Name Help is a series at Appellation Mountain. Every week, one reader’s name questions will be discussed.
We’re relying on thoughtful comments from the community to help expectant parents narrow down their name decisions. Thank you in advance for sharing your insight!
Megan writes:
My husband and I are hoping you can help us decide on names for our twin boys due in May.
We first landed on the name Michael for our boy name. It is my husband’s father’s name, and we both like it.
Now that we know we are having twins, we are having a difficult time deciding on the second boy’s name.
Here are a few of our considerations:
- We have a short, Anglo-Saxon surname, so I think the given name should be compatible with that.
- Is it weird to give one son a family name and not the other son? We love the name Vincent, for example, however that name has no family ties.
- Also, while Vincent is a classic name it certainly isn’t as common as Michael. Not sure what the “rule” is here— I don’t want the names to be too matchy, but I do think the names should flow together.
- In that same breath, a few people have suggested Gabriel or Raphael as names for the second twin, but that is a bit on the nose for my liking.
Here is a current list of first and middle names on our radar but we are open to – and desperately need – suggestions!
Family Names: David, Ernest, Jesse, Joseph, Michael, Samuel, Sebastian, Zachary
Names We Like: Christopher, Everett, Ezra, Isaac, Jasper, Vincent
Zachary is my husband’s name. Is it strange for to name one twin after the father? We also considered naming the second twin Zachary but calling him by his middle name, but that raises additional questions.
Here’s the story behind Christopher. When we were trying to conceive my mother-in-law had a dream that there were two little boys in our family, one of whom was named Christopher. I didn’t think much of her dream … until we found out we were expecting twin boys!
In addition, several friends unprompted have suggested the name Christopher to us. Aaaand … my name was supposed to be Christopher – my parents thought I was a boy up until birth!
All this to say — perhaps the second twin is trying to name himself! I love the name Christopher but my husband is lukewarm.
Michael (and Zachary for that matter) is such a common, traditional name. I like the idea of pairing it with a classic but perhaps uncommon middle name (such as Ambrose?) to jazz things up a bit.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Please read on for my response and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.
Abby replies:
Congratulations on your twins!
Let’s start with some of your questions before we dive into names.
DO BOTH TWINS NEED A FAMILY NAME?
Plenty of parents give their firstborn a family name – sometimes because of custom, but often because they just want to. Future children receive names the parents just plain like. And that’s fine. Maybe it creates a little bit of jealousy. Or pressure to live up to being James Edward Smith IV. But mostly? My guess is that it fades into the background pretty quickly.
Twins, though, do feel a little different. And I generally think that if one twin is going to receive a family name, the second should, too. But it doesn’t have to be perfectly balanced. One son could be FamilyNameFirst NameYouLoveMiddle, while the second might be NameYouLoveFirst and FamilyNameMiddle.
FINDING FAMILY NAME PARITY
As you’ve noted, family names carry different weights.
Being named after your parent is immediate and obvious. It’s inescapable, especially when you reach a certain age and can be confused for each other.
On the other hand, my son is named for his grandfather – and no one knows unless we specifically mention it. How would they, unless they know your extended family?
DO THE NAMES HAVE TO MATCH?
While you’re right to avoid anything too matched, looking for balance feels like the right instinct.
Happily, there are lots of ways to balance out your boys’ names. I’d consider Eleanor and Louise perfectly matched, even though Eleanor is a Top 25 name and Louise doesn’t crack the current Top 500.
Take Vincent and Michael. They have different roots and histories, but they work well together – two traditional favorites that have stood the test of time.
NAMING A TWIN BROTHER FOR MICHAEL
My first thought is this: you’re on the right track. Michael is a family name you both agree on. And while Mike is a dad name, Michael is fresh and handsome for a son. Pair it with an interesting middle name, like Ambrose or Ernest or Everett, and you’re there.
I’m tempted to push you to choose a name you both like for your second son – Everett, Ezra, Isaac, Jasper, Vincent – with the middle name Zachary.
It ensures that both boys have a family name. But giving the weightier family name – dad’s – to the second son as a middle? That feels like the right balance to Michael. Plus, Z is a cool middle initial!
The name that leapt out from your list was Isaac. Michael MiddleName and Isaac Zachary.
Except … they could be Mike and Ike. They don’t have to be! The non-name obsessed might never notice. (And I grew up down the street from the place Mike and Ike candy originated, so I might be more Mike-and-Ike aware than many.) But it could be. It wouldn’t be a dealbreaker for me at all, but I can see that it might rule the names out for many parents.
Still, lots of names work in this loose framework. We’ll get back to that in a minute …
BUT FIRST, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT CHRISTOPHER
So … is Christopher a family name?
Obviously, it fails the most specific test: there is no immediate family member with the name. Or any form of the name. (At least of which you are aware.)
And yet, the story behind Christopher beats out the stories behind Michael and Zachary and any other family name you’ve mentioned, right?
It’s a significant name, even if isn’t specifically found on your family tree.
Christopher pairs nicely with Michael. They’re both rock solid classics that enjoyed a burst of popularity in the later half of the twentieth century, before mellowing in use. Now they just feel like traditional names.
I wonder if your husband hesitates because Christopher feels more likely to be shortened? I know one young Christopher, who never uses a nickname. And really, we live in an age when lots of children answer to Oliver, Julian, or Isaiah – no nickname, thanks.
FRESH SUGGESTIONS
If not one of the names on your list, would you consider:
ANTHONY #41
There’s something dashing about Anthony. It’s traditional, familiar, and yet relatively uncommon.
JONAH #128
A Biblical name that splits the difference between buttoned-up Joseph and current favorite Ezra.
JONATHAN #70
A popular name for ages, but somehow Jonathan still feels uncommon.
MATTHEW #30
Is two M names too much? Michael and Matthew are perfect brother names, distinctive despite the shared first initial.
PETER #214
Gen Z grew up with Peter Parker, making this a superhero name – as well as a classic.
THOMAS #45
Never out of style, Thomas is darling when shortening to Tommy. But it’s even more handsome when used in full.
POSSIBLE COMBINATIONS
I’m still tempted to put Michael Everett (or Ambrose or another name you just love) and Isaac Zachary at the top of the list.
But it’s not perfect, so maybe …
- Vincent Zachary and Michael Ambrose – I like the way their middle initials are A and Z.
- Everett Zachary and Michael Vincent – I think they’re a good mix of familiar names, even if the styles vary slightly.
- Samuel Zachary and Michael Sebastian – Samuel makes a great brother name for Michael … except since Samuel is nearly always Sam, it probably encourages us to shorten Michael to Mike. I chose Sebastian because it sounds great, and pulls all four names from your family list.
- Ezra Zachary and Michael Ernest – But maybe it’s too much Z in Ezra Zachary?
- Jonah Zachary and Michael Ambrose – That might be my second favorite, behind only Michael and Isaac.
- Michael Christopher and Jonah Zachary – I really like using Christopher as a middle name, especially because you’ll get to tell that amazing story.
Okay, I think you have lots of great options. Let’s open it up to others!
Readers, what would you name a twin brother for Michael? Do you have any fresh ideas for first or middle names?
You’ve gotten lots of great advice, and you really do have some wonderful names to work with.
One thing I’m noticing is that the front-running family names (Michael and Zachary) both come from your husband’s side of the family. You might want to consider “balancing” by using one name from each family.
I’m going to second (third? fourth?) the vote for Christopher Zachary and Michael Vincent – the names go so well together and each has a meaningful story.
I love the suggestion of Michael Vincent and Christopher Zachary. I think you could use any other family name listed as the middle for Christopher, too. For what it’s worth, my nephews are Matthew and Lucas and only ever Matthew and Lucas. They’ve never been Matt and Luke.
My middle child named herself, or at least I had a dream about her that gave me a name that was not anywhere on my radar. While I was pregnant with her, I assumed that she would look more like me like my oldest child. I have black hair and brown eyes. I imagined her being quiet and shy like I was as a child. Then I had a dream about a month before she was born. I was out shopping with my mother and grandmother, and I was toting around this bubbly, outgoing blue-eyed blonde. Then my grandmother asked me a question about the baby, and called her Annabel. When I woke up, I couldn’t shake that image, and knew that was her name. Everyone thought I was crazy. There was no way a baby of mine would end up blonde. About a month later, my little girl was born, and she was the exact baby in my dream. Blonde hair, blue eyes and all.
Michael Vincent and Samuel Zachary
Mike and Sam
Michael V. and Samuel Z.
I have twins. One has a straight-up family name, like Michael in your case. The other has a name that has significance for my family – in the same way Christopher seems to for you – i.e. not the name of someone in the family, but something that, once we let everyone know the names, people said “I know why you chose that name!”
It’s worked perfectly and never been an issue. So it sounds to me like Michael and Christopher could be perfect for you. And I’d use Zachary as a middle name for Christopher, and perhaps Vincent for Michael.
Or, if you want something more zingy, another Z name (my twins have middles starting with the same letter, which is a nice little touch, I think). Michael Zane? Michael Zephaniah? Michael Zoran?
I love Michael and Christopher as classic / traditional first names. I am a big believer that you CAN get people to call you by your formal given name and NOT shorten or nickname you. ( I have an Elizabeth and Katherine that still go by their full name.)
If you choose to use a nickname, both names have cute choices. I can imagine Topher and Mac or Kipper and Mickey. It doesn’t mean they can’t be known by both names.
For middle names I would use Michael Sebastian and Christopher Zachary. I like that with these middles each name has five syllables and almost the same amount of total letters.
Congratulations. And good luck with your decision.
Name the other one after YOUR dad or grandfather, first or middle.
I’d totally go for Michael Everett and Christopher Zachary! The pair have all sorts of significance according to your lists and look and sound great as a pair. But if you like Vincent better than Christopher, I second the Michael Christopher and Vincent Zachary combo.
Jesse seems like a winner to me – a family name with the s or z sound you like, same origin as Michael, same soft-masculine feel as Michael. Ok,it’s far less common, but it’s familiar and classic. Michael and Jesse, Jesse and Michael, Michael Everett and Jesse Christopher.
I 100% agree in giving the middle name Zachary to the second twin, to me that sounds like a no-brainer. And then give Michael a middle that isn’t a family name. But I do love what Abby says about Christopher indeed being a family name, that is so true! Vincent Zachary or Vincent Christopher for example? Michael and Vincent do sound like brothers to me. They also both have 7 letters, which is a twin tie that no one would pick up on outside of the family, so it’s a cool connection without being over the top matchy.
I love that Ernest is a family name and would love to see it used! If someone named Michael said “guess my twin’s name” I would probably guess Joseph. I really don’t think Mike and Ike would be an issue, other than the last name help family, I’ve never heard of an Isaac called Ike. But I really do like Vincent for the 2nd twin.
I love the idea of using Zachary as a middle for the second twin. I like how balanced it gets. But I don’t like Isaac with it, because it repeats the “zac” sound, even if it’s not pronounced exactly the same.
And Christopher makes sense! Because it was going to be mom’s name, naming one twin Christopher Zachary is like he’s named for both parents!
Maybe the issue with Christopher is that the obvious nickname is Chris, which maybe doesn’t sound like a 2022 baby name. But you could choose another nickname, like Kit, Tophy or Thor.
My favorite pair would be Michael Vincent and Christopher Zachary!
Since you’ve not mentioned your father’s name, to be truly balanced, I assume it’s off the table? How about a tweak on your mom’s name?
Otherwise I agree Christopher is the special name for the second twin. It comes with a story. I love the name in full. But if it were me and I wanted to freshen up Christopher & Michael, I’d use Kit (as mentioned already) and Cal or Topher and Mica etc…
Michael makes me think of Peter Pan so to me both names are storybookish aka Darling & Robin.