As silly as it might be, we all get excited when we meet someone with the same name as us. But is there a term for such a person in English?
In this article, we’ll look at what to call someone with the same name as you, so keep reading to find the answers to all of your pressing name-related questions!
Words for a Person With the Same Name As Yours
- Namesake
- Name-fellow
- Homonymous
- Namealike
- Name-mate
- Name-twin
- Isonymous
- Doppelganger
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- If a person is named after you, you can call them your “namesake.”
- A new word for a stranger who shares your name is “name-fellow.”
- If two people’s names sound the same but are spelled differently, they are “homonymous.”
Don’t click away! We still need to unpack our three favorite terms for a person with the same name as yours in greater detail.
We’ll even show you how to use each of our choices in some example sentences!
Namesake
Merriam-Webster defines “namesake” as “one that has the same name as another.” Therefore, this is a perfect word to use when two people have the same name.
Usually, “namesake” refers to a person who is named after another person or thing. Therefore, it suits a context where a family name has been passed down.
It can also refer to when someone discovers or invents something new and names their invention after themselves. For example, the Tesla coil.
Generally, you wouldn’t call a stranger who happens to share the same name as you your “namesake” since this would imply that they are named after you.
However, you could have the same name because you share the same namesake.
Have a look at these examples to see what we mean:
This is my friend, who is also named Stevie – we have the same namesake since both our parents were Fleetwood Mac fans.
I would love to meet your namesake; how old is he now?
Name-fellow
According to the Wiktionary, “name-fellow” is a rare and poetic phrase meaning “an individual with whom one shares a surname, or given name, or both.”
This word is a neologism, so it has yet to be recognized by most English dictionaries.
Nevertheless, if you and a complete stranger share the same name, you can call that person your “name-fellow.”
After all, this term doesn’t require that you are related or named after one another.
Moreover, many native English speakers use this phrase regardless of its lack of official recognition.
You can understand why this term was coined when you break it down into its separate parts. After all, Merriam-Webster defines “fellow” as “a member of a group having common characteristics.”
Therefore, it makes sense that a person who shares your name would be your “name-fellow” since your names are the common characteristic that you share.
To see this phrase in action, have a look at these example sentences:
I have a name-fellow at work, so our colleagues have started calling us Will and Billy instead of William.
She wanted to be friends when she found out that I was her name-fellow; she seemed to just really enjoy the novelty of it.
Homonymous
The Collins Dictionary defines “homonymous” as “having the same name.” However, it also defines this term as “of, or having the nature of, a homonym.”
A “homonym” is a word with the same spelling or pronunciation as another word. However, it generally has a different meaning.
In the case of a name, this could refer to the situation where two people’s names sound exactly the same, even though there are variations in how you should spell them.
Nonetheless, this is a good term to use if you ever meet a stranger who has the same name as you or a name that sounds the same as yours.
Check out the example sentences below:
Our friends call the both of us “Steve,” but our names are actually homonymous since you spell mine with a “PH” and his with a “V.”
Your name is Sherry? Mine is Cherie! I guess that makes us homonymous.