Celebrity Parents of Twin Babies

It is often said that good things come in pairs. This has been true for celebrity parents recently, who seem to be welcoming twins in increasing numbers.

Julia Roberts is often credited with kicking off this trend, with the birth of her twins, Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, in November 2004. The number of notable celebrity twin births in late 2006 and early 2007 is enough to make one wonder if they are putting something in the water out there in Hollywood.

Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross delivered fraternal twin girls named Eden and Savannah on February 20, 2007. It had been widely thought that Marcia and her stockbroker husband, Tom Mahoney, were expecting boy-girl twins. The speculation was fueled by a gift registry under Marcia's name on the website of Petit Tresor, a Los Angeles boutique that specializes in luxury baby gifts. The baby gift list requested high-end gifts, such as cashmere baby blankets and baby gift baskets, in both pink and blue.

Patrick Dempsey, better known as Dr. McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy, and his wife, Hollywood hair stylist and makeup artist Jillian Fink, welcomed twin boys Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick on February 1, 2007. Gold medal winning soccer player Mia Hamm gave birth to twin girls, Ava and Grace, on March 28, 2007. Her husband, Nomar Garciaparra of the Los Angeles Dodgers, didn't make it on time to witness the birth, but he did coach her through the delivery via telephone.

Rap star Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and his longtime girlfriend, Kim Porter, welcomed twin daughters D'Lila Star and Jessie James in December 2006. Prior to the girls' arrival, they threw a lavish pink themed baby shower. Denzel Washington, who was among the Hollywood A-list invitees, is himself the father of twins Malcolm and Olivia.

Late 2006 saw the birth of twins for some other famous musicians. Melissa Etheridge and her partner, actress Tammy Lynn Michaels, are parents of fraternal twins. Daughter Johnnie Rose and son Miller Steven were born in October 2006. Elvis Costello and his jazz singer wife Diana Krall became the parents of twin boys, Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James, in December 2006.

The incidence of twin births is on the rise for women in general, not just for those who are famous. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, people on average are waiting longer to start families. Women over the age of thirty are more likely to conceive twins than younger mothers. Second, women in their thirties and forties are more likely to struggle with infertility than those in their twenties. Twin births are more likely when conception is assisted with the use of fertility drugs and techniques such as in vitro fertilization. It should be noted that all of the mothers mentioned above were over thirty at the time they conceived their twins.

One thing that seems to differentiate the twins of celebrities from those whose parents aren't quite as rich or famous is their names, and not just their last names. The Social Security Administration's list of the most popular baby names for 2005 showed a strong preference for twin names that start with the same letter, such as the number one pick, Jacob and Joshua. None of these celebrities seemed to like alliteration, and chose to give their twins names that begin with different letters.

Several celebrity parents have been busy producing their own double features and duets. Time will tell if the newest stars will continue to be born in sets of two.