The Most Popular Baby Names for Twins

Choosing the perfect names for your twins is not like naming a single baby. The most obvious difference is that you need to come up with more than one name. Then, you need to decide whether you want the names to rhyme, have a theme, be connected in some other way, or be totally unique from one another. 

Many parents want their twins' names to fit well together and complement each other. The problem is that there are a lot of great names to choose from, so looking at a list can be helpful. You don't have to choose a listed pairing, but it offers some inspiration that may lead to the perfect names for your adorable little duo.

One approach is to name your babies according to the order of their birth. It's a fun option if you have multiples. For instance, you might decide that your babies' names will begin with A, B, C, D... The first to be born will have an "A" name like Adam, then baby "B" will be Brian, and so on. 

If you're expecting a mix of boys and girls, it may be good to choose a name for each sex so you're ready for the birth order. Keep in mind that this may be different than their labeled letter while in your uterus, as that is determined by who is closest to your cervix.

Zygosity is a fancy way of noting whether your twins (or other multiples) are identical (monozygotic) or fraternal (dizygotic). You may decide to let this influence your naming selections. Do you want to give identical twins names that are more similar than fraternal twins?

Does the gender of your twins influence your naming? Would you give two girls, regardless of zygosity, similar sounding names? Perhaps you would only consider names that are similar if the children were identical. This may also depend on if you have girl/girl twins, girl/boy twins, boy/boy twins, or other multiples.

Zygosity may not matter to you. Perhaps you've been dying to use cute matching names forever. Multiple births give you that chance! It's a popular option for parents of multiples.

When you do this, you run the risk of getting the kids confused. Did you say Madison or Madeline? Will they both have the nickname Maddy? You also run the risk of confusing everyone else.

This is a big decision and there are a few questions you may want to ask yourself before deciding on names.

• Do the names emphasize that my children are a pair? If yes, is that what I want?
• Can the names be easily confused for one another? (Mia and Nia)
• Do they have the same initials? (Amy Elise and Amanda Elliot)
• Can their names standalone when they are older?
• Do they have easy alternatives for nicknames?

When you find out you are having twins, baby names are something you probably start to think about fairly quickly. Grab your baby name books and get started!

There are many options, but most parents of twins say that their decision ultimately depends on how the names sound together. Here are a few popular examples.

• Lucille and Hudson: These are both strong, standalone names. Together they have a sort of storybook quality. Lucille means "light" and is French in origin. Hudson is an English name meaning "son of the hooded man." Can't you almost hear the superhero in each?
• Elise and Elijah: A French name, Elise means "consecrated to God." Elijah is a Hebrew name with a similar meaning: "God is Lord." This is one way to connect the names, both with the same first letter and similar meanings but different sounds.
• Erica and Jonathan: Sometimes the meaning of the name is the most important thing. Erica is the name of Norse background that means "forever strong." Jonathan is Hebrew for "God has given." These strong names would be great names for babies who are born after a much-wanted pregnancy or who were born early and have fought hard to survive.
• Leonard and Annabelle: Leo is the Latin root for "lion," so the name Leonard has come to mean "lion-hearted." Annabelle is an American name that is a combination of the French word Belle, meaning "beauty" and the Hebrew word Hannah, of which Anna is a derivative. These names emphasize the masculine and feminine.

For a number of years, the Social Security Administration compiled a list of the most popular twin names. Though they have stopped doing so, they do still track the most popular individual baby names. It's an excellent source if you want to explore great names.

Nonetheless, the most popular twin names offer great inspiration for parents. It's fun to see what others decided on and these pairings can certainly inspire your own naming decisions. The following have been very popular boy/girl twin names.

1. Madison, Mason 
2. Emma, Ethan 
3. Taylor, Tyler 
4. Madison, Michael 
5. Jayda, Jayden 
6. Madison, Matthew 
7. Samuel, Sophia 
8. Addison, Aiden 
9. Olivia, Owen 
10. Zachary, Zoe 
11. Addison, Jackson 
12. Aiden, Ava 
13. Emily, Ethan 
14. Emma, Ryan 
15. Isaac, Isabella 
16. Natalie, Nathan 
17. Abigail, Benjamin 
18. Andrew, Emma 
19. Isabella, Isaiah 
20. Jada, Jaden 
21. Brian, Brianna 
22. Emma, Jack 
23. Aiden, Emma 
24. Eli, Ella 
25. Jacob, Olivia 
26. Lily, Logan 
27. Michael, Michelle 
28. Naomi, Noah 
29. Abigail, Alexander 
30. Abigail, Andrew 
31. Brandon, Brianna 
32. Chloe, Christian 
33. Elizabeth, William 
34. Emily, Matthew 
35. Emma, Jacob 
36. Emma, William 
37. Jacob, Sarah 
38. Lilly, Logan 
39. Nicholas, Sophia 
40. Noah, Sophia 
41. Oliver, Olivia 
42. Sophia, William 
43. Abigail, Jacob 
44. Addison, Austin 
45. Alexander, Sophia 
46. Ella, Jackson 
47. Emma, Evan 
48. Emma, James 
49. Jayla, Jaylen 
50. Zachary, Zoey 

If you are expecting two girls, there are many fantastic pairing options for your little ones. They're cute combinations, with some having similarties between the two names while others simply sound great together.

1. Ella, Emma
2. Olivia, Sophia 
3. Gabriella, Isabella 
4. Faith, Hope 
5. Ava, Emma 
6. Isabella, Sophia 
7. Madison, Morgan
8. Ava, Ella 
9. Ava, Olivia 
10. Mackenzie, Madison 
11. Abigail, Isabella
12. Abigail, Emma
13. Hailey, Hannah 
14. Makayla, Mackenzie 
15. Addison, Avery 
16. Elizabeth, Emily 
17. Ava, Mia 
18. Heaven, Nevaeh 
19. Abigail, Emily 
20. Emma, Olivia 
21. London, Paris 
22. Chloe, Claire 
23. Mia, Mya 
24. Anna, Emma 
25. Arianna, Brianna 
26. Isabella, Olivia 
27. Abigail, Lillian 
28. Addison, Ava 
29. Emma, Isabella 
30. Samantha, Sophia 
31. Ella, Olivia
32. Emma, Hannah 
33. Emma, Mia 
34. Faith, Grace 
35. Madison, Makenzie 
36. Madison, Olivia 
37. Abigail, Olivia 
38. Annabella, Isabella 
39. Chloe, Zoe
40. Elizabeth, Isabella 
41. Elizabeth, Victoria
42. Jada, Jade 
43. Julia, Sophia 
44. Kayla, Kylie 
45. Madison, Megan 
46. Mia, Sophia 
47. Natalie, Olivia 
48. Paige, Payton 
49. Serenity, Trinity 
50. Valentina, Valeria 

A pair of baby boys also offers some great naming options. You'll notice themes in many of these combinations as well and they include many of the most popular baby names overall.

1. Jacob, Joshua 
2. Ethan, Evan 
3. Jayden, Jordan 
4. Daniel, David 
5. Matthew, Michael 
6. Landon, Logan 
7. Elijah, Isaiah 
8. Jacob, Joseph 
9. Jayden, Jaylen 
10. Isaac, Isaiah 
11. Caleb, Joshua 
12. Andrew, Matthew 
13. James, John 
14. Alexander, Nicholas 
15. Jeremiah, Josiah 
16. Joseph, Joshua 
17. Nathan, Nicholas 
18. Jonathan, Joshua 
19. Logan, Lucas 
20. Ethan, Nathan
21. Aiden, Ethan
22. Jeremiah, Joshua 
23. Alexander, Andrew 
24. Alexander, Benjamin 
25. Logan, Luke 
26. Jacob, Lucas
27. Jonathan, Joseph 
28. Nathan, Noah 
29. Andrew, Anthony 
30. Brandon, Bryan 
31. Daniel, Michael 
32. Daniel, Samuel 
33. Isaiah, Jeremiah 
34. Jaden, Jordan 
35. Jayden, Kayden 
36. John, Joseph 
37. Matthew, Ryan 
38. Aiden, Austin 
39. Benjamin, Samuel 
40. Christopher, Nicholas 
41. Taylor, Tyler 
42. Benjamin, William 
43. Hayden, Hunter 
44. Santiago, Sebastian 
45. Alexander, Anthony 
46. Alexander, William 
47. Brandon, Brian 
48. Carter, Cooper 
49. Evan, Owen 
50. Evan, Ryan 

Finding a name for your twins comes with many things to consider. The popularity of the names, the combination of the names, and your preferences are just a few. Have fun with this task and consider it a great adventure. Write down all your favorites and narrow it down from there.