A. writes:
I’ve been reading your blog for a long time now and thought I could come up with some names for our twins myself but we’re getting closer to my due date (Nov 15 but probably delivering around Halloween) and haven’t agreed on girl names! We don’t know the genders so we could be having 2 boys, 2 girls or one of each. Our last name is pronounced Dee-in. I have no idea what our name styles would be described as but hopefully some of the names that we like can help you out.
We’ve definitely decided on Coulter (a family name) as our main boy name and will call him Cole. Our other boy name is most likely Everett. Husband is okay with this name if we call him Evan. Does that nickname even work for Everett? I’m not convinced….
Other boy names I like:
Christian
Mauer
West
LyleOther boy names Husband likes:
Connor
Caleb
Henry
Evan (by itself)For girls, we’re at a loss. I have been IN LOVE with the name Nora since high school and am trying my hardest to get my husband on board with this.
Other girl names I like:
Ruth (Ruthie)
Freya
Keelin
Cordelia/Cora
Ireland (Family Surname)
Leta
Quinn (Husband thinks it’s too boyish)Girl names husband likes:
Annie
Anna
Caroline (I love too but it’s my only sister’s name!! He thinks that doesn’t matter, I highly disagree)
Caitlyn
Melissa
Casey (kass-ee) I guess this is how you would spell it? He thinks this is how it should be spelled. I think she’ll be mistaken as a K.C. her whole life…Any suggestions of girl names that might fit in both of our styles?
Middle name wise, they are already picked out, no matter the gender: Hill and Gregory. They are family names.
Help us please!!!!
Twin names are already harder to choose than a name for a singleton baby, but when the sexes are unknown it makes it an Herculean task: THREE twinsets, one for each possible combination.
In my opinion, Evan is too much of a reach as a nickname for Everett: Evan is its own name already, and not connected to the name Everett in any way except that they share the first two letters. To me it’s like using Jessica as a nickname for Jennifer.
I would suggest just using the name Evan, but it doesn’t seem to me like a very good fit with Coulter OR with your surname. West Deein seems like it blends too much; Christian Deein seems rhymey. With Coulter, Mauer seems like the best match. Or do you have another family name you could use? Perhaps Coulter and Gregory (Cole and Greg), and find a different middle name? I like Coulter with other surname names, and with your surname I like to avoid N-endings:
Coulter and Bennett
Coulter and Brody
Coulter and Elliot
Coulter and Fletcher
Coulter and Frasier
Coulter and Garrett
Coulter and Gregory
Coulter and Jagger
Coulter and Lennox
Coulter and Maguire
Coulter and Marshall
Coulter and Mercer
Coulter and Miller
Coulter and Ranger
Coulter and Redford
Coulter and Sawyer
Coulter and Thatcher
Coulter and Turner
Coulter and Yeardley
I like Coulter with Archer, but wonder if “Archer Deein” sounds too much like “archdeacon.” I also took Baxter off the list because when I said it too many times it started sounding like “bastard.” And I wondered about Brody (or Grady, or Brady) Deein—is the repeating “dee” sound too much? And Redford I love, but does the D-ending blend in with Deein too much?
For girl names—are you saying you don’t want to name a daughter after your sister? In that case, DEFINITELY Caroline is off the list. But I do think it’s a charming idea, if you both love the name and if you like your sister. …Although, does your husband have any sisters? If so, things could get dicey.
If you want the pronunciation “kass-ee,” with a short A, it’s spelled Cassie (or possibly Kassie or Cassey). Casey would be like Casey-at-the-bat: KAY-see. I suggest using a longer name such as Cassandra or Cassidy and using Cassie as a nickname. Cassandra and Caroline would be a pretty combination. Cassandra and Cassidy are both nice with Coulter, too.
Other pairings for girl twins:
Caroline and Ruth
Anna and Ruth
Anna and Caroline
Anna and Cora
For boy-girl twins:
Coulter and Cassidy
Coulter and Caroline
Coulter and Cassandra
I like Coulter and Keelin, but Keelin Deein seems too rhymey to me. I’m not sure if Cassidy Deein works or if the repeating Dee sound is too much.
I was looking for some options that don’t repeat the initial sound, but it’s hard to find: Coulter and Anna are so different in style; Coulter and Caroline might be just as different, but the repeating hard-C sound ties them together.
For boy-girl twins, I’d definitely give the middle name Gregory to the boy twin: Coulter Gregory and Caroline Hill. For boy-boy twins, it doesn’t much matter, so I’d probably give Gregory to whichever name seemed less obviously boyish. For girl-girl twins, it’s hard to decide who should take Gregory. Anna Gregory and Ruth Hill? Cassidy Hill and Keelin Gregory? I feel like they’re both going to agree Hill is the better middle name.
My favorites:
Coulter ____ and Gregory Hill
Coulter Hill and Sawyer Gregory
Coulter Gregory and Lennox Hill
Coulter Gregory and Cassidy Hill
Coulter Gregory and Caroline Hill
Anna Gregory and Ruth Hill
Anna Gregory and Cora Hill
Name update! A. writes:
Thanks for all your help! Your comments helped put a few things in perspective for us both and gave us some great ideas. Our b/g twins were born 10/20 and we named them Coulter Hill and Annora Ireland. The name Annora never occurred to us! We read it and both instantly fell in love with it. We BOTH love their names which is a miracle! And using Ireland instead of Gregory as a mn was perfect. The tradition in both of our families is to use family surnames for middle names (mine growing up was Johnson! yuck!) so using a more feminine surname was a great idea. I guess we never thought of it because I thought it would be a great first name, but it definitely works perfectly as her middle name. Mom, Dad, Cole and Nora are doing great. Thanks again!
Lots to consider here! I really like Evan and Coulter (rather than Everett). If you want to stick with Everett, I think a really cool nickname would be Rhett. Rhett and Cole.
I agree with Swistle, that Caroline is a gorgeous name and a lovely way to honor your sister, if you so choose. I would never name a baby after myself, but would seriously consider naming a daughter after my sister. (Also, I am named for my mom’s twin who never had her own children and it has been a special namesake relationship). I really like Caroline with Nora!
As for boy/girl twins, I like Caroline and Coulter the best.
I like Coulter and Cordelia the next best!
Good luck!
I like the suggestion of using Gregory as a first name, but would suggest using ‘Grey’ as the nick name, rather than Greg. Grey is a much more modern take and pairs better with Cole, I think.
Eleanor(a) “Nora” & Cassandra “Cassie” would include your most favorite girl’s name and a favorite of your husband.
I’d recommend one of those two girls’ names if the twins are girl/boy:
Coulter “Colt” & Cassandra “Cassie”
Coulter “Colt” & Eleanor(a) “Nora”
For two boys:
Coulter Hill “Colt” and Evan Gregory
Best wishes!
I think I’m too overwhelmed with options to vote on anything but Colter and Caroline, really like Caroline Hill and i think namesakes are sweet. Oh and i agree that Evan isn’t a nick name for Everette. I think people tend to playfully call both Evan and Everette “Ev” so maybe that is what your husband is drawing from. Good luck with the twins, can’t wait to hear about them!
Coulter Gregory & Connor Hill
Coulter Gregory & Cora Hill
Anna Hill & Ruth Gregory
Wow. This is hard! I definitely agree that Evan is not a nn for Everett. Coulter is great. How about Carolina (pronounced like the state) for a girl?? That way, you still honor your sister, get your hubby’s fave girl name, and avoid such confusion when the family is over for the holidays! I’d end up called the boy Colt instead of Cole, though. Also, what about Hazel or Evelyn for a girl? You could do Evelyn and Everett!! PRECIOUS! Evy and Rhett for short. Best of luck! Can’t wait to hear what yall choose!
Evan and Everett are definitely two different names – my son is Evan and a friend’s son is Everett and sometimes we both call them “Ev” but she never uses Evan. Although both are great names so you could use either one.
If you don’t want to use your sister’s exact name, how about Carolyn rather than Caroline? My mother did that with my name – her sister is Susan and I am Suzanne. (Also, MY sister is Carolyn and our baby girl due on Christmas will probably be Caroline. We’d be like opposite twins.)
My favorite pairs are
Boy girl: Coulter Gregory and Cassidy Hill
Boy boy: Coulter Hill and Mercer Gregory
Girl girl: Caroline Gregory and Cora Hill
I have to day, I do NOT envy this decision. You’re a much stronger woman than I am waiting to find out the sex of TWINS.
I see I mixed up the nn for Coulter and called him “Colt”. As a poster above mentioned, it seems more natural to shorten Coulter to “Colt”, although like you, I prefer “Cole”. Sorry for the mix-up.
I just looked in dictionary.com for the word coulter, curious about its meaning and etymology:
coulter
— n
Also (esp US): colter a blade or sharp-edged disc attached to a plough so that it cuts through the soil vertically in advance of the ploughshare
Word Origin & History
O.E. culter , from L. culter “knife, iron blade in a plowshare.” As a surname (13c.), probably from Coulter in Lancashire.
Coulter has a nice sound, is a family name for your family, and an unusual name with a currently popular nn Cole (SSA #82) [or Colt – SSA 370, usual short form of Colton – SSA 93]. In 2009 only 18 boys born in the US were named Coulter; 160 were named Colter.
Is there another surname this interesting and unique in one of your family trees that could be used for a second boy if your twins are both boys?
Oh dear. Long comment, eaten, lost forever.
Loooong story short…
Evan doesn’t work. Everett will be called Everett sometimes, so if your husband hates it, then it’s probably not the right choice. However, I think meeting your son and calling him Everett would certainly be powerful.
B/B twins: Coulter Hill and
Gregory Everett; Cole and (love this suggestion) Grey.
Coulter Gregory and Everett Hill; Cole and Ev or Ever (yes, I made that nn up, but it *is* the first 2 syllables). Rhett, someone mentioned above, is great too.
B/G twins: Coulter Gregory and Cassandra Hill; Cole and Cassie. Coulter Gregory and Annora Hill; Cole and Annie/Anna/Anne. Coulter Gregory and Ainsley Hill; Cole and Ain/Anne.
I started picking A names since your husband likes Annie and Anna. G/G twins: Cassandra Hill and Annora Gregory; Cassie and Annie. Cassandra Hill and Anissa Gregory; Cassie and Annie. Annora Hill and Amelia Gregory; Annie and Amy. (Amelia was not in my first comment, it was a brain wave.)
OH, I vote Lennox for the second boy’s name and I hope you use it!
I think that our girl name taste is quite different but now that I think about it Ruth and Cora sounds like an adorable, good natured pair of little girls.
In my opinion, your girl names aren’t in the same category as “Coulter” – except maybe Casey (which I would spell Cassie to avoid K.C. pronunciations).
I do agree with Swistle’s point about the hard c tying coulter and caroline together – but I don’t find that coulter and cora has the same effect.
Good luck with your baby naming challenge!
I agree that Evan is not a nn for Everett. If your husband doesn’t like Everett, you may want to toss that one. And you’re right: it does ‘matter’ if you name a child after your sister, or anyone else n your family. If you give your child your sister’s name, you are honoring her in a big way, so you will have to decide whether you want to do that or not. Eleanor, Honora and Leonore will give you the nn Nora, does your husband like any of those?
I think you have a good selection, so I don’t want to give you any additional names. Here are some possible bb, gg and bg combos:
Coulter and Evan
or Coulter and Mauer
(Coulter Gregory and Evan Hill
or Coulter Hill and Mauer Gregory)
Cordelia and Melissa
or Leta and Anna
(Cordelia Hill and Melissa Gregory
or Leta Hill and Anna Gregory)
Coulter and Freya (I love this one!)
or Coulter and Caitlyn
(Coulter Gregory and Freya Hill
or Coulter Gregory and Caitlyn Hill)
Good luck!
My favourites from your lists:
Boy-Boy:
Coulter Hill Deein
Evan Gregory Deein
Boy-Girl:
Coulter Gregory Deein
Cassandra Hill Deein
(although I when I say Cassandra Deein I think of Sandra Dee but don’t think many others would know the association any more)
Girl-Girl:
Caitlyn Hill Deein
Lenora Ireland Deein
(actually I combined Leta and Nora to get this one, hope you like it)
(how set are you on Gregory as the middle name, since you mention Ireland is also a family name)
Good luck
I’ve got it! You love Cora, he loves Caroline…name your daughter Coraline! It’s a perfect mix of the two names, but it’s also an actual name (not just a created mash-up), and you could use Cora as a nickname. Plus, it’s lovely and a bit more modern sounding than Caroline (which to me makes it a better stylistic match with Coulter).
Coulter Gregory and Coraline Hill
Coulter and Coraline
Cole and Cora
Love it!!!
If you have another girl, I like a previous poster’s suggestion of Annora. His Anna + your Nora = Annora! You could use both Anna and Nora as nicknames. Although now that I think about it, Coraline and Annora would get you Cora and Nora…not so good. Hmm.
If you have a second boy, I LOVE the suggestion of using Grey as the nickname for Gregory! SO much better and more current than Greg, and a much better match with Coulter.
Coulter and Gregory
Cole and Grey
Great combo!
As for Everett, I definitely agree that Evan is a bit of a stretch. But I actually don’t mind a bit of a stretch when it comes to nicknames – they’re only nicknames after all. If you like it, go with it…just be prepared for plenty of naysayers.
About the middle names, I understand wanting to honor your family by using to use a family surname, but if you end up having two girls…well, I really don’t think it’s fair to saddle one of them with Gregory as a middle name. In my opinion, it’s just too masculine. You mentioned that Ireland was also a family surname – would you consider using that instead?
Yay! I suggested Annora, and I’m so happy Swistle and her faithful readers helped you guys find the names you love! :D
Your little Coulter and Annora are gorgeous. Best wishes to your family!
Thanks so much everyone! and Alison aka Baby B, it was a great suggestion! We both practically gasped when we saw it! Just like with Coulter, we KNEW it was her name. We went into the hospital only LOVING Coulter and Annora and still not knowing if we were having 2 boys or 2 girls or one of each. We were still going back and forth on the other names on the drive to the hospital! It worked out perfectly that we had a girl and a boy so we could use our 2 ohmygodlove names! Thanks again everyone!
Oh, yay!! I am so pleased with your choices! I seconded Annora, and using Ireland as the middle was the idea I suggested – awesome! Swistle, I now know the satisfaction you get to feel every day. ;)
Cole and Nora is SUCH a cute pair! Coulter and Annora. I love it!
Congratulations on your darling twins Coulter and Annora. They’re perfect — a boy and a girl, one of each! — as are their names.
Alison aka Baby B, you’re brilliant! I’ve never heard the name Annora and just looked it up on behindthenames.com:
ANNORA
Gender: Feminine
Usage: English (Rare)
Medieval English variant of HONORA
Look at that: Annora is a forgotten gem, waiting to be rediscovered. SSA stats show that just 18 girls received the name in 2009.
And Ireland as the middle name was an excellent suggestion too, Megz and Twee Poppets.
A., thanks so much for sharing a photo of your precious twins. There they are — Cole, who was already named when you consulted us, and Nora, the name you loved most of all. I’m so pleased Swistle Baby Names could be of help.
Awww! Beautiful babies! Thanks for sharing a photo and update! Welcome Nora and Cole!
Congratulations! Your babies are beautiful and what a gorgeous photo. Annora is a beautiful name, definitely a forgotten gem. Best wishes for your new family.
I didn’t get a chance to read and respond to the original post, but I love the picture. It is too darn cute for words. I just love how your son is snuggling up to your daughter. They are such precious beautiful babies! And based on the picture, I bet Cole will be protective of his sister! Nora’s future boy friends better watch out.
Congrats!! I (also!) absolutely love the 2 names you have chosen.
And what beautiful children! Thank you for sharing a pic.
Enjoy life with these precious 2 babies!