Key takeaways
- Parents love alliteration: 22% of all sibling names analyzed start with the same letter.
- If they chose a common name for a first child, families are likely to choose another popular pick for a subsequent sibling.
- Sibling names frequently share a theme — celestial, Biblical, and nature-inspired names, for example, often appear in pairs.
Deciding on a name for baby number one is a very big deal. But once you're adding a second (or third, or fourth…) member to the family, you realize there's even more to keep in mind: Now, you also have to consider how your children's names flow together – after all, you're going to be saying them in the same breath a lot. "Ours don't need to match, but we like them to sound *right* together," notes BabyCenter Community member Mrissk.
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If you're wondering how other parents name their younger children, check out this data from the BabyCenter app. Nearly 129,000 BabyCenter families had two babies born between August 2020 and July 2024 and registered the names on the app – that's a lot of name inspiration to go off. Below, see some of the top sibling name combinations and learn the overall trends that will help you find the perfect name to fit your growing family.
Parents love alliteration
"My first two kids are Charles and Christopher, which are inherited family names," says BabyCenter Community member HeroldBL28. "This one I have no name for, but I feel like it has to also start with 'Ch' so it at least matches a little." As it turns out, this is a really common way of thinking: More than 1 in 5 (or 22%) of sibling name pairs from the BabyCenter app start with the same letter.
As for some of the most common same-letter sibling names? Here are a few popular combinations, in no particular order:
Some parents might choose same-letter names intentionally, while others realize they've created a pattern later. "This was never important to me, in fact, I thought it was a bit silly," says BabyCenter Community member Sekttc. "Now, I have three boys: Liam, Luxton, and Leonidas, whom we call Leo. If we are having another boy his name will be Levi, and if it's a girl her name will be River. Turns out, I just like boy names that start with 'L,' and after the first two we decided to keep it going."
If parents choose a popular name for one child, they often do the same for siblings
Parents who opt for a well-known name for baby number one often do the same for subsequent kids: Many of the most frequent sibling name pairs registered on BabyCenter involve two or more popular baby names. "We will have an Elliott and an Oliver," says BabyCenter Community member KelceyBanana. "I feel like they give off similar vibes."
When it comes to popularity, the opposite can be true, too: "Our kids' names are incredibly unique, so it would be weird for us to have a John or Mike," says BabyCenter member GrandMultiMama88.
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If you named your first child Olivia, some of the top sibling name choices include:
- For a sister: Sophia (number 4 on the top names list)
- For a sister: Emma (number 3)
- For a sister: Evelyn (number 13)
- For a brother: Liam (number 2)
- For a brother: Oliver (number 3)
- For a brother: Lucas (number 6)
If you named your first child Amelia, some of the top sibling name choices include:
- For a sister: Olivia (number 1)
- For a sister: Eleanor (number 30)
- For a sister: Sophia (number 4)
- For a brother: Benjamin (number 23)
- For a brother: Liam (number 2)
- For a brother: James (number 11)
If you named your first child Emma, some of the top sibling name choices include:
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- For a sister: Olivia (number 1)
- For a sister: Mia (number 8)
- For a sister: Lily (number 18)
- For a brother: Liam (number 2)
- For a brother: Noah (number 1)
- For a brother: Levi (number 7)
If you named your first child Noah, some of the top sibling name choices include:
- For a sister: Emma (number 3)
- For a sister: Nova (number 17)
- For a sister: Avery (number 29)
- For a brother: Liam (number 2)
- For a brother: Jonah (number 124)
- For a brother: Luca (number 12)
If you named your first child Liam, some of the top sibling name choices include:
- For a sister: Olivia (number 1)
- For a sister: Emma (number 3)
- For a sister: Lily (number 18)
- For a brother: Levi (number 7)
- For a brother: Noah (number 1)
- For a brother: Oliver (number 3)
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If you named your first child Oliver, some of the top sibling name choices include:
- For a sister: Charlotte (number 5)
- For a sister: Olivia (number 1)
- For a sister: Amelia (number 2)
- For a brother: Liam (number 2)
- For a brother: Henry (number 13)
- For a brother: Theodore (number 18)
Pro tip: You can use BabyCenter to look at popular sibling name choices for any name. Just visit the name page to see common pairings.
Many sibling names share a theme
Parents choose names they love – so it makes sense that if you leaned into a certain theme when you named your first child (think Biblical names, names inspired by places, or flower-inspired names), you'd still be drawn to that theme when choosing what to call baby number two.
"I knew a family with gemstone names: Jade, Gemma, Amber, and Crystal," says BabyCenter member Snickels.
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You could also follow a theme with middle names. "I am thinking of having nature references in my children's middle names," says BabyCenter Community member ZoesMamaPlus1. "Middle names used already include Savannah, Nirvana, and thinking Aurora this time. Other names we like for future children include Skye, River, August, and Silas. And I just found out Silas means forest or woods, so it is just perfect!"
Some popular themed sibling name combinations we found in the BabyCenter app include:
Just remember, trendy or not, the most important thing to do is choose a name you personally love. "I say pick whatever names you like," says member KelceyBanana. As long as both parents are happy with the choice, that's all that matters.
Methodology
BabyCenter analyzed the name data for BabyCenter members who had two babies born between August 2020 and July 2024. This sample included 128,686 parents.
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