Twin Boy Names: Shared First InitialTime for #namegames, this time with twin boy names. We’re choosing pairs with a shared first initial. Think John and James, only more creative.

This list is meant for fun, of course, but it might prove helpful if you’re choosing twin boy names, or even just brothers. While some families avoid sharing initials – even if it means ruling out a favorite name – others embrace it as a way to link their kids’ names.

Twin Boy Names: A, B, and C

Asher + August – Both names feel a little different, but they’re quickly becoming staples for boys born in this generation. Asher means happy, and while August’s meaning is far more, well, grand and august, it carries the joy and light of high summer, too.

Beau + Briggs – They’re both short, complete names. Besides the B, they share a rugged, but gentlemanly vibe. Perfect for brothers!

Conrad + Clark – Slightly offbeat, but still nicely traditional, Conrad and Clark seem like they could be part of the next wave of retro revival names for boys.

Twin Boy Names: D, E, and F

Dante + Dash – Both names sound athletic, but they have literary backstories, too. Writer Dante Alighieri of Inferno fame comes to mind, but don’t forget Dashiell Hammett, 20th century detective novelist.

Eli + Ezra – A pair of Old Testament names with a modern sound, both names carry appealing meanings. Eli comes from the Hebrew word for ascension, while Ezra means help.

Francis + Frederic – Impeccable classics, but both underused. You might call them Frankie and Freddie, but I like them when used in full.

Twin Boy Names: G, H, and I

Gareth + Giles – From an American perspective, both names sound like little British gentlemen. They’re rare, but instantly familiar – another plus.

Hardy + Hale – Hardy and Hale are surname names, linked by more than just the letter H. If you’re hardy, you’re capable and strong. And if you’re hale? Then you’re robust. The subtle similarities in the meanings make this a perfect pair.

Ike + Ivo – I love the idea of two mini names, especially when they have different syllable counts. But maybe Ike and Ivo are still too close?

Twin Boy Names: J, K, and L

Jasper + Jude – Plenty of boy names start with the letter J. I like this pair for brothers because they sound distinct, but both feel like throwback choices currently very popular.

Koa + Kai – The two Hawaiian names both refer to nature – Koa to a tree, Kai to the ocean. Plus they’re three letters each, which makes them look nicely balanced. But as with Ike + Ivo, I’m not sure if they’re too close …

Leland + Lucian – Two gentlemanly L names, Leland and Lucian feel nicely distinctive. And yet, they’re close to favorites like Leo and Luke, so I think they’d wear well on boys today.

Twin Boy Names: M, N, and O

Marco + Matteo – Match up two romance language spins on traditional masculine choices, both with vibrant o endings, for an unforgettable duo.

Nico + Nash – Both Nico + Nash are modern names with deep roots. And while Nash feels a little more rough and tumbled compared to the more polished Nico, I think they make great names for brothers.

Oliver + Owen – Yes, they’re both very popular O names. But I think they pair nicely together, linked mainly by that shared initial.

Twin Boy Names: P, Q, and R

Patrick + Philip – We love classic boy names, but so often that means William and James. Patrick and Philip are two of my favorite underused classics, often dismissed because we’re not wild about short forms Pat + Phil. But use the names in full, and they’re very handsome.

Quillan + Quest – Are two Q names too much? Or is it just plain unfair to give one son a Q name, leaving the other with a more expected initial? While both of these names are very rare, Quillan seems a little more like a conventional choice than modern virtue Quest. But I think these work.

Rafe + Rhodes – A dashing duo, to be sure! Rafe is short for saintly Raphael, while Rhodes is the Greek island, home to the ancient Colossus of Rhodes.

Twin Boy Names: S, T, and U

Stuart + Simon – Traditional, buttoned-down but not too common, Stuart and Simon sound like brothers.

Tennyson + Thatcher – Another pair of surname names. While Thatcher sits just inside the US Top 1000, Tennyson is far rarer. But they feel compatible, don’t they? I imagine them reading books on a river bank somewhere.

Urban + Ulysses – No one uses U names for their sons. Or daughters. It’s the least popular first letter, out of all 26. So I almost skipped it. Except there are a few great U names for boys, like the ancient, literary adventurer Ulysses and the saintly, equally ancient Urban.

Twin Boy Names: V, X, Y, and Z

Vincent + Victor – A pair of names that hover just outside the perpetually popular range, and share strong meanings. The first comes from the Latin vincere – to conquer – while the latter is plain as day – again, victor or conqueror. They’re very similar names, and yet the sounds are distinct, even with the same first initial.

Whitaker + Walton – I wanted to say Wilder and West, but that’s a little too much, isn’t it? Let’s stick with Whitaker and Walton, instead. They’re both surnames with a quiet strength. They sound like poets who like to hike.

Xander + Xavier – The first comes from Alexander; the second, from the surname of a saint. Both feel almost classic, but energetically modern and fresh at the same time.

Yarrow + Yule – If you like offbeat, vaguely nature-inspired names, these two Y choices could appeal. Yarrow refers to the herb; Yule, to the Christmas-season, especially the yule log. One brings to mind spring and the other winter, but I think they still work for brothers.

Zachary + Zane – Doubtless there are bolder duos starting with the letter Z. But I like Zachary and Zane, two names that are pretty ordinary except for their zippy first initial. Even if you shorten it to Zach, it still feels different enough from Zane that they go together nicely.

Okay, now it’s your turn – what are your favorite twin boy names sharing the same first initial? Do all 26 letters of the alphabet, or just a few …

Twin Boy Names twin boy names

About Abby Sandel

Whether you're naming a baby, or just all about names, you've come to the right place! Appellation Mountain is a haven for lovers of obscure gems and enduring classics alike.

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14 Comments

  1. Asa & Alder
    Bruno & Barnaby
    Cary & Cap
    Dorian & Dov
    Early & Edison
    Francis & Fennec
    George & Gilbert
    Hamish & Harmon
    Ivy & Ignatius
    Jem & Jory
    Kestrel & Kalman
    Laurence & Leander
    March & Munro
    Ned & Niall
    Ogden & Orion
    Pavel & Pyotr
    Quimby & Quindlin
    Roosevelt & Rufus
    Souther & Safran
    Tom & Teal
    Upton & Ukiah
    Van & Valentine
    Wiley & Walden

    Zigmund & Zev

  2. Abel & Avner
    Basil & Björn
    Caspian & Cedric
    Donovan & Dmitri
    Emil & Ezra
    Finnian & Fox
    Gavin & George
    Hector & Hal
    Idris & Isaiah
    Jethro & Josiah
    Karl & Kurtis
    Levi & Lance
    Moses & Matthias
    Nicodemus & Nolan
    Orion & Obi
    Peregrine & Pierce
    Quincy & Quill
    Ronan & Robin
    Scott & Seth
    Tobin & Todd
    Ulysses & Uriah
    Val & Vulcan
    Wolfgang & Ward
    Xavier & Xander
    Yves & Yakov
    Zephyr & Zane

    Not all of the pairs quite fit together, but it was a lot of fun anyway!

  3. Arthur and Alaric
    Bennett and Bartlett (Ben and Bart)
    Cathal and Connor
    Dan and Declan
    Emrys and Edwin
    Fisher and Fraser
    Gad and Gil
    Harris and Hewson
    Idris and Ivan
    Jago and Jory (both Cornish, for James and George respectively)
    Kenelm and Kendrick
    Leo and Lewis
    Magnus and Marcus
    Newland and Naylor
    Owen and Oliver
    Pasco and Prescott
    Quester and Quiller
    Redmond and Rushton
    Samuel and Simeon
    Trelawney and Traynor
    U – pass – so two Vs in recompense!
    Venn and Vere
    Vincent and Vickery
    West and Ward
    Yeoman and York
    Zvi and Zamir

  4. Avery and Ambrose
    Barnaby and Byron
    Casper and Corbin
    Duncan and Dorian
    Everest and Elm
    Felix and Fox
    Graham and Gordon
    Hugh and Heath
    Idris and Ian
    Jasper and Jordan
    Kent and Kip
    Linus and Ludo
    Malcolm and Maxwell
    Neville and Niall
    Otto and Oscar
    Peregrine and Patterson
    Quick and Quinn
    River and Reed
    Soren and Stellan
    Theo and Thaddeus
    Ursinus and Umber
    Vance and Vale
    West and Willoughby
    Xander and Xavier (I agree with Abby that these sound great together–but admittedly they are also the only 2 X names I could think of!)
    Yarden and Yoni
    Zephyr and Zen

    Fun game!

  5. Aaron and Asher
    Bedwyr and Bryn
    Calum and Cassidy
    Dafydd and Dylan
    Ebenezer and Ezekiel
    Finn and Fox
    Gérard and Guillaume
    Harvey and Hugh
    Idris and Igor
    Jérémie and Jérôme
    Kai and Kylian
    Leonidas and Lysander
    Marcus and Max
    Nathaniel and Nicodemus
    Obed and Othniel
    Philip and Phineas
    Quaid and Quin
    River and Rowan
    Silvester and Solomon
    Tam and Tristan
    Ugo and Umberto
    Vassily and Vladimir
    Wallace and Wilbur
    Xavier and Xerxes
    Yann and Yves
    Zachary and Zebedee

    They weren’t supposed to be realistic, were they? 😉 😀

  6. I wish someone would explain this obsession with Briggs. I know it’s a surname, but why on earth is the name nerd community trying to spread this one like wildfire all of a sudden?

    1. Briggs and Stratton is a well-known small engine brand. It’s an under-the-radar name for gear heads that wives can agree to. 🙂

      Abby’s done a great write-up (New Endings for Boy Names, I think) on boy names that end in ‘s’. Briggs fits that trend, too!

  7. Arthur & Augustin
    Bartholomew & Bertram
    Chester & Claude
    David & Donovan
    Emmett & Elliott
    Fred & Francis
    Graham & Gideon
    Harold & Hayden
    Ivan & Isaiah
    Julien & Joel
    Kenneth & Klyde
    Leonard & Lysander
    Max & Milan
    Nolan & Nicholas
    Owen & Orion
    Peter & Pascal
    Ruben & Ross
    Solomon & Sebastian
    Theo & Thomas
    Uriel & Ulysses
    Verit & Vann
    Willard & Wyatt
    Xavier & Ezekiel (cheat, I know but we say “Ex-avier” here, for Xavier Roberts, so it works.)
    Yonah & Yvan

  8. Oh, this one’s fun!
    Angus & Alfred
    Beau + Bennett
    Casper & Clayton
    Duncan + Dashiell
    Edmund & Emilian
    Fergus + Frederick
    Gideon & Garrett
    Hamish + Harold
    Ike & Inigo
    Jem + Jude
    Klaus & Kit
    Leopold + Lawrence
    Matthias & Montgomery
    ??
    Orion + Otis
    Peregrine & Phineas
    Reuben + Ralph
    Shepherd & Sullivan
    Thatcher + Truett
    ??
    Victor + Vincent (seems like we have a similar taste in V names!)
    Walter & Wilfred (too similar?)
    ??
    ??
    Zephyr + Zigmund

  9. Art + Abe
    Brock + Bryce (hiking the Pacific Coast Trail)
    Cord + Cam (getting varsity letters)
    Dune + Dax (beach+water)
    Eamon + Ewan (charming rogues)
    Fintan + Fielder
    Gus + Glen
    Heywood + Humboldt
    Isaac + Ira (classic Jewish)
    Jethro + Jarrod (cowboys)
    Kepler + Kelvin (for science!)
    Lazslo + Lloyd
    McLeod + McCormick
    Neal + Ned
    Orson + Osprey (bear+hawk)
    Pax + Pike (peace+defense)
    Quigley + Quirran
    Rom + Rex
    Scott + Sam
    Travis + Trevor (cowboys)
    Upton + Ulrich
    Vaughn + Vance (gentlemen)
    Weston + Wyatt (cowboys)
    Xanthus + Xerxes (ancient classics)
    Yale + York
    Zane + Zed

    Fun idea, Abby!

    1. Oh, some great ones here! Scott + Sam are great together. And Pax + Pike make a great duo, too! But I think my favorites are Dune + Dax. Or maybe Orson + Osprey? Or even Kepler + Kelvin? So hard to choose!