4 Words For Someone With The Same Name As You (Read This First!)

If someone shares the same name as you, you might want to know whether there’s a word you can use to apply to them. In Dutch, the word “naamgenoot” (meaning “member of the same name”) is exactly what we’re looking for. Unfortunately, we’re not using the Dutch language.

What Do You Call A Person With The Same Name As You?

You can call someone with the same name as you a “name-fellow” or a “namesake.” “Name-fellow” is an adjective used to describe someone, while “namesake” is a noun you can use in place of the person. You might also hear newer terms without official meanings, like “name-twin.”

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of “namesake” is “a person or thing having the same name as another person or thing.”

In this article, we’ll look at the following words and how they can be used to talk about a person with the same name as you:

• Namesake
• Name-fellow
• Name-twin
• Homonymous

Namesake

We’ll start off with the most appropriate term to use to talk about someone who has the same name as you. Right from the start, it’s important to note that this is a noun, not an adjective, so we can’t use it to describe someone.

For example, if we wrote:

• A namesake friend

It would be incorrect because “namesake” is acting like an adjective here.

• My friend is my namesake.

This sentence is the correct way to use “namesake” because we treat it as a noun. We’re simply saying that our “friend” has the same name as we do.

“Namesake” means that two people have the same name. It can also relate to a person being named after a thing rather than another person. It’s most commonly used to talk about familial connections (like a son being named after his father).

Usually, a namesake is related to you in some way. You can use it to say that somebody was named after you rather than simply saying that they share the same name with you. Of course, both meanings still apply, so it’s up to you which one works better in the context.

1. My brother has been my namesake since I was born first.
2. My father was the namesake to his father before him.
3. I swear, my friend is my namesake. Even his surname is identical to mine.

From these examples, we can see that “namesake” mostly refers to a familial connection of some kind. We can sometimes use it in the case of friendly connections, but it’s much less common.

Name-Fellow

Next, we’ll look at “name-fellow.” “Name-fellow” is a neologism, which basically means it’s a newly coined phrase or expression that people use without it being officially recognized by most dictionaries.

A “name-fellow” is someone who shares the same name as you. The term “fellow” is used to talk about people that have the same job or interests as you. Included “-fellow” as a suffix means that someone is the same as you based on the first word.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of “fellow” is “used to refer to someone who has the same job or interests as you, or is in the same situation as you.”

That means we can apply the word “fellow” to the end of the word “name” to change the meaning to say that it’s used to refer to someone who has the same name as you. While not officially recognized, it’s widely accepted by most native speakers.

1. You must be my name-fellow, David! I’m also David!
2. Shaun is a name-fellow of mine if you haven’t already noticed!
3. Hey, man! We’re name-fellows! What are the chances of that?

“Name-fellow” is an adjective. That means we can use it to describe a person we’re talking about rather than having to use it as a noun with “namesake.” It works in all situations where a name is shared between two people.

Name-Twin

The word “name-twin” is another neologism we can talk about. Again, it’s not officially recognized, but if you say it to any native speaker, they’ll understand what you’re saying when they notice that two people are sharing the same name.

“Name-twin” is a newly coined term used to mean that two people share the same name. The term “twin” is used to show that two people are identical, and in this case, it talks about the identical nature of their names.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of “twin” is “one of two very similar things.”

While a “twin” usually refers to two siblings born on the same day, it doesn’t have to mean that when used in the sense of “name-twin.” Instead, it can be used to simply say that two names are very similar or, in the case of this article, identical.

1. Oh my gosh! We’re name-twins! I didn’t even realize!
2. You have the same name as me! We’re definitely name-twins!
3. This is my new name-twin, Steven Stevenson.

Homonymous

Finally, we can use the word “homonymous” to talk about two people who share the same name. This word originates from the Greek term “homonym.”

“Homonymous” means that two people share the same name. It usually refers to the sounds of the names rather than the direct spelling. That means “Sean” and “Shaun” are homonymous because they’re said the same, but they’re not spelt the same.

According to The Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of “homonym” is “a word that sounds the same or is spelt the same as another word but has a different meaning.”

“Homonym” is the noun form, but “homonymous” is the adjective we can use to describe people with similar-sounding names. It’s also the only word on this list that talks more about the sounds of the names rather than the identical spellings.

1. Hey, my name is Shaun, and this is my homonymous friend, Sean!
2. Hannah, you’re homonymous with my name! I’m Hanna!
3. I just heard you’re called Gary! You’re my new homonymous friend because my name is Garry!

See how all of the names are said the same, but the spellings are different. This is how we would use “homonymous” in the case of names.