Couple with identical names marry after dating for three years; both once stood up when called by the same name at a job interview where they first met each other

A Chinese couple with the exact same name have turned an unusual coincidence into a viral wedding story after they discovered they shared the name Zhu Xiaocong years before getting married. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the pair first noticed the similarity at a job fair in 2016, when an interviewer called their name and both stood up at the same time.

The bride, 28, and the groom, 33, eventually developed a relationship and married on October 6 in Zhejiang province, China. Their shared name has since drawn attention online, with people amused by the circumstances of their first encounter and the practical complications they have faced because their names match.

How the couple discovered they had the same name

The couple first crossed paths at a job fair in 2016. When an interviewer called out “Zhu Xiaocong”, both candidates stood up, each believing the interviewer had called them.


The moment revealed a coincidence neither had expected. However, the shared name did not immediately bring them together romantically. At the time, they treated it as a minor curiosity and went their separate ways.

A connection between their professional and personal circles eventually helped them meet again. The groom had a colleague who was also the bride’s former classmate. That mutual connection introduced the pair, giving them an opportunity to get to know each other beyond the initial encounter.

They began dating in 2019, three years after the job fair. Both also work in the civil aviation sector. The bride is a flight attendant, while the groom works as an aviation safety officer.

Their relationship eventually led to marriage, turning the shared-name coincidence from an amusing first encounter into an unusual detail of their married life.

Wedding guests thought the identical names were a mistake

The couple's matching names created confusion even before the wedding ceremony. When relatives saw the wedding poster, some assumed the identical names resulted from an error by the wedding planner.

The reaction was understandable, given how unusual it is for a bride and groom to have exactly the same name. In this case, however, the names were correct. Both had the same Chinese name, Zhu Xiaocong.

The coincidence also became more complicated when the couple dealt with official paperwork. In May, when they registered their marriage and applied for a property ownership certificate, computer systems could not automatically process their details as expected.

Staff had to enter their information manually to complete the procedures. The experience showed how a coincidence that initially seemed harmless could create practical difficulties when official systems encountered two people with identical names.

Shared names cause confusion during travel and daily life

Their matching names have also led to mix-ups outside official offices. During a leisure trip, the couple accidentally swapped their boarding passes.

Because the passes did not display their gender, security staff had to check their identities to establish who was travelling on which ticket. The incident added another unexpected episode to the couple's growing list of shared-name complications.

Everyday conversations can be confusing, too. When friends call out “Xiaocong”, both partners may respond because the name belongs to each of them.

To make things easier, they have adopted different nicknames. Friends can call the husband “Da Cong”, meaning older Cong, and the wife “Xiao Cong”, meaning younger Cong. The distinction gives people a simple way to address one partner without accidentally summoning both.

Social media users suggest names for their future child

After the couple's story attracted attention online, social media users joined in with their own suggestions and jokes. Some proposed naming their future child “Congcong” or “Zhu Xiaocong”, extending the shared-name theme to the next generation.

Others drew comparisons with Love Letter, the 1995 Japanese film directed by Shunji Iwai. The film features two characters who share the name Itsuki Fujii, creating a parallel that some viewers found fitting for the Chinese couple's story.

The couple's experience combines an unlikely first encounter with the everyday complications of having identical names. What began as a moment at a job fair in 2016 eventually became part of their relationship story, from their introduction through a mutual connection to their wedding in Zhejiang.

Their shared name has not prevented them from building a life together, although it has meant that official paperwork, travel arrangements and even a simple call from friends can require an extra check.