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Name Help: Twin Girls!

December 27, 2019 By appellationmountain 18 Comments

Name Help: Naming Twin SistersUPDATE: They’re here! Kellie writes: Abby! Thanks to you and your readers for all the suggestions. Our girls arrived early, and spent some time in the NICU. Luckily, we were home before things started getting really crazy, and everybody is doing great.

Okay, the names: we really liked Margot, but thought it might too close to Marlowe. But then we decided it really didn’t matter, so baby A became Margot Blair. We narrowed it down to Daphne Laine or Phoebe Laine for her sister, and everyone agreed that Daphne Laine was perfect.

Kellie writes:

Our twin daughters will be here soon – due in early March, but I’ll be lucky to make it to Valentine’s Day! Because we’ve had so many scares with this pregnancy, we’ve been a little shy about choosing names. But it’s time now, and we need some help with our long, long, LONG list!

We have a son named Duncan Elliott M@d!s0n and a daughter named Colette Marlowe M@d!s0n. I don’t like frilly, but I’m not into names like Harper, either, at least not as first names.

We mostly agree on all of these, but choosing two that sound right has us stuck.

  1. Ada
  2. Annika
  3. Anouk – maybe just too out there?
  4. Blair
  5. Carter – but don’t like the idea of one daughter having a boy name
  6. Daphne
  7. Edie (or maybe Eden, but not Edith)
  8. Eloise
  9. Ember – but we’re not outdoorsy AT ALL, so nature names feel a little try-hard, maybe?
  10. Esme
  11. Gemma
  12. Gwen
  13. Iris – not sure about the way it sounds with our last name
  14. Juno
  15. Lane/Laine
  16. Lucia (but only pronounced loo-sha)
  17. Lux
  18. Maeve
  19. Margot
  20. Nola – almost Colette’s name, but I felt like Colette was more of a “real” name
  21. Persephone – but too much for us?
  22. Phoebe – but I think “Feebs” would bug me
  23. Pippa
  24. Remy
  25. Rory
  26. Sabine
  27. Simone
  28. Sloane
  29. Vera
  30. Vida/Vita – not sure if we like the spelling, but we like the sound
  31. Zelda
  32. Zora

Help!

Please read on for my response, and leave your thoughtful suggestions in the comments.

Dear Kellie –

Congratulations on your new daughters!

Here’s my take on twin names: we say them together all. the. time. At least in early childhood. Yes, we say siblings’ names together, too – sometimes a lot. But twins, well … it’s different, I think. Because your girls will share so much, it’s important that their names feel balanced. And because they’ll often be said together, it’s good to think about how they sound as a set.

It seems like you have lots of options on your current list, so instead of adding new possibilities, I’m going to mix and match a few great combinations.

DAPHNE CARTER AND GEMMA LAINE

Because Duncan and Colette are two-syllable, nickname-proof names, I wonder if you’d like the same for these daughters? I love Daphne and Gemma together, two  names that are slightly outside of the mainstream, but still familiar. And the middles – Carter and Laine – echo the surname-style middle Marlowe.

ESME ANOUK AND ZORA EDEN

Just like above, Esme and Zora are both two-syllable, nickname-proof names. Anouk is something of a wild card as a middle, while Eden feels a little more expected.

RORY SIMONE AND GWEN ELOISE

Rory and Gwen are both brisk, upbeat names with a lot of spirit. (I put them both on this list.) And Simone and Eloise both feel gently French.

MARGOT EMBER AND VERA LUX

I’d call Margot and Vera relatively traditional, while Ember and Lux are much more unconventional. It makes for a great name formula. Plus, I love the subtle link between fiery Ember and all the light of Lux.

BLAIR DAPHNE AND SLOANE PERSEPHONE

Blair and Sloane feel nicely paired, relatively uncommon choices, and both surnames. Daphne and Persephone both come from Greek myth, and have a fanciful, feminine appeal. The combinations are surprisingly, but well balanced.

LUCIA SABINE AND ANNIKA MAEVE

I love the idea of Lucia and Annika as sisters. They strike me as traditional picks with a twist – Lucia instead of the more popular Lucy or Lucille; Annika as an unexpected Ann- name. The middles are two from your list that feel nicely international – just like the firsts. Though it’s kind of a crazy quilt of pan-European name origins – but I think that’s why they work so well together.

I’m having a hard time narrowing it down to just one favorite set! I’ll go with Daphne Carter and Gemma Laine, if only because they seem like such a perfect parallel to Colette Marlowe.

But let’s open it up to the community, because I feel like there are so many great combinations possible.

Readers, what would you name twin sisters for Duncan Elliott and Colette Marlowe?

Name Help: Twin Girls

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Comments

  1. Marisa says

    February 3, 2020 at 7:34 AM

    I’m late to comment but I love Maeve and Sabine together as firsts. Maeve goes really well with Duncan and Sabine with Colette to me. (Full disclosure, those two names are in our Top 3 for our girl due in June, so I could be a wee bit biased.) I also think Maeve and Nola or Maeve and Zora would be lovely too!

    Reply
  2. Iris says

    January 5, 2020 at 11:09 AM

    Iris and Juno (mithology)
    Esme and Maeve (simple and sweet)
    Margot and Sabine (French like Colette)
    Ember and Gwen
    Ada and Vera
    Lucia and Isla (Isla isn’t on the list, but I think it goes well with the others)

    Reply
    • Iris says

      January 7, 2020 at 9:03 PM

      You mention Nola not feeling like a real name, so what about Magnolia nn Nola?
      You could do Nola and Juno for Magnolia and Juniper.

      Reply
  3. IwasReyfirst says

    January 2, 2020 at 4:17 AM

    Rory Simone and Esme Anouk

    Reply
  4. Kirstin G says

    January 1, 2020 at 3:17 PM

    What a great list! You have so many names that would go well together.

    Ada and Iris, Annika and Gemma, Blair and Gwen, Anouk and Lux, Daphne and Eloise, Edie and Pippa, Ember and Esme, Juno and Margot, Laine and Maeve, Lucia and Persephone, Remy and Rory, Sabine and Sloan, Vera and Zelda, Zora and Vita

    Ada Lux and Iris Anouk

    Persephone Lane and Lucia Maeve

    Edie Eloise and Pippa Daphne

    Ember Blair and Esme Gwen

    Reply
  5. Jean C. says

    December 30, 2019 at 12:33 AM

    Margot and Vera are my favorite of Abby’s suggestions.
    I love the idea of Ada and Maeve together, and I think they sound great with Colette and Duncan.
    Ada Lux and Maeve Carter.

    Reply
  6. Erin Beth says

    December 29, 2019 at 6:03 PM

    I love the combination of Daphne & Gemma! It’s my favorite, but I also like the possibility of Phoebe & Maeve.

    Reply
  7. Lua says

    December 29, 2019 at 2:53 PM

    Anouk Rory & Vita Carter
    😛

    Reply
  8. justanotherlady says

    December 29, 2019 at 5:53 AM

    I couldn’t read past Daphne Carter and Gemma Laine because I loved it so much! All the rest couldn’t compare. Congrats on your baby girls.

    Reply
  9. Jonquil says

    December 28, 2019 at 10:12 PM

    I’d choose Margot Simone and Sabine Eloise – they flow nicely and go so well with Colette.

    Reply
  10. zenspiral says

    December 28, 2019 at 11:06 AM

    Gemma Laine and Pippa Blair

    Reply
  11. zenspiral says

    December 28, 2019 at 11:05 AM

    Gemma Laine and Pippa Blair, so perfect!

    Reply
  12. Maree says

    December 28, 2019 at 6:23 AM

    Lots of great options. I vote for the classic Margot and Simone 🙂

    Reply
    • Amy3 says

      December 29, 2019 at 11:53 AM

      I agree! I’d suggest Margot Laine and Simone Blair.

      Reply
      • appellationmountain says

        December 30, 2019 at 12:52 PM

        LOVE those together!

        Reply
  13. Sharimsh says

    December 28, 2019 at 4:00 AM

    I like that there is a double letter in each current sibling, but not specifically the first name.

    I love Gemma and Daphne with the sibset, but I’d pick:

    Gemma Simone
    and
    Daphne Pippa

    If willing, I actually like:
    Gemma Daphne
    and
    Philippa Simone
    the best though.

    Reply
  14. Jaime says

    December 28, 2019 at 1:36 AM

    Daphne is probably my favorite of all the names on your list but I hate to repeat a first initial in a sibset. So, from Abby’s suggestions, Margot and Vera get my vote. Maybe Daphne could be middle name if you don’t use family middles?

    The only names I don’t care for on your list are Ember, Persephone, Lux, Carter and Lucia (plus, think it’ll be mispronounced a ton).

    Other faves are Phoebe, Laine, Blair, Gemma, Zelda and Remy. And I love Gwen but think it’s best as a nickname with Gwendolyn or Gwenyth.

    With Colette and Duncan, the pairs I love the most are:

    Margot and Phoebe
    Gemma and Margot
    Laine and Phoebe

    Another option that sprang to mind is Ainsley. I esp love it with Duncan. Or perhaps Sybil or Meredith?

    Reply
  15. Liz says

    December 27, 2019 at 10:32 PM

    I agree, I LOVE Daphne Carter and Gemma Laine. I also think Blair and Sloane are great twin names and well paired with Duncan and Colette. I liked Rory and Gwen but it sounds very British Isles to me next to Colette.

    Reply

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