Twin Tuesday: All about naming multiples

I think every name nerd at some point fantasizes about naming twins. Twins are literally double the fun in the naming world.

It's really interesting to study how people name their twins. I love to see the trends, and the ways that people go about naming their multiples. So here is what I've got for you today:

Let's start with popular twin names. According to the SSA, here are the Top 10 most popular twin names for 2013:

* I got this information from pregnancy.about.com. The numbers listed by the names are how many twins were named these names.*

Girl/Girl Twins:

1. Ella, Emma 44
2. Olivia, Sophia 42
3. Gabriella, Isabella 34
4. Faith, Hope 32
5. Ava, Emma 28
6. Isabella, Sophia 25
7. Madison, Morgan
8. Ava, Ella 21
9. Ava, Olivia 21
10. Mackenzie, Madison 21

Boy/Boy Twins:

1. Jacob, Joshua 69
2. Ethan, Evan 54
3. Jayden, Jordan 52
4. Daniel, David 50
5. Matthew, Michael 35
6. Landon, Logan 32
7. Elijah, Isaiah 31
8. Jacob, Joseph 30
9. Jayden, Jaylen 27
10. Isaac, Isaiah 26

Girl/Boy Twins:

1. Madison, Mason 32
2. Emma, Ethan 28
3. Taylor, Tyler 26
4. Madison, Michael 19
5. Jayda, Jayden 17
6. Madison, Matthew 17
7. Samuel, Sophia 17
8. Addison, Aiden 14
9. Olivia, Owen 13
10. Zachary, Zoe 13

Now, these may be the "Most Popular" twin names, but if you look at the numbers, you realize that there aren't actually that many twins in America with these names. But these are the names that are used the most together. Notice the similarities? This list tells me that Americans in general like to name their twins with similar names. This appears to be the trend.

But obviously, there are so many ways to go about naming twins. Let's look at what a few celebrities have chosen for their twins:

 

Jennifer Lopez-- Maximilian "Max" David and Emme Maribel
Julia Roberts-- Hazel Patricia and Phinnaeus "Finn" Walter
Jerry O'Connell-- Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip
Angelina Jolie-- Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon
Mariah Carey-- Moroccan Scott and Monroe (doesn't have a middle.)
Neil Patrick Harris-- Gideon Scott and Harper Grace
Chris Hemsworth-- Tristan and Sasha
Patrick Dempsey-- Sullivan Patrick and Darby Galen
Sarah Jessica Parker-- Marion Loretta "Loretta" Elwell and Tabitha Hodge

(These are just a sample of celebrity twin names over the past 10 years. My favorite? I absolutely adore Dolly and Charlie for a girl twinset. Looove it.)

Modern day celebs take a different approach to naming twins than the majority of the population (as they do with names in general.) I look at this array of names and I'm kind of in awe of the naming genius here. Vivienne Marcheline and Knox Leon are fresh, modern, and are a nod to Angelina Jolie's French heritage. I admire some of these names for their play on sounds; Tristan and Sasha match as twin boy names, because of their soft S sounds. Dolly and Charlie match as girl twin names because of their strong "ee" ending and their nick-namey feel.

 

There are a million and one ways to go about naming multiples. I don't know if I could do it in only 9 months! But somehow people do it, and I applaud you.

 

 

How would I name multiples? Glad you asked. :)

 

 

If I ever had chance (although it doesn't run in mine nor Bradley's family so it's unlikely), I would try to use mine and Bradley's initials for both twins. Our intials are JB and KB, so I'd try to make my twin names match those. Buuut if I had twin girls, it'd be a different story. There is really only one K girl name that I like enough to actually use for my daughter (and that Bradley would actually let me use), and it's not my absolute favorite.

 

But if I didn't have to go through Bradley first, Jubilee Bryn and Kanaan Beatrice would be crazy cute biblical girl names. A name nerd can dream...