrams
Dorland suggests, “A cute but not in your face matchy matchy way of naming but still has a special twin connection, is to use an anagram. Here you use the letters in one name and rearrange them to form another. Examples include Liam and Mila or Aidan and Diana.
Nature inspired matching twin names
With nature increasingly being drawn upon for inspiration for names, here are some that go well together for twin babies.
Boy and girl twins
Clover and Cliff
Cliff can be short for Clifford, while Clover has associations with good luck.
Pine and Petunia
Pine can be a gender-neutral name, while Petunia comes from the beautiful flower.
Hawk and Wren
Leo and Ivy
Dove and River
Winter and Summer
Gale and Tempest
Girl twins
Clementine and Cerise
Cerise is French for cherry, while Clementines is an orange.
Summer and Autumn
Rose and Lily
Boy twins
Jet and Jasper
Both are types of special stones.
Kai and Knox
Kai is a Hawaiian name for “sea” and Knox is a name from Scotland meaning “round hill”.
River and Phoenix
Don’t forget that you can always use the Huggies Baby Name Generator to your advantage to help you come up with interesting combinations based on your desire for meanings or initials. With thousands of names to choose from, be inspired by popular, unique and original baby names.
REFERENCES
https://nameberry.com/blog/twin-names-the-ultimate-guide
https://www.sheknows.com/feature/top-boy-girl-twin-names-819774/
https://www.parents.com/baby-names/ideas/twins/twin-baby-names-finding-the-perfect-pair/
Written by Tracey Cheung, April 2023. Tracey is a freelance writer with particular interest in writing about topics that promote health and wellness in the community. As a mother she has personal experience in writing content that helps other parents.
Last Published* May, 2024
*Please note that the published date may not be the same as the date that the content was created and that information above may have changed since.
