We all know that it’s twice as hard to name twins, especially if you’re trying to avoid the old matchy-matchy trap, or even the most popular baby names for twins. We also know that celebrities, for better or worse, have a tremendous influence on baby names. So, putting the two together, we take a look at some of the prominent celebs who’ve produced multiples, and see how we think they’ve handled the creative baby name challenge.
1. Monroe + Moroccan Scott: Just call the girl-boy twins of Mariah Carey and Nic Cannon “Roc and Ro,” as their parents do. The highly publicized inspirations for their names were one of Mariah’s idols, Marilyn Monroe, and the Moroccan-style decor of the area of their NY apartment that was the site of their marriage proposal. (Photo via Kevin Winter/Getty)
2. Dexter Henry Lorcan + Frank Harlan James: Leave it to a pair of hip musicians, Diana Krall and Elvis Costello, to put together a set of really cool names. Unfortunately, they have never revealed the specific inspirations behind their choices.
3. Juno + Rex: British Coldplay drummer/vocalist Will Champion was ahead of the curve on baby names when he named his twins in 2008, picking up on Juno just a year after the indie hit movie was released, and was also early with the kingly Rex, which is just picking up steam now.
4. Marion Loretta Elwell + Tabitha Hodge: Stylish couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick made some solid, offbeat choices for their girls, including giving them unequal numbers of middle names. Both Hodge and Elwell are surnames from SJP’s mother’s family; ancestor Esther Elwell was one of the accused in the Salem witch trials.
5. Charlie + Poppy: Born in 2012, the names of the boy-girl twins of Anna Paquin and True Blood co-star Stephen Moyer were kept under wraps for almost a year. The couple finally revealed two peppy names, Poppy blending perfectly with the floral name of Moyer’s older daughter, Lilac.
6. Darby Galen + Sullivan Patrick: Patrick Dempsey stayed true to his Irish roots when naming his boys. Darby shares his dad’s middle name, while Sullivan has Patrick as his middle. Dempsey’s older daughter bears the Irish spelling of her name, Tallula.
7. Charlie Tamara Tulip + Dolly Rebecca Rose: Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O’Connell obviously put a lot of thought into choosing and balancing their girl twin names. Two nickname firsts, two floral thirds and two three-syllable seconds, one honoring mom Rebecca. Dolly is a tribute to Dolly Parton, Charlie is O’Connell’s brother and Tamara is Romijn’s sister.
8. Hazel Patricia + Phinnaeus Walter: When Julia Roberts used Hazel and Phinnaeus (especially with that archaic spelling) in 2004, her choices were seen as slightly eccentric. Recently chosen by Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Hazel is now at 157, while Phinnaeus Walter Moder is known as Finn, one of the hottest boys’ names.
9. Maximilian + Emme Maribel: Like most Maximilians, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s boy immediately became known as Max, forming a compatible pairing with twin sister Emme. Max has long been a celebrity fave, going back to the now grown sons of Dustin Hoffman and Steven Spielberg, while Emme followed the Emily-Emma trend. A nice twist is that Emme echoes the first letter of Max without them sharing the initial. (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty)
10. Nelson + Eddy: Celine Dion had valid reasons behind her boys’ names, probably unaware that together they formed the name of a Golden Age Hollywood singing star. Nelson was named after Nelson Mandela, whom Dion met when touring South Africa; Eddy was a tribute to her first record producer, Eddy Marnay.
11. Valentino + Matteo: Born in Puerto Rico as Enrique Martin Morales, Ricky Martin clearly embraced his Latino heritage when naming his twin boys. Valentino is one of the most romantic of names, dating back to the days of silent film. Matteo is a real crossover hit, also chosen by Colin Firth.
12. Vivienne Marcheline + Knox Leon: The Jolie-Pitt twins, born in 2008, may have had the greatest influence of all the pairs on this list. Vivienne’s name contributed to a spike in the popularity of both this French spelling and the more familiar Vivian; Knox, following the family tradition of x-ending boy names (Maddox, Pax), was found in the Pitt ancestral history, and propelled this old Scottish surname onto the SSA list in the year following his birth.
Did your favorite baby names make the list? Tweet us @BritandCo and let us know!
This post was previously published on Nameberry.
It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.