Updated December 01, 2014.
Naming one baby is hard enough. But when you're faced with naming twins or other multiples, the number of names you need multiples with each baby! Never fear, there are some hints available to help ease your tension over choosing names for your multiples.
Birth Order
A, B, C, D... The order in which your babies are born is their birth order. They will be labeled with a letter, depending on what their birth order is.
So baby A was born first, baby B second, etc. (Note: This may be different than their labeled letter while in your uterus, as that is determined by who is closest to your cervix.)
Some parents choose to let birth order assist them in naming their multiples. So baby A becomes Adam and baby B becomes Brian. Some parents claim this helps keep the babies straight.
Zygosity
Zygosity is a fancy way of saying whether or not your twins (or other multiples) are identical (monozygotic) or fraternal (dizygotic). You may decide to let this influence your naming selections. Do identical twins get names that are more similar than fraternal twins?
Gender
Does the gender of your twins influence your naming? Would you name two girls, regardless of zygosity similar sounding names? Perhaps you would only consider names that are similar if the children were identical. It may also depend on if you have girl/girl twins, girl/boy twins or boy/boy twins or other multiples.
Matching Names
Zygosity may not matter to you.
You've been dying to use cute matching names forever. Multiple birth gives you your chance. Be forewarned... Lots of parents of multiples choose to give matching names to multiples. When you do this you run the risk of getting the kids confused. (Did you say Madison or Madeline?) You also run the risk of confusing everyone else.
Questions to ask yourself about naming multiples:
- Does the name emphasize that my children are a pair? (Jack and Jill)
- If yes, is that what I want?
- Are the names easily confused for one another? (Mia and Nia)
- Do they have the same initials? (Amy Elise and Amanda Elliot)
- Are their names stand alone for when they are older?
- Do they have easy alternatives for nick names?
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