Quentin, Andrew and Joel Meloff, all 31, from Toronto, Canada were given letters as middle names after hospital staff suggested the quirky idea to their parents
Introducing the identical male triplets who go by the middle names A, B and C.
Meet Quentin B Meloff and his brothers Andrew A Meloff and Joel C Meloff, all 31, who were born within a mere 45 seconds of each other. Their parents, Suzanne Lyons and Rick Meloff, decided to give the boys these unique initials – in their birth order – after nurses proposed the amusing idea.
To distinguish between the triplets, they painted their toenails different colours. Quentin admits he couldn’t identify himself in a photo of the three siblings until he was 12 years old. The brothers have always found that their names provoke a bit of surprise, and Quentin reckons it’s “always been the best first date question”.
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However, Quentin chose to remove his middle name ‘B’ from his passport after being accused of “lying” at border control, even though he still legally retains his middle name. Quentin, who works in a restaurant in Toronto, Canada, shared: “The nurses at the hospital suggested it. Our parents just kind of rolled with it.
“During the pregnancy process they started using term ABC when they were looking at the ultrasound. For her [Suzanne] she said she always knew us as ABC and when the nurses suggested it, she went for it.
“At the time they had much larger fish to fry, they had three kids in one shot and it was a stressful experience for them. If they were going to outsource anything it was a fair thing to outsource.
“The first time I went to New York as an adult it happened [getting stopped at passport control for his middle name]. It continued to happen and people would look at me funny.
“It sounds like I’m lying, it’s not the most convincing story. Five or six years later I was renewing my passport and they asked if I wanted to make any changes.
“I thought, ‘what if I can remove my middle name’. They did it for me and it’s been plain sailing ever since”.
Born on 21 July 1994, the triplets were notoriously hard to distinguish in their early years. Quentin revealed: “Back then they [Quentin’s parents] would paint our toenails as a way to tell who was who.
“I could not begin to tell you who was who in photos at that time. After grade four or five at the age of 11 or 12 it became a bit more clear”.
The trio made their screen debut at just nine months old, appearing alongside Mark Ruffalo in the TV show Due South. He recalled: “My mum and dad loved working with him.
“It was one of those things in TV shows especially when they are looking for child actors and to replace babies as fast as possible. We were in a lot of commercials too. We were pitched to do roles in movies like the horror movie Chucky.
“Our parents turned it down, because they thought once they put us into makeup and costume we couldn’t play the role anymore. We’d be too scared”.
Their unusual middle names have always elicited “a little bit of shock”. Quentin revealed: “I’ll be honest it’s always the best first date question. It’s a unique fact about me.
“I don’t think I’ve ever told some body and they’ve just nodded on. They’re like, ‘wait, what?'”. The siblings face significantly higher odds of producing triplets themselves, though the chances remain slender. Quentin explained: “The probability increases from one in 500,000 to one in 300,000 so it’s very unlikely.
“My dad used to joke if all three of us had triplets he’d find a way to run away. If the opportunity arises it would be quite cool but the likelihood is quite rare”.
After posting his naming tale online, Quentin discovered a “community” of fellow triplets facing comparable circumstances. He remarked: “People have commented saying, ‘No way my middle name is the letter C’. It’s been really cool to see”.
Quentin maintains a group chat with his siblings and considers it “quirky” how remarkably alike his brothers’ recollections are to his own. He observed: “We’ll be watching a sporting event or whatever Before I think of sending a text about a weird thing that happens in a play, they have already messaged about that one weird thing. It’s a unique experience and one I’m happy I get to have”.
