What names make great sibsets?

strangebird

Lately I'm obsessed by sibling sets. Instead of just asking the people I meet for their names/childrens names (yes, I do this), I've been paying attention to sibling names.

I'm very particular about what names "go together," so I often disagree with the sets parents have made, but I'd like to know what others consider great sets.

I heard this one today: little girls named Gemma and Maisie. Neither name is exactly my style, but I think they are perfect together.

What are your favorite sets, whether you've used them, heard them used, or just think they go great together?

ETA: My husband's sibset is pretty perfect, too: William, Joseph, Katherine and Margaret.

veganxangel

Ditto on being slightly obsessed with sibsets. I wont consider a name on my girl or boy list if it doesn't mesh well with the other names. My godmother has a great set: Alexandra (25), Katherine (22), Vincent (17) (named for his father) and Margaret (15).

strangebird

feffy11:

This is a very open question, strangebird!

Some of the more logical sibsets I've heard IRL are my SIL: Samantha, Lauren, and Meredith and my dad's brothers: Thomas, James, Anthony, Salvatore, and Carmine.

I think it mostly depends on style. For example, I think Preston, Miles, and Harrison make a good sibset, as do Summer, Brooke, and Sage. Not that I would create these sibsets, and these are all same-gender sibsets, but I think they go together. I used to make such sibsets when I would play The Sims. My hippie family was Willow, Jade, and Sundance! LOL

LOL. I know it was a very general question. I kind of just wanted to see if most of us, especially the regulars would "classify" names in the same categories. I know whether or not sibling names need to match is always a hot debate topic on here, but I suspect that's because we would group the names differently if we could: )

sunnyday016

I think my sis and I are the perfect 80s sibset-Jennifer and Stephanie.

MelodyKate

I know a sibset William, Henry, Mary Katherine, and John- I think those go together well.

MelodyKate

I know a sibset William, Henry, Mary Katherine, and John- I think those go together well.

I totally understand what you mean about "going together." My DH likes Miles for a boy and Ava for a girl, but I don't think those go together at all, and I know that whatever happens this time, we will use the other one next time. What are your thoughts? Miles and Ava? (other than Ava is WAY overdone- I will lose that battle because it is DH's grandmother's name) 

 

HappyMrsK

My husband's are David, Richard, and Sarah.

Mine are Patricia, Stephen, Sharon and Kelly.

braveangel2

Excellent question!

I like sibsets with a subtle theme...letter count, letters in common, related meanings, similar style or length.

For instance George and Matteo (example on the 10/10/10 post), I love the same number of letters, the EO in each name and the non matchy sounds.

Spookster

My So's is Zachary, his sister Janece,and brother James

Mine is Kassie, my brothers Rollin, and Dillion.

strangebird

braveangel2:

Excellent question!

I like sibsets with a subtle theme...letter count, letters in common, related meanings, similar style or length.

For instance George and Matteo (example on the 10/10/10 post), I love the same number of letters, the EO in each name and the non matchy sounds.

I've noticed this from your comments on names and I really like it. I think I pay more attention to length and rhythm. George and Matteo can't be paired in my eyes because one is a single-syllable and one is three, but your take on it actually made me like the set a little more. I agree that the coordinated -eo is a nice element.

braveangel2

Oh, and something else about sibsets...I think finding a name for sibling of an existing child is slightly tougher on these boards vs finding one for two existing children.

I see once child as a single point on a graph. I can only see the names that are closest to it as an option. Whereas two points on a graph gives me a much larger picture. Just think of the name Betty, that our previous poster had a hard time with. Betty can fit into so many categories, and I never would have thought Jovi as a suggestion, but I hear them together, and I think wow, that's an awesome sibset. Boom, now there are two points on the graph.

strangebird

braveangel2:

Oh, and something else about sibsets...I think finding a name for sibling of an existing child is slightly tougher on these boards vs finding one for two existing children.

I see once child as a single point on a graph. I can only see the names that are closest to it as an option. Whereas two points on a graph gives me a much larger picture. Just think of the name Betty, that our previous poster had a hard time with. Betty can fit into so many categories, and I never would have thought Jovi as a suggestion, but I hear them together, and I think wow, that's an awesome sibset. Boom, now there are two points on the graph.

This is a very good point. My first instinct was to pair Betty with something like Gertie, Molly, Josie, Ruthie or Dottie. I know she considered some of those, but ultimately took Betty into a completely different direction. I think Jovi and Betty make a great set, but I wouldn't have thought to go that way myself because I clearly classify Betty differently than she does.

FemmeNat01

My husband's sibset is awesome!

Benjamin, William, Jonathan, Charlotte, Abigail, and Nathaniel.

They flow SO well.

I know a sibset with Marie and Johanna. I think they go pretty well.

I like to think that my kids names fit together well,

Lucas and Elena

 

StellarStina26

I am an only child ... so I will tell you my parents. 

Brenda, Dennis, and Michelle (mom's)

Charles, Clifford, Calvin (dad's)

grace782

I'm the same way! Names should be of the same "genre" - like both "classic" names, or both "unique" names. You can't do a Kate and a Siobhan. Both fine names, but they aren't the same kind of name.

alliejo725

My dad is part of a good sibset, IMO, despite the first letter repitition: David, Douglas, Dale, Diane.

I always thought my cousins all made good sibsets, too (except for one sibset I didn't list):

Anthony and Brittany

Avery and Thatcher

Bailey and Tucker

DH has cousins in a good sibset, too: Desmond, John, and Joseph.

My cousin's children kind of make a good sibset, in that they're both (somewhat) obscure biblical names: Azriel and Micah.

And a neighborhood family has a Libby and Sophie.

Our childhood friends were a great set, too: Brady and Kelsey.

Another great one is this sibset, who belongs to a man my dad works with. Three little girls: Ryan, Drew, and Briar.

I think names have to be in the same style. I think it's so strange when they're not. My middle sister and I make a good sibset, but with the addition of our youngest sister, we sound strange (Allie, Lexi, and Arah). The same goes for the cousin sibset I didn't mention; the first and last sound good together, but the middle one is different in style to me (Natalie, Natasha, and Nolan).

Just being able to name off that many "good" sibsets makes it seem like it's pretty easy to do. I'm surprised so many people stress over it. There are so many names within the same style.

ETA: MIL's family is another one that's good until you hit the youngest child: John, Stephen, Katherine and...Maria. (MIL was named after The Sound of Music)

ubermoose

I like each name to be distictive enough from eachother, but have at least one general category that they can all basically fit into.

Take Andrew, David, and Sarah for example. All "Biblical" or "classic". You can imagine them all coming from a similar era. They used maybe one or two of the same sounds, but each has a couple of sounds that separates them from the others. They are pretty similar in length--you don't have one with two sylables and one with six.

Ditto to Madison and Avery. Miles and Preston. Harrison and Sutton. Eric and Kevin. Emily and Sophia. Whether they are your style or not, you can identify a pretty broad category for each set that helps them work together.

I think some people take making all names fit a set pattern too seriously, and in turn get too matchy. And every now and then, you get a family that has names all over the place. I would say that most of the time, though, family's natural preferences are produce names that are well-suited with eachother.

queenbone

My dad's sibset Michael, Mark, Aaron, Nathan goes well because they are all classic, biblical names.  And none of them ever went by nns.

My cousins on one side are a good hippie theme Autumn and Forest.  They also have an older half brother named Oaks.

Another good hippie, stone sibset was a girl I was in Girls Scouts with: Amber and Jasper

My cousins on the other side all had a trendy 80's theme with a bonus of Ys Devyn, Madelyn, and Brianne.

My bff's sibset made no sense at all: Rayna, Tina, Stuart, Veronica, Aili. I love her mom and think she has the best taste in everything, but these names are all over the place! A mash of the parents' names, a nn name, a boy name that doesn't relate to the 1st two, a saint's name, and a highly uncommon, Finnish name IHO her mother.