Congratulations on having twins! After the initial shock wears off, expecting two bundles of joy can induce overwhelming feelings of happiness, but also moments of being just plain overwhelmed. Now you need to prepare double of everything, including two names. Choosing one name can seem daunting enough, now two can seem at times impossible. Fortunately, there are many creative ways to come up with twin names that will fit your two little ones. The most important thing to remember in the process is that although your twins share the same looks and birth date, it is important to see them as individuals as well. Here are five suggestions on how to zero in on two ideal twin names.
1. Rhyming names
It might be tempting to rhyme your twins’ names, since it would be cute, especially when they are little. It is important to think long-term and remember that when they get older it is not as endearing to have rhyming names with their sibling, just as dressing alike becomes less adorable. Another downside of having twins with rhyming names is that since they sound similar they can easily be mixed up. Imagine calling for Mike, when both Mike and Ike come, because they both thought they heard their names. When you consider rhyming, focus on longer names or those that could include nicknames that do not rhyme.
2. Names that start with the same letter
Naming both your twins with names that start with the same letter has its pros and cons. Mike and Michelle seem to roll of the tongue and are names that provide unity to your children. The downside through is that your twins might see these names as too close to each other and want to have more independence from one another. If you are really keen on the idea, a good compromise is to find names that start with the same letter but are vastly different from each other and have a different numbers of syllables, like Sloan and Samantha or Brett and Barbara.
3. Anagrams
This technique rearranges the letters in a name so that it becomes a different one all together, providing you with two different names. An example of this is Nadia and Aidan. This is a highly creative way to discover pairs of names for your twins and will allow for them to share a similar name source, but allow for uniqueness at the same time. The downside is that there will be less options for names and that it will take a little extra research to discover an anagram that you like.
4. Theme names
There are many different themes that you can choose from when naming your twins, whether it is religious, nature-oriented or cultural. From Iris and Violet, to Faith and Jesus, the options are endless. Another option is too choose names that have the same meaning, for example Clara and Gwen, which both mean light or Asher and Felix, which both mean happy. It is important to check all the meanings behind the names and make sure that they are both positive in nature.
5. Having twins with popular names
The Social Security Administration compiles a list every year of the top twin names for both boys and girls. Choosing any of these names can make it easier on your twins, because everyone will be familiar with these names and they will not have any trouble with spelling or pronunciation as they go through life. On the other hand, popular names can cause confusion because there are bound to be peers with the same name as well. Imagine your twins always hearing their names being called, but not sure whether it is for them or not because there are others with the same name. One trick that some parents use is to use popular names from decades ago, just to get ideas and see what stands out to you!
Featured photo credit: Flickr via flickr.com
