How to Name Siblings

You've been through the trials and struggles (or perhaps ease and fun) of naming your first baby and are now looking for the right baby name for the upcoming sibling.  As you build your family, you will probably at least think about your first child's name and how your "sib set" will sound once all is said and done. Read on for our tips and tricks on how to help your own family's names flow -- or stand apart!

There are several options for choosing names for siblings -- you can pick names that have the same beginning sound, names that have the same ending sound, names that have the same amount of syllables, names that have the same origins or meanings or even names that are totally unrelated! The name rules we have outlined here work just as easily for girls and boys, so brothers and sisters can have names that sound like they are from the same family too.

Names with Same Sounds

Some families -- the Duggar family with 18 kids and counting is a famous example -- like to have all of the children's names start with the same letter (or sound). This is probably the easiest rule to follow as your list of possibilities is immediately narrowed and you have a great starting point.

Some ideas for an "A" family: Anna, Aiden, Alexa, Aaron, Arden, Alicia

You can also have names that mirror each other at the end -- names ending in a "y" or an "n" sound are popular by themselves and can also be easily matched to a mate.

Some ideas for an "n" family: Kaden, Jordan, Morgan, Logan, Lauren, Carmen

The Duggar family followed this trend by naming all 19 kids names starting with the letter "J"! Check out the names of the Duggar children here.

Here are more ideas for names beginning with a certain sound or letter:

"H" Baby Names

"S" Baby Names

"J" Baby Names

"L" Baby Names

Same Amount of Syllables

Maybe you crave consistency within your family by choosing names that have the same number of syllables. One and two-syllable names are very easy to come by -- any more than that and you may find it to be a little more challenging -- although not impossible.

Some ideas for a "1-syllable" family: Kate, Jack, John, Ann, Seth, Joy

Get ideas for 2-syllable baby names and 3-syllable baby names here.

Same Origins or Meanings

Another way to pick the perfect sibling set is to choose names that have the same language origins or roots. Picking all Irish names, for example, is a current and fun trend, or you may wish to honor you or your partner's heritage with another choice.

Some ideas for a "Nordic" family: Niels, Laerke, Magnus, Hanne, Ingo, Helsa

Other options might be to choose names that have similar meanings. Nature names, for example, are immensely popular and can be worked into a family very easily, and you can choose obvious nature names -- or those that are more subtle but still have similar meanings.

Some ideas for a "nature" family: Brooke, River, Coral, Linden, Ivy, Tern

Check out our Advanced Baby Name search which lets you search names by specific origins or letter.

Of course, you don't have to follow any rules at all. You can simply choose the names you love without worrying about whether it flows or sounds perfect with his brother or sister's name. After all, they aren't going to be living in the same house forever. But if you would like your kids to have names that go together, rest assured that following our rules is fun and easy!

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