Choosing names is a tough job at the best of time. But its even tougher when you have to choose more than one!
And then of course you have middle names. And what if you don’t know the gender – then you have to think of even MORE names!
You can read our blog on choosing names in general for twins or triplets HERE.
However, once you have FINALLY decided on the names, if you have same sex twins your job isn’t quite done. You still need to decide which baby gets which name!
Often parents get very bogged down in this, as they feel the pressure of getting several years down the track and maybe thinking that the names would have been better the other way around! Don’t panic though. You will find in most cases that babies seem to grow into their names, and you will (hopefully!) look back and think there is no way that Baby A could have been called Baby B’s name.
Naming same sex twins or triplets. How to decide who gets which name.
Wait until they are born
Once you spend a bit of time with each baby in the hospital you may get a feel of who is who. Some people say they knew immediately who was getting which name, others said that after a short time they were able to allocate names easily enough.
Naming same sex twins or triplets by birth order
Some families have had a single name chosen for a long time – even before they were pregnant. So often that name is allocated to the first born baby. This doesn’t mean you love that baby more, it is just the first name you chose!
Bear in mind, people will ALWAYS ask who was born first. Not that it should matter, but trust me, they will ask! So if you are using a special name for one child (ie named after a family member) then some families may prefer to use that name for the second (or third) born, so they have something special, rather than being the first born AND getting the family name.
Others may decide that the first name they decide on goes to the first born.
Allowing other siblings to choose
Some families choose to allow older siblings to choose who gets which name, as a way to help make then feel part of the process. This is often a “safer” way of getting siblings involved, without giving them full control over choosing the name.
Naming same sex twins or triplets alphabetically
Maybe one of your name starts with an A or B (of C if it is triplets). Some families choose to allocate the B name to Twin B. You need to be prepared though that sometimes the babies will change places just before birth, or for medical reasons they may need to get baby B out first. So you need to think about if you will still keep the same name for Baby B if suddenly they unexpectedly become Baby A!
If you are using same letter names, some people may name the babies alphabetically in birth order. For example Evie and Elka would mean Elka is Twin A and Evie is Twin B.
One thing to consider when naming same sex twins or triplets is that sometimes things go in birth order. For multiples this means one child will always be first. Other times it is alphabetical. So, if you give the first born baby the letter furthest in the alphabet it will mean that sometimes the youngest will get to go first ie in the role call at school the names are called out alphabetically.
Behaviour in the womb
You will get an indication of their personalities while they are in the womb. Some families allow their babies behaviour to determine who gets which name. Foe example if one name sounds more peaceful and one name seems more fiery then that may match their personalities in the womb.
Meaning of the names
Look at the meaning of the names. For example, Alexander means defender, protector so may be good for the first born. Or the name Jacob comes from the Biblical story of Jacob’s birth where he came out holding the heel of his twin brother, so good for a second born.
Random chance
If you don’t want the pressure of making this decision when naming same sex twins or triplets, you could always leave it to fate and flip a coin or draw a name out of the hat!
Naming same sex twins or triplets. How to decide who gets which name.
On a final note on naming same sex twins or triplets, regardless of who gets which name, you MUST make sure you go to a wide open space and YELL the names out in different orders. You are going to be yelling these names a LOT! So, make sure they flow well.
You can read our blog on choosing nick names for twins or triplets HERE.
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