Born 19th century and earlier • Mary and Eliza Chulkhurst, alleged names of the
Biddenden Maids (per tradition, born in the 12th century) of Kent, England. They are the earliest set of conjoined twins whose names are (purportedly) known. •
Lazarus and Joannes Baptista Colloredo (1617 – after 1646),
autosite-and-parasite pair •
Chang and Eng Bunker (1811–1874). The Bunker twins were born of Chinese origin in
Siam (now Thailand), and the expression
Siamese twins is derived from their case. They were joined by the areas around their
xiphoid cartilages, but over time, the connective tissue stretched. • In 1834, a set of conjoined triplets were born in
Catania. Two of the heads shared a neck while the other head had its own. The infant, a male, was described by Galvagni. •
Millie and Christine McCoy (July 11, 1851 – October 8, 1912), (oblique
pygopagus). The McCoy twins were born into slavery in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. They went by the stage names "The Two-Headed Nightingale" and "The Eighth Wonder of the World" and had an extensive career before retiring to the farm on which they were born. •
Giacomo and Giovanni Battista Tocci (1875? — 1912?), (
dicephalus tetrabrachius dipus) • Josefa and Rosa Blazek (January 20, 1878 — March 30, 1922),
pygopagus. The Blazek twins were born in Skrejšov, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic).
Born 20th century •
Daisy and Violet Hilton of
Brighton, England (1908–1969),
pygopagus. The Hilton twins were performers who played musical instruments, sang, and danced. At the height of their career, they had the highest paid act in vaudeville. They also appeared in the movies
Freaks and
Chained for Life. •
Lucio and Simplicio Godina of Samar, Philippines (1908–1936) • Mary and Margaret Gibb of
Holyoke, Massachusetts (1912–1967) •
Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova of Moscow, Russia (1950–2003), the rarest form of conjoined twins, one of few cases of dicephalus tetrabrachius tripus (two heads, four arms, three legs) •
Ronnie and Donnie Galyon of
Ohio (1951–2020),
omphalopagus; longest-lived conjoined twins in the world at 68 years and 250 days. • Tjitske and Folkje de Vries of
Mûnein, Netherlands (b. 1953), successfully separated in 1954 • Wariboko and Tamunotonye Davies, born July 25, 1953, in
Kano, Nigeria. Separated in London by a team led by
Ian Aird. Tamunotonye died postoperatively. Wariboko became a nurse. • Lillian and Linda Matthews, born in
Indianola, Mississippi on September 14, 1955. They were conjoined from sternum to navel and were separated at five weeks old, making them one of the world's first successfully separated sets of conjoined twins. Both women graduated from
Mississippi Valley State University and work as teachers. •
Lori and George Schappell of
Reading, Pennsylvania (1961–2024), American entertainers,
craniopagus. At the time of their death, they were the world's oldest living conjoined twins.
Guinness World Records noted that George's
gender transition made him and Lori the first same-sex conjoined twins to identify as different genders. •
Ganga and Jamuna Mondal of India, born 1969 or 1970, known professionally as The Spider Girls and The Spider Sisters.
Ischiopagus. • Anna and Barbara Rozycki (born 1970), the first conjoined twins successfully separated in the UK. • Elisa and Lisa Hansen, Ogden, Utah (1977). Born by Caesarean section on October 18, 1977, were conjoined at the top of their head (craniopagus). They were separated 1979 after 16-hour surgery, were first to both survive surgery. Elisa lost the use of her right side after the surgery, but went on to complete school, win medals in the Special Olympics, work, and act in the theatre. Elisa and Lisa died in 2020 (age 42). •
Ladan and Laleh Bijani of
Shiraz, Iran (1974–2003); died during separation surgery in Singapore. Craniopagus. • Chang Chung-jen and Chung-i, born on December 23, 1976 in
Taiwan, and separated in 1979. Both babies survived. It was the first successful separation in Taiwan, and the fourth in the world. Chang Chung-jen died in 2019 and Chang Chung-i is still alive. • Baby Girl A and Baby Girl B (born 1977 in
New Jersey) shared a single six-chambered heart. Separation surgery would result in the certain death of Baby Girl A, while offering a remote chance of survival for Baby Girl B. The difficult ethical and religious concerns generated significant local newspaper coverage, as without the surgery, both twins faced certain death.
C. Everett Koop, who had already performed two successful separation surgeries in the past, held lengthy discussions with the family and their team of rabbinical advisors. At the family's request, and after obtaining a court order protecting him from any possible criminal liability, Koop agreed to lead the surgery; Koop did not seek civil indemnification for himself beforehand. Baby Girl B survived for three months, before infections led to liver failure, resulting in her death. •
Viet and Duc Nguyen, born on February 25, 1981, in
Kon Tum Province, Vietnam, and separated in 1988 in
Ho Chi Minh City. Viet died on October 6, 2007. Ischiopagus. • Maria and Consolata Mwakikuti of Tanzania (1996–2018); conjoined by the abdomen; died of respiratory problems resulting from an abnormal, inoperable chest deformity. •
Patrick and Benjamin Binder, separated in 1987 by team of doctors led by
Ben Carson. Craniopagus. • Andrew and Alex Olson, born in 1987, separated in April 1988 at the
University of Nebraska Medical Center. Omphalopagus. Alex died in 2018. •
Katie and Eilish Holton, born August 1988 in Ireland, separated at age 3 and a half. Katie died 4 days after the separation surgery due to a weak heart which went into cardiac arrest. •
Abigail and Brittany Hensel are
dicephalic parapagus twins born on March 7, 1990, in
Carver County,
Minnesota. Both graduated in 2012 from
Bethel University, St. Paul, hired as teachers. • Ashley and Ashil Fokeer, born on November 2, 1992, in
Mauritius •
Joseph and Luka Banda (born January 23, 1997, in
Zambia), separated in 1997 in South Africa by
Ben Carson (with a later intervention in 2001 to artificially close their skulls). Craniopagus. • José Armando and José Luis Cevallos Herrera were born in September 1999 in
Milagro, Ecuador. They were accepted in 2021 to the State University of Milagro.
Born 2000s • Maria del Carmen (Carmen) and Maria Guadalupe (Lupita) Andrade Solis were born in June 2000 in
Veracruz, Mexico. They later moved to the United States for healthcare with their parents. • Maria de Jesus (Josie) and Maria Teresa (Teresita) Alvarez, born joined at the skull as craniopagus twins in
Guatemala in 2001, were brought to
UCLA Medical Center by Medical Kids International in 2002 and successfully separated. • Sheneeva and Chenelva Kolestein, born in Suriname in 2001 and living in the Netherlands. They are joined at the head and share vital arteries that make separation impossible. • Mackenzie and Macey Garrison, born in December 2002 and successfully separated at
Children's Hospital Los Angeles in 2003. They were conjoined at the pelvis and are part of a set of triplets; their sister Madeline is unaffected. •
Carl and Clarence Aguirre, born with vertical craniopagus in
Silay City,
Negros Occidental, on April 21, 2002. They were successfully separated on August 4, 2004. • Tabea and Lea Block, from Lemgo, Germany, were born as craniopagus twins joined on the tops of their heads on August 9, 2003. The girls shared some major veins, but their brains were separate. They were separated on September 16, 2004, although Tabea died about ninety minutes later. • Sohna and Mohna from
Amritsar, India. Born in New Delhi on June 14, 2003. They have two hearts, arms, kidneys and spinal cords while share liver, gall bladder and legs. • Anastasia and Tatiana Dogaru, born outside Rome, Italy, on January 13, 2004. As
craniopagus twins, the top of Tatiana's head is attached to the back of Anastasia's head. • Erin and Jade Buckles were born in February 2004. They were joined from their chests to their abdomens and shared a liver. They were successfully separated at four months old, though it resulted in Erin's paralysis from the chest down due to a spinal stroke during surgery. •
Lakshmi Tatma (born 2005) was an ischiopagus conjoined twin born in
Araria district in the state of
Bihar, India. She had four arms and four legs, resulting from a joining at the pelvis with a headless undeveloped parasitic twin. • In 2005, a set of conjoined triplets was detected, characterized as tricephalus, tetrabrachius, and tetrapus parapagothoracopagus, and the pregnancy interrupted at 22 weeks. •
Kendra and Maliyah Herrin, ischiopagus twins separated in 2006 at age 4 •
Krista and Tatiana Hogan,
Canadian twins conjoined at the head. Born October 25, 2006. Share part of their brain and can pass sensory information and thoughts between each other. •
Trishna and Krishna from Bangladesh were born in December 2006. They are craniopagus twins, joined on the tops of their skulls and sharing a small amount of brain tissue. In 2009, they were separated in Melbourne, Australia. • Angelica and Angelina Sabuco, born in the Philippines in 2009. Conjoined at the sternum, pericardium and liver. Successfully separated at
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital on November 1, 2011 and now living in San Jose, California.
Born 2010s •
Maria and Teresa Tapia, born in the Dominican Republic on April 8, 2010. Conjoined by the liver, pancreas, and a small portion of their small intestine. Separation occurred on November 7, 2011, at
Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU. • Amelia and Allison Tucker were born March 1, 2012 and remained in hospital at
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia until their separation on November 7, 2012 at 8 months old. Born joined at the chest and abdomen, the twins shared a chest wall, liver, and diaphragm. • Zheng Hanwei and Zheng Hanjing, born in China on August 11, 2013. Conjoined by their sternum, pericardium, and liver. In 2014, they were separated in Shanghai, China, at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center. • Knatalye Hope and Adeline Faith Mata, born in Houston, Texas on April 11, 2014. They were conjoined at the chest and shared many internal organs, including their lungs and pericardium. They were successfully separated at
Texas Children's Hospital on February 17, 2015. • Scarlett and Ximena Torres, born in Corpus Christi, Texas on May 16, 2015. Conjoined at the hips and shared a colon and bladders. They are part of a set of identical triplets; their sister Catalina was not impacted. They were successfully separated at
Driscoll Children's Hospital in 2016. •
Jadon and Anias McDonald, born in September 2015. Conjoined by the head. Successfully separated at Children's Hospital of
Montefiore Medical Center by
James T. Goodrich in October 2016. Anais had developmental delays following separation, while Jadon's development was less impacted. • Erin and Abby Delaney, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 24, 2016, conjoined by the head. The twins shared a skull, skin and
superior sagittal sinus. They were successfully separated at
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on June 16, 2017. Both twins have experienced delays in development following separation • Anna and Hope Richards were born December 29, 2016, at Texas Children’s, conjoined at their chest and abdomen, sharing a chest wall,
pericardial sac, diaphragm, liver, and a large blood vessel connecting their hearts. They were separated on January 13, 2017. • Marieme and Ndeye Ndiaye, twin girls born in Senegal in May 2016, living in Cardiff, UK in 2019. The twins share one pelvis and one pair of legs. After consultation with Great Ormond Street Hospital, it was determined both girls would not survive a separation, and parents have elected not to separate. • Callie and Carter Torres, born January 30, 2017, in Houston Texas, from Blackfoot Idaho. They are
omphalo-ischiopagus conjoined twins, attached by their pelvic area and sharing all organs from the belly button down with just one leg each. Their parents have elected not to pursue separation surgery due to risks involved. • Yiğit and Derman Evrensel, twin boys born on June 21, 2018, Antalya, Turkey. They are craniopagus twins and were separated at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2019 by the same surgeons that separated Safa and Marwa Bibi. • Ervina and Prefina Bangalo, born June 29, 2018, in the
Central African Republic. They were separated on June 5, 2020, at the
Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital in Rome, Italy. • Mercy and Goodness Ede, born August 13, 2019, conjoined by the chest and abdomen. Successfully separated at the National Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria in November 2019. • Hassanatu "Maggie" and Hussainatu "Chelsea" Jolloh, born in Sierra Leone on September 11, 2019. Conjoined at the chest and had a fused pericardium and liver. Their triplet brother, Chernor, died shortly after birth. They were successfully separated at the
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York City on February 21, 2020. • Marie-Cléa and Marie-Cléanne Papillon, born in Mauritius in 2019. Conjoined from neck to abdomen, but also at the heart, which had seven chambers, instead of four. Marie-Cléa did not survive the surgery to separate the two. • Valentina and Kristina, born in 2019 in Croatia, shared a part of the digestive system and liver (xypho-omphalopagus). Several months after birth they developed twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome due to blood shunting, and they were successfully separated at
University Hospital Centre Zagreb (Rebro) in an urgent procedure. • Sarabeth and Amelia Irwin were born June 11, 2019, sharing a chest wall, sternum, pericardium and liver. They were separated at
Mott Children's Hospital on August 5, 2020. • Remi and Reese Erickson were born in Minnesota in November 2019. They shared a chest wall, abdomen, liver, part of the pelvis, and umbilical cord. They were separated at
Children's Minnesota on April 9, 2020. Reese has lasting medical and developmental disabilities; Remi has developed typically. • Abigail and Micaela Bachinskiy, born December 30, 2019 in Sacramento, California and conjoined at the head. They were successfully separated in October 2020 in a surgery that lasted over 24 hours.
Born 2020s • Lily and Addy Altobelli, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 18, 2020. Conjoined at the liver and diaphragm. Separated at
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on October 13, 2021. • Susannah and Elizabeth Castle, born April 22, 2021, and separated December 10, 2021, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They shared a liver, part of their digestive tract and small intestines. • Lucas and Mateo Villalobos Barrera were born on January 18, 2022, connected at the lower abdomen and pelvis and sharing small intestines and a single colon (
ischiopagus). The boys were successfully separated on August 17, 2022 at
Texas Children's Hospital. • Annabelle and Isabelle Bateson, who are from Ireland, were born March 2022 in London, joined at the chest to pelvis and sharing a liver, bladder, and bowel. The girls were born with two normal legs and a third fused leg that was removed during separation. Following their birth, they underwent successful separation surgery in September 2022 at
Great Ormond Street Hospital. • AmieLynn Rose and JamieLynn Rae Finley, born October 3, 2022, and separated January 23, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas. They were the first conjoined twins to be separated at
Cook Children's Medical Center. They were joined at the abdomen and shared a liver. • Ella and Eliza Fuller were born at
Texas Children’s on March 1, 2023 and were conjoined at the abdomen, sharing a liver. The sisters were surgically separated on June 14, 2023. • Amelia and Elhora Dell were born on February 29, 2024. The girls shared a single heart. The girls survived for an hour following their birth. • Amari and Javar Ruffin were born on September 29, 2023, weighing three pounds (about 1.5 lbs. each), sharing their sternum, diaphragm, abdominal wall, and liver. They spent 10 months at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia before being successfully separated on August 21, 2024. ==In fiction==