How to name twin girls, according to a baby name expert

Rachel Paula Abrahamson
Updated ·2 min read

If you’re a baby boomer who attended school with twin girls, it’s likely their names matched (think Abby and Gabby.)

"It was Erin and Erica, and Donnie and Robbie,” Namerology creator Laura Wattenberg tells TODAY.com. “But parents are starting to move away from gimmicky, matchy-matchy names.”

Modern parents think differently when it comes to finding twin girl names.

According to Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard," anagram names for twin girls are having a moment. It’s a way of honoring the special connection between twins, while also recognizing that they are unique individuals.

“Two girl names that work really well are Alice and Cecilia. It sends the message that they different people who are made of similar ingredients,” Wattenberg says.

For parents who are drawn to names with special meaning, Wattenberg suggests choosing two places that have special significance. Hikers might go with two of their favorite national parks like Acadia and Zion, while globetrotters might pick two of their favorite cities.

Wattenberg says she also likes names that have the same vowel or consonant pattern, such as Olivia and Amelia or Penelope and Caroline.

“Names that have the same vowel consonant pattern don’t necessarily sound similar, but they look and feel natural together,” Wattenberg says. "It's subtle to the point where most people won't even notice."

The U.S. Social Security Administration compiled a list of the most popular names for twins in 2010. For girls, the most common monikers were Olivia and Sophia, Gabriella and Isabella, Ella and Emma and Faith and Hope.

There are also some celebrities with girl twins: Charlie and Dolly (Jerry O’Connell), Jessie and D’Lila (Diddy), Marion and Loretta (Sarah Jessica Parker), Grace and Isabella (Lance Armstrong), Stella and Grace (Dave Matthews), Emory and Betsy (Hillary Scott) Savannah and Eden (Marcia Cross) Aquinnah and Schuyler (Michael J. Fox), Finley and Harper (Lisa Marie Presley).

And then, of course, there are public figures who have a twin sister, like Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, Tia Mowry and Tamera Mowry-Housley, Gisele Bündchen and Patricia Bündchen, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, and Nikki Garcia and Brie Bella.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com