Doubled initials are a mixed bag as to whether or not they’re cool

Dear Hipster:

I have two questions for you. They may or may not be questions that only a hipster could answer, but I figured your guess would be as good as mine. First, why do some families name their kids with all the same letter? Is that a hipster thing? Second, if someone’s first and last names start with the same letter, so that his or her initials are just a doubled letter, does that give the person some sort of special power?

— Sara

All I know for sure about the whole “giving identical initials to a series of children” phenomenon is that it’s not a hipster thing. Put another way:

“I’m really inspired by the Kardashians,” said no hipster ever.

Hipsters will more likely give their children weird names, but that’s a topic for another day, and I feel like I’ve already gone there at some point.

That second part warrants a more fulsome explanation. Doubled initials can be totally hipster, but it’s rather a mixed bag as to whether or not they’re cool depending on which initials you end up with. These are important considerations, because there is no way any kid with doubled initials isn’t going to carry them as a nickname at some point during his or her childhood.

AA should be avoided for obvious reasons — ditto for PP and SS — but BB is cool because BB King. CC is great for a girl, not so much for a dude; while DD is generally cool if you’re a guy or daredevil, but a little awkward for a lady. EE is poetic and should probably stay ee.

FF, II, LL, MM, NN, and YY don’t really work because they make it sound like you’re stuttering. Apropos of nothing, “The Double-L” totally sounds like a horse ranch.

GG is cool and makes you sound French. HH is an H away from vice-presidentiality, or professional wrestler status in the alternative. JJ is always a bro, and his best friend is usually KK. OO is chill and RR gets stoked at every train crossing (at least while he or she is still a kid). I can all but guarantee you that VV is hot shit.

Kudos to any parent who manages QQ, double-W, or ZZ.