Pennsylvania quadruplets: Kathleen, Maureen, Eileen, Michael

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A set of quadruplets was delivered via Caesarean section for the first time ever on November 1, 1944. The quads — 3 girls and 1 boy — were born to Kathleen and Joseph Cirmnello of Philadelphia. TIME magazine noted several weeks later that the quadruple C-section was “a feat unique in medical history.”

The foursome had been known as A, B, C and D. However, Cirminello named the boy Michael on Saturday and the mother picked Kathleen for girl B’s name. The other two Monday were named Maureen and Eileen.

Kathleen, Maureen, Eileen, and…Michael. Do you think Michael ever felt left out because his name didn’t rhyme with his sisters’ names?

(Another rhyming sibset: Don Ameche’s Rhyming Children.)

Sources:

  • “Medicine: Quadruple Caesarean.” TIME Nov. 13, 1944.
  • “Cirminello Quads Named; Father Goes Back to Work.” Miami News Nov. 6, 1944: 2-A.

8 thoughts on “Pennsylvania quadruplets: Kathleen, Maureen, Eileen, Michael

  1. Oh, I doubt it! What boy’s name ends with “een”? On the contrary, I’ll bet the three girls were sometimes jealous because he got a name that didn’t rhyme.

  2. That’s true — there aren’t many options. And the handful I can think of (Constantine, Oisín, a few others) would have sounded fairly out of place in the ’40s anyway.

  3. Ha, yes, it could have been Eugene…or they would have had to spell it Eugeen so it would really match.

  4. Dean and Eugene would have been great for the ’40s. Why didn’t I think of those?! :) Or, better question, why didn’t the Cirmnellos think of them?

  5. It more bothers me the three girls have obvious Irish names and the boy doesn’t, Than the rhyming.

  6. I had to say something about names you picked to be masculine boy names.
    1. Shawna is a girl’s name.
    2. Shavon looks too much like Sharon

    I know my name was considered feminine, but now is masculine.

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