Twins named Harry and Henry

I’m questioning whether I’ve read this correctly but I’ve just seen this combination in the Telegraph birth announcements :o The only thing I can think of is that their parents are intending them to go by middle names? Their surname begins with a H too. Obviously naming your child is a personal choice but I can’t help but feel this is a little ill-advised.

:shock: Sure [name]Harry[/name] can be a standalone name, but it’s also a nn for [name]Henry[/name]… Yes, ill-advised, for sure!

I know twins named [name]Mary[/name] and [name]Molly[/name] so this really doesn’t surprise me. Many non-name nerds would think “oh, these are so cute together!” without ever knowing that one name can be a short form of the other.

Yeah, not a fan. There are so many names out there I wonder why they couldn’t have picked something better.

I think [name]Harvey[/name] and [name]Henry[/name] would have been better. Still a little too matchy for my taste but at least they’re different names with different meanings.

It’s actually a depressingly common phenomenon. If you look at the list of top twin names, it’s riddled with things like [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Emily[/name], [name]Jayden[/name] and [name]Jaylen[/name], [name]Taylor[/name] and [name]Tyler[/name]. Very ill advised, in my opinion. [name]Harry[/name] and [name]Henry[/name] I could see moreso than some of those, because the sound is at least a little different, but still not something I would encourage. People need to remember that twins are two human beings, not a matched set of playthings, and they need their own, separate identity.

Yes! Well said.

I agree with everything you said but surely [name]Harry[/name] and [name]Henry[/name] are worse due to [name]Harry[/name] being a nickname for [name]Henry[/name]? :shock:

I’m very much sound rather than meaning oriented, so for me, [name]Jayden[/name] & [name]Jaylen[/name] is slightly worse. Going by the meanings, [name]Harry[/name] & [name]Henry[/name] is embarrassing, but I guess I figure many people won’t know that they’re so related, whereas everyone will be able to see instantly that [name]Emma[/name] and [name]Emily[/name] are…obnoxiously similar? Either way, it is definitely not something I would approve of! :smiley:

Yeah I know what you mean, I have heard of quite a few with names that would be easily confused. I don’t where you live but in the UK people would definitely know [name]Harry[/name] is a nickname for [name]Henry[/name]… [name]Prince[/name] [name]Harry[/name]'s real name is [name]Henry[/name].