Baby Twin Girls Armstrong

Amy writes:

We are Andy and Amy Armstrong and we are expecting twin girls on November 17th.
We have two children – my oldest from a prior marriage:
Chase Larkin 14 yr old son and together Larkin Murphy 4 yr daughter

We don’t want any name that begins with A

My great-grandfather’s name was Larkin Timothy Murphy hence the family name I used as my children have different last names which I didn’t like – so they share my family name.

My grandmother was Violet Murphy and my father in law is Dan. We have quite a list going and I am trying to narrow things down prior to birth and would like input that is positive vs the debate friends and family can start.

My mothers maiden name was McBrayer but any form of that is better for a boy than girl I think?

So the list in no particular order is:

  • Violet
  • Dani
  • Murphy (I keep hearing this is a dog name which irritates me but I think middle name for this)
  • Harper
  • Carson (name we had in mind when Larkin was born but waited until we saw her to name her)
  • Camryn (same as above)
  • Lily
  • Marley (again with the dog comments)
  • Keely
  • Kylie
  • Zoe
  • Lauren
  • Rory
  • Finley

The Irish theme is strong obviously but I am open to suggestions. I don’t want the girls to have sing/song names as they are individuals.

Oh fun! Okay, I’m going to start making some pairs:

Harper and Keely
Harper and Kylie
Camryn and Marley
Carsyn and Marley
Harper and Marley
Harper and Lily
Harper and Rory
Harper and Finley
Rory and Finley
Harper and Camryn
Kylie and Zoe
Keely and Zoe
Lily and Lauren
Lauren and Camryn
Keely and Marley
Zoe and Lauren
Camryn and Zoe
Rory and Zoe
Finley and Kylie

Well! That’s not very helpful, is it! No wonder you’re having trouble narrowing it down!

I changed the spelling of Carson to Carsyn to make it go with Marley, but I didn’t do much more of that in case you hate that spelling. I think otherwise Carson makes it look like boy-girl twins, or makes it appear that there is an expectation that one girl will be tomboyish and the other girly, as in twin-based sitcoms.

I think Harper goes with a LOT of the names on the list.

I wondered if Lily/Lauren and Lauren/Camryn and Keely/Marley and Finley/Kylie would be too matchy for you because of similar sounds, but put them on the list anyway because to me they’re just the right amount of matchy to please people who like twin names to coordinate, without sounding like sugar-and-spice.

I think Murphy and McBrayer would make an excellent pair of middle names. Harper Murphy and Keely McBrayer. Lily Murphy and Lauren McBrayer. Rory Murphy and Finley McBrayer. And so on.

I’m reluctant to add any MORE names to the mix, since you have so many good ones already and since with twins there is a huge increase in number of combinations for each added name. But for father-in-law namesakes, I wanted to add Dania, Daniella, and Danica. Violet and Daniella is a nice pair, and Danica goes with a lot of the names on the list: Danica and Camryn, Danica and Harper, Danica and Zoe, Danica and Marley, etc.

Everyone, please say your favorite combinations and let’s see if we can narrow it down a little. I think my favorites are Rory and Finley, Harper and Keely, and Harper and Marley—but gosh, I don’t know, every time I look at the list I change my mind.

Name update 11-18-2009!

Amy and Andy are proud to announce their two beautiful baby girls born Tuesday, November 17

Brin Murphy Armstrong
born 12:07 pm
6 pounds 12 ounces

Erin McBrayer Armstrong
born 12:08 pm
5 pounds 3 ounces

Everyone is doing great!

42 thoughts on “Baby Twin Girls Armstrong

  1. Rayne of Terror

    How about Harper and Marlo? Very similar to Marley, but without the dog problem. Both seem fresh and modern, like Chase and Larkin, but with strong seeming 1920s roots. I think that is a very cohesive sibset without being twinny or having repeat sounds.

    Harper Murphy & Marlo McBrayer

    Reply
  2. Patricia

    Not a fan of Harper, which reminds me of the noun “harper, a person who harps on a subject” (dictionary.com). (Eg., “My older sister harps at me all the time; she’s such a harper.”) I also think LARkin and HARper are somewhat matchy and would leave out the other twin from the sister-set, as would one twin’s name beginning with an L (Lauren or Lily), but not the other twin’s name.

    My favorites from the names being considered are Violet and Zoe:
    Chase, Larkin, Violet and Zoe — a nice sib-set, yet giving individuality to each child’s name.

    Reply
  3. Marie

    I love Danica, as Dani would be a great nn!

    My favorite twin combinations were Lauren and Violet, but then I realized Larkin and Lauren could get confusing.

    I’m going to say Danica and Violet. That way each is named after a family member.

    Reply
  4. patricia

    I agree with Marie that it would be really special to use the two family names on their list.

    Violet and Danica could be an excellent choice.

    I just looked up Danica on behindthename; it has a nice meaning:

    DANICA

    Usage: Serbian, Croatian, Slovene, Slovak, Czech, English

    From a Slavic word meaning “morning star”. It has sometimes been used in the English-speaking world since the 1970s.

    Reply
  5. erin

    oooo, I like Danica a lot! However, I feel like you are looking for a two syllable name, and it would admittedly fit better with your current kids and your other choices. I also think Violet would be good. Violet and Lily is out (too flowery) but everything else goes. I like Violet and Zoe; Chase, Larkin Violet and Zoe sounds great. I was originally drawn to Lauren and Camryn though, As I really like girl names that end in “n” and that would match with the big sis. I’m probably not much help though, because I really like Rory too.

    And to add to Marlo, there is always Marla. I met one ever in my life and always thought it was so unique. Paired with a more girlie name, like Violet, Violet and Marla are fun!

    What about Teagan? Lauren and Teagan or Camryn and Teagan? I love that for you (and also irish!)

    Reply
  6. Tracy H.

    My favorites of the names mentioned are: Violet, Harper, Zoe, Finley, Marlo, Danica and I want to add Romy. I prefer Romy to Rory. I knew a male Rory once and he ruined the name for me, hate it when that happens.

    I would also hesitate to use Murphy again as a middle name (even though I love it as a mn) because Chase & Larkin are tied by “Larkin”, and if you give one of the twins Murphy as a mn then Larkin & new twin will be tied by “Murphy” and one twin will be left standing with no shared name and your daughter Larkin will have to share both of her names, let her have one name to herself. Good luck, I love all of the choices. Can’t wait to hear what you pick!

    Reply
  7. Lisa

    I love the name Lauren. Never got to use it, but love it.

    Also, I love Camryn. Our 5th is named Camryn. We call her Cami a lot and love it, too.

    Lauren and Camryn together…too matchy? Not for me, all my kids end in N, so I like that. I wonder also if Lauren and Larkin is too much L? But I like with this pair you get 2 L names, 2 C names. Is Chase and Camryn too much C?

    Love the idea of using McBrayer in the middle name spot. Also, Violet and Danica (or Danielle, Dannette) to get all those family names there.

    Reply
  8. Fran

    My Cabbage Patch Kid was named Danica and I have always liked that name. I’m not a fan of Marley, especially for a girl because it brings to my mind either the dog from the book/movie or Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol.
    I do like Camryn though!!And I LOVE Zoe but it sounds short compared to Danica. I can’t wait to hear the final decision on this one!

    Reply
  9. Leslie

    I like Violet and Danica (Dani) together, and I love the fact that they both work in family connections. Harper would be my next choice, with either of the other two.

    I do think Lauren sounds too much like Larkin, and that since Larkin already shares a name with a sibling, maybe Murphy should be left out of the twins’ names.

    Best of luck!

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    my absolute favorites are:

    Harper Murphy and Finley McBrayer…
    i think that would be a wonderful pairing and that they go great with your other children’s names :)

    Reply
  11. KL

    I like:

    Harper and Camryn
    Harper and Marley (I love this name and the book/movie/dog association wouldn’t bother me at all)
    Camryn and Carsyn (I think the spelling “Carson” is a bit masculine)
    Danica and Violet

    I agree with a previous poster who mentioned that using the name Murphy twice might leave someone out. I am not a fan of Marlo as a first name but it would be cute as a middle name if Marley isn’t used.

    Reply
  12. Tracy H.

    Just an FYI, Lisa Marie Presley’s twin daughters (born last year) are named Harper & Finley. Great names! But some weird people (like me!) will make that connection if you use those 2 names together. Not saying it’s a bad connection, just a celebrity connection. I’ll stop rambling now…

    Reply
  13. Rayne of Terror

    I think if Violet was in my family tree I’d be dying to use it, but the style seems different than the overall feel of the list.

    I’m the only person in my family whose name doesn’t begin with an L and who doesn’t have a family name. That has never bothered me. What bothers me is being one of a zillion 1970s Jennifers.

    Violet McBrayer & Harper Danielle

    Reply
  14. Amy

    I need to read People magazine – I had no idea about Lisa Marie. hmmm lots to think about here but it’s so darn HARD! Rayne I love your suggestion of Marlo.

    Geeeze …. this is cutting it to the wire!!

    Reply
  15. Anonymous

    Marley could be spelled the way actress Marlee Matlin spells her name. That might help solve the problem of canine comments.

    Reply
  16. Anonymous

    I think going with a pair of unisex names might be the best way to tie everyone’s names together.

    I like Camryn and Harper or Camryn and Finley

    Reply
  17. Portia

    Violet and Zoe is by far my favorite pair.

    I also like Rory and Camryn.

    I like a lot of the names individually, but not so much when put with Chase, Larkin, and another name from the list. I guess it depends on how much you care about the flow of the sibling names (and of course, someone else might think the names flow beautifully!).

    Reply
  18. Midwest Mom

    Marley makes me think of Jacob Marley from scrooge.

    But I love the pairing of Violet and Lily — the same (flowers) and not the same (completely different sounds.)

    All of your names seem to have two syllables. But I like the ring of a two-syllable and a one-syllable name…

    What about
    Violet Maeve
    and
    Lily Shea?

    – Julia

    Reply
  19. Patricia

    “All your names seem to have two sylables.”

    Is Violet a 2 or 3 syllable name? I say Vie-e-let. The ‘o’ isn’t pronounced real strong, but it’s there.

    I checked Behindthename, which gives indicates Violet can be either:

    “VIOLET… Pronounced: VIE-lət, VIE-ə-lət”

    Reply
  20. TweePopACap

    I’d just like to suggest the spelling Marlowe, instead of Marlo. I love the name, and I love that spelling. Baby Names Wizard says “The surname spelling Marlowe gives it a more dramatic literary style.” I agree!

    Reply
  21. Kristin

    Chase and Larkin sound like such strong names. I’d like the twins’ names to be just as strong and forceful. I love Harper as a sib. name, and another idea for Marley is Mara.

    Harper and Mara
    Camryn and Harper
    Finley and Rory

    Just some ideas!

    Reply
  22. Karen L

    I’d avoid anything too feminine because of Larkin. That said, I really like Danica. Maybe you could use Violet and Danica as middle names? I do like Harper with most of the other names but I wonder if Harper Armstrong is a bit too much R. Ditto Marley/Marlo or Carson.

    My favourite pair is
    Rory and Finley.

    Reply
  23. Steph the WonderWorrier

    Marlo Armstrong is Dooce’s new baby’s name exactly, so it does work with the last name. Personally it’s not a name I’d choose, but it’s just not my naming style, that’s all.

    Personally I really, really love the suggestion of Danica — it’s a lovely name, and easily shortens to Dani! Larkin and Danica go great together too as sisters. For Danica’s twin, I personally like:

    Danica & Zoe
    Danica & Keely
    Danica & Camryn

    I do like the idea of Danica & Violet too, for the family connections as stated above. Danica and Marley/Marlee/Marlo if you go that route does look quite good.

    Reply
  24. Anonymous

    I didnt read all the comments so I don’t know if this was mentioned
    But I do believe that lisa marie presley named her twins harper and finley
    (which i DO love) but would probably avoid using that combo
    i have a friend whose sib set is harper and ashlyn
    i think thats cute:)

    Reply
  25. Kara @ KSS

    This combo wasn’t on the list, but I like Camryn and Kylie. Similar “k” sounds, but very different names. Yet both names have the same feel to them and don’t seem mismatched.

    Reply
  26. Frazzled Mom

    My favorite pair from the list is Zoe and Rory, however I like the suggestion of Romy instead of Rory, mostly because I had to take speech therapy until 5th grade to learn my r’s, and I still get tongue tied over Rory and Aurora too. But that’s just me.

    Reply
  27. Lara Jane

    Brin and Erin? I’m sorry, but you’re just asking for trouble. Why not Brynn, at least?

    Congrats on your healthy babies! I’ll bet big brother and big sister are excited! Lots to be thankful for this week! :)

    Reply
  28. Christine

    Sorry I forgot to say congratulations! I think you chose the right names!

    Sorry if my last message sounded rude. Its just that my 5 year old son (Finley) couldn’t stop laughing when I said that his name was being considered for a girl! I am expecting our second son next year and in case you haven’t already guessed he will be called Rory!

    Finley is very common in the UK but never come across a girl by this name. Rory not so common but definitely a boys name here.

    Hope you are enjoying your babies. :)

    Reply
  29. Swistle

    Christine- I did think your first comment crossed the rude/disrespectful line of the comment policy, and so I deleted it. I’ve left your second comment.

    Names are used differently in different countries. In the United States, Finley and Rory are not “boy names,” they’re androgynous names used for boys or girls. This may make other countries unhappy, but it’s the way it is here—and U.S. parents will continue to make naming decisions based on the way things are here, just as UK parents will continue to make naming decisions based on the way things are there. It’s not nice to imply that one country is “ruining” names, or that a set of parents is making a laughably ridiculous decision, just because it’s done differently elsewhere.

    Reply
  30. Anonymous

    And it might be laughable to your 5-year old now, but in the US, once a name goes neutral, it usually is thought of as a girl name. By the time Christine’s kids are in high school, Finley and Rory will most likely be thought of as ‘girl’ names

    Reply
  31. Anonymous

    Well perhaps they may be thought of as girls names in the US but I don’t think that will happen in the UK as we are more traditional.

    As I said before I am sorry if my original post offended. I think perhaps we are more outspoken over here. Have you ever been on http://www.mumsnet.com?

    Best wishes.

    Reply

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