To Rhyme or Not to Rhyme

The Fun of Naming Multiples

By Alexandria Powell

As a mom of twins and a founder of a group for parents of multiples, Christa Lawcock can tell you that the issue of naming "goes every which way." But for Lawcock and her husband the choice was clear avoid too much similarity.

"We did not want rhyming names or names that all started with the same letter," says the Arizona mom. "My husband and I are both 'Chris,' and there is nothing worse than having to ask over and over and over again, 'male or female?' Although we did joke in our Lamaze class that we were going to name our kids Chris and Chris. You should have heard the silence!" The Lawcocks eventually went with the names Max and Samantha for their boy/girl twins.

Choosing names for multiples can be twice or more than twice as much work as choosing a name for a singleton. But it also canbe twice as much fun.

Sally Phillips from southern Illinois is an adult twin. When Phillips and her sister, Suzanne, were born, her grandfather jokingly suggested that the girls be named Milly and Lilly. "This didn't go over well with my mother, since our last name was Pond!" says Phillips. "So much for rhyming our names."

While Phillips and her sister missed out on the rhyming names, they do have the same first initial a trend that has long been well-loved among parents of multiples and one that remains popular today.

"Of the 15 top twin pairings last year, 13 of them began with the same initial, the most popular being Jacob and Joshua, Matthew and Michael, Daniel and David, Ethan and Evan and Taylor and Tyler," says Linda Rosenkrantz, co-author of Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana (St. Martin's, 2006). "No matter how much experts advise individualizing twins and encouraging independent identities, I think the majority of parents [of multiples] will continue to give them matching names, just as they persist in dressing them in matching outfits."

In fact, it's often a good idea to choose names that are similar and harmonious in style and feel, says Rosenkrantz. For instance, a highly feminine or masculine name might be a poor choice with an androgynous name, and a lengthy name might sound odd paired with a name that is very short.

Want to see more?

• One of Each: Expecting Boy/Girl Twins
• From Romeo to Juliet: The Power of the Name
• "You're Naming Her What?": 9 Rules for Discussing Names
• Talk about it!