Baby names for twins

It can be hard enough finding a name you’re both crazy about for one baby, let alone two. But with more moms-to-be than ever finding out that they’re expecting twins, you might have to pinpoint two names you both love.

On the other hand, if you’re among the lucky expectant parents who have a long list of favorites then being able to use more of them is an added bonus! And it can really help with family politics… let’s face it, if you’re expecting one precious baby and you love your own mom’s name and your mom-in-law’s name just as much, then which Grandma (or Grandpa, if you know you’re expecting a boy) will be lucky enough to have the new arrival named for them? What a relief if it’s twins and you can use both names!

Family names aside, do you give your twin babies similar names to play up that connection and deep bond between them, or do you choose names that sound different, in the hope of helping your children forge different identities from each other? You need to keep in mind that similar-sounding names – for example, Tyler and Taylor, or Kayla and Kyla – might result in people treating your children as if they are one entity instead of two separate babies. And Christopher and Christian will likely both end up being shortened to Chris by their friends! One way of getting around this is to choose two names that are different but have the same meaning – for example, Hannah, which means ‘grace’ could be matched with the name Grace if your twins are girls.

And what about names that start with the same letter? If you love the idea of similar sounding names you might want to go down that route… statistics show that giving both twins names beginning with the letter J or M is especially popular – but don’t forget that when it comes to labeling books and possessions for school, having the same initial and family name could cause confusion (as it also could with email addresses, test scores and credit reports as your kids grow up!).

One other thing to keep in mind is that you really want to choose two names that are either unusual and striking, or simple – mixing those concepts could create an imbalance between your children. For example, if you name one twin girl Madison but name the other Mary, poor little Mary may well feel overshadowed throughout her whole life by her glamorous-sounding sister! And our final word of warning: if you have a boy girl mix don’t even think about Luke and Leia – not even if you’re the biggest Star Wars fan in the galaxy!

Here are the most popular names for twins so far this year…

For girls:

1. Ella, Emma
2. Madison, Morgan
3. Gabriella, Isabella
4. Faith, Hope
5. Mackenzie, Madison
6. Hailey, Hannah
7. Isabella, Sophia
8. Olivia, Sophia
9. Ava, Emma
10. Isabella, Olivia

For boys:

1. Jacob, Joshua
2. Matthew, Michael
3. Daniel, David
4. Isaac, Isaiah
5. Taylor, Tyler
6. Landon, Logan
7. Brandon, Bryan
8. Christian, Christopher
9. Andrew, Matthew
10. Joseph, Joshua

For a boy and a girl:

1. Madison, Matthew
2. Emily, Ethan
3. Jayden, Jordan
4. Madison, Mason
5. Emma, Ethan
6. Hayden, Hunter
7. Natalie, Nathan
8. Jordan, Justin
9. Megan, Morgan
10. Zachary, Zoe

Still stuck? See our baby namer for a database of thousands of names, and read naming your baby, urban cool baby names, tropical baby names and exotic baby names for more inspiration; plus baby name do’s and don’ts for more tips on how to choose the perfect baby name.