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I prefer ones that are 'completely different'

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In sounded and spelling, at least, though still somewhat similar in style. The rest of the 'types' are a bit tacky, imo.

Completely different meanings, different first initials usually, but the same style. I also like similar endings instead of beginnings.

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Alice & Charlotte
Gisèle & Cécile
Imogen & Cecily
Julia & Sophia
Mary & Lucy
Sarah & Laura

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Asa & Ezra
Eamon & Rowan
Eamonn & Lachlann
James & John
Luke & Jude
Robert & Thomas

I like twins to have completely different names. They have to share everything else, (room, b'day etc). I want my twin boys to have have their own identity and feel like an individual, instead of feeling like one person.

I think rhyming sets are awful; in fact most of these 'twin' names shouldn't be done on purpose IMO. It's different if two of your favourite names that you'd use anyway are anagrams, or start with the same letter (unless your two favourite names are Heaven and Nevaeh :-S). I kind of like the same meaning idea, but again I wouldn't do it if that meant having to purposefully look for names that had similar meanings, only if I already had two names that 'matched' like that. My mum and her sister are identical twins, (Beth and Jan - the only way they could be considered 'matchy' is that they have the same number of syllables, but so does their older sister, so I don't think it was on purpose), and she said that they used to get mixed up far less frequently than another set of (non-identical) twins at their school called Karen and Sharon.

Completley different!

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I'd name twins the exact same names that I'd name two singletons. I'd name two daughters Xanthe and Opal, and I'd name twin girls Xanthe and Opal. It wouldn't change just because thye happened to be twins- in fact, I'm much more likely to use similar-sounding names on siblings that on twins- siblings usually arn't going to be spending the rest of their lives being constantly mistaken for the other sibling.

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They are their own people with their own ideas and should be named as such. Oh- and I don't mind same-letter twinsets, such as Emily and Elizabeth, if the names are different enough, and they are both names the parents love. WHen they choose a name because it HAS to match, rather than just one they love- well, I'm not a fan of that.

I don't really think it matters. If the parents want to name their twins something totally different or exactly the same, then they should.

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However, I must put in my two cents. =) I sort of like when the names have some meaning to them, not particularly the same meaning though.

I like names with the same, opposite or matchy meanings for twins:

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Daphne and Laurel (laurel)
Dove and Solomon (peace)
Guinevere and Fionn (white)
Diana and George (moon and earth) - ok, this one is kinda vague
Piper and Lyra (music related)

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Totally different is fine too. I don't think names that can be obviously connected are a good idea though.

I like same first letter or completely different best for naming twins (or more).

The only thing that bugs me is rhyming names, i.e. Hayley and Kayley.

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I kinda think anagrams are cool (Aidan and Nadia..even though I dislike Aidan). And if I did use the same initial, it wouldn't be on purpose. Right now I'm liking Vanessa and Veronica. I'd use what I liked regardless of the initials.

This message was edited 3/24/2008, 3:28 PM

I'd definitely go for different, though I don't mind the names starting with the same first letter as long as they're not too matchy.

Since they are two different people I think you should name them names that you like and would name your child if it only was one child. Don't see them as twins, see them as two individual children. So the last one for me, two different names.

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some twins I know:
Oscar and Eric
Martin and Elin
Kristina and Susannah
Jonna and Rebecka

This message was edited 3/24/2008, 2:41 PM

Completely 100% different names. Like I_Love_Jesus said, they have their own identity. I think it's okay if they have names that start with the same first letter but as long as they don't sound similar or are variations of eachother etc.

Totally different. The twins will already be mixed up constantly, and similar names just add to the problem.

They have their own identity, so different.

The best way to name twins in my opinion is to treat them as individuals and use the names you would use for two single born children.

I like the idea of a "hidden theme" in a twinset, with names that have similar meanings but look totally different, such as Malka and Regina or Shulamit and Irene. But anything obviously matchy, or similar sounding names is silly IMO, especially considering it's generally said that twins should be as individual as possible. Giving names like Emma and Ella or Bryan and Ryan seems to imply they aren't really different people.
It's also a practice that seems not to really exist outside of English-speaking countries: all twinsets I've met are pretty random: Giovanna and Teresa, Valentina and Margherita, Francesca and Isabella.

I would say different or completely different. I know for a fact that if I ever have twins I will use the names I like the most not names that fit twins. That's just weird imo like there are different criteria for naming twins and naming siblings.

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Being a twin myself I know my parents didn't use a theme on purpose and I'm glad they didn't. They just used the names the liked when naming us. Although I do see a theme; Caroline and Terése are both French, I don't think it's obvious at all. (They were also considering Carolina and Teresa which I think would have been more obvious)

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Completely different. Twins have their own personalities and deserve to be treated as individuals. Variations are okay, so long as the names are different enough that most people can't tell that the names are related (like Isabel and Elizabeth). The Same Meaning category can also be quite clever, again, as long as the average person can't immediately guess that there's a theme behind the names (like Hannah and Grace).

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The most barfworthy category isn't mentioned on your list, and that's the Rhyming twinset. Imagine meeting a little Macy and Stacy, or Ronald and Donald. Blech!

Completely different would be my choice.

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I strongly dislike obvious themes. Subtle ones are OK and can even make me like the names more. But nothing obvious.

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Variations on the same name is just insulting to the child. Read: you're not an individual, but a copy of the other one. Ick.

This message was edited 3/24/2008, 12:05 PM

I go with names that are completely different, but compliment each other at the same time. For example, if I had B/G twins right now, I would name them Rhys and Nora. They're two different names, but they sound lovely together.

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I really dislike rhyming or matching twinsets, I know a Julie and Jolie twinset (both friends of mine) and it gets so confusing at times. Another set I know is Derral and Sheryl, it just seems tacky IMO.

I like Isabel and Elizabeth. It's interesting, since they're not totally the same (such as Valerie and Valeria, Anne and Anna, etc.) Something like Michelle and Michaela would be cool, too.

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I also like the same meaning ones, if it's not blatantly obvious that the meanings are the same. Like Daphne and Laura or Phoebe and Clara/Claire (maybe even Katherine, since it can mean pure also.)

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Twins I've met seem to be pretty different though - Samantha and Meghan, Emily and Andrew, Hayley and Nicolette... I also knew quads named Patrick, Alana, Moria, and Thomas, with a little sister named Deirdre.

This message was edited 3/24/2008, 12:27 PM

Same first letter -Emily and Elizabeth I like Emily but not Elizabeth but same first name is nice idea

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Matchy - Faith and Hope I don't know why but I love both of them and the idea

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Same meaning - Hannah and Grace I don't like the names or the idea

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Variations - Isabel and Elizabeth I don't like the names or the idea

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Completely different - Laura and Michelle I don't like the names butr I rely like the idea

I like the same first letter. Emily and Elizabeth are great together. The names are close enough to get the twin thing but not the same at all. None of them are bad though.