Smart.

The closest I have to that is my babushka and her sister both married men named Oleg. So I guess my dad and his cousins all technically have the same middle name (although I don't know that they all are legally named Olegovich, my dad changed his name to add it when he was 18). Oh, and my great grandfather's mother, first wife and second wife(my great grandmother) were all named Emma. Which, you know, Freud or something, right?

In re twin names, according to family legend, one great-great grandmother had 20 children, including several sets of twins. Two sets I'm sure of - my mother remembered them - they were named Milton and Wilton and Cordelia and Ophelia.

My best friend in grammar school was Korean American an I can confirm in her case, that was true of her mom's siblings. Her dad was american, and his family were Timmy, Tommy, Sherry and Gary, and we kind of liked saying both her parent's names almost like a nursery rhyme. I think her mom and siblings were Young Hi, Myung Hi, Yun Hi and something else

My brother-in-law and I have almost the same name (he's Jesse), which mostly just means both of us look up when someone says "Hey Jess" at a family gathering.

my impression of Korean names is that all siblings would have half their first name be the same, like Sung Ho and Sung Jee

Korean family names are first. Is that what the deal was?

My aunts' shared first name is "Mary," btw. Irish Catholics! My grandfather, uncle, brother, and husband all are "Roberts." My grandfather and uncle were/are "John Roberts" really but were/are both known as "Bob."

Bob's your uncle!

Bob's your uncle!

Ha!

Here's my name question at the moment: The not-hippocampus side of the family uses a nickname for me, different from what the rest of the family calls me, but this is a significant number of people and it is a real name, not a joke name. I always use that name with them, announcing myself on the phone, signing my xmas cards -- it is my name when one of them is in the room (my parents and sisters will use it then).

My niece, who regularly uses my other name, (the one hippocampus uses), had a baby this year and named the wee girl my other name.

I'd love to think she named her after her favorite aunt (ME ME ME) but I think they just liked the name (and I won't be sad if that is true). No one else in the family has ever mentioned this, but I am curious what happens when we are all in the same room together -- will the not-hippo-side start using my other name so the baby can have the L name?

My family used Big K and Little K for that type of situation. It works for a dozen+ years before you have to figure something else out.