Chloe, you’re invited: Finding common ground with strangers sharing the same first name

For many participants, the uniqueness of the event encouraged them to join despite being introverts who usually shy away from strangers.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHLOE TAN

Published Oct 14, 2026, 07:30 AM

Updated Oct 14, 2026, 07:30 AM

Two friends named Chloe organised social meet-ups in Singapore for people sharing the same name to connect without common interests or backgrounds.

The events attracted introverted participants who appreciated the relaxed, no-pressure atmosphere to be themselves and make new friends.

Inspired by similar international events, the Chloes aim to encourage socialising and inclusivity, especially for those hesitant to join typical gatherings.

SINGAPORE – It started with a question: Can people make friends outside of work, school and interest groups?

Looking to meet new people, two friends sent out an open invitation for a social gathering. Anyone can join, but they must meet one simple requirement: Their name must be Chloe.

The hosts – Chloe Tan and Chloe Chong, both in their 20s – wanted to see if a group of random individuals who share nothing but their first name can find common ground and connect.

Tan, who hosts events as part of her job at a tech founder network, said she wanted to try something new.

She found that events have a tendency to be “quite structured”, and participants usually have something in common.

“I wanted to remove hobbies and traits entirely and strip it down to the basics,” she said. “What is the one thing we can keep as a shared trait?”

The first event, held on Aug 15 at an outdoor space next to Temasek Shophouse, was attended by about 25 people.

It was planned without an agenda to allow people to “come as they are”, said Chong, who works in sales for a data company.

During the event, many of the participants shared that they usually shy away from socialising with strangers.

“Many of them told us that they are introverted , but this event was so fresh and (only those named Chloe) qualify for it, which encouraged them to join,” Tan said.

Chong added that the requirement meant that people were more likely to turn up alone.

“It lessened the participants’ fear of there being in-groups or the possibility of being outcast,” she said.

One attendee, also named Chloe Tan, echoed the sentiment.

The 22-year-old Singapore Management University student said participants at other events – such as ones held in school – usually have a purpose in mind.

“I feel like I still need to present myself in a certain way,” she said.

However, she joined the Chloe meetup without feeling any expectation of who she had to be, a sentiment she found other participants shared.

“The nature of the event is that you come as you are,” she said, adding that she has a new-found appreciation for her name, which she previously found “basic”.

An event poster with the signatures of the participants, who are all named Chloe. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHLOE TAN

An event poster with the signatures of the participants, who are all named Chloe.

Meeting people outside their usual circles

For Chloe Chan , a 20-year-old Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts student, the event was a chance to meet people from different backgrounds.

“I wanted to expand my social network and go out of my comfort zone,” said Chan. She attended the Aug 15 meetup , as well as the second one held on Sept 19.

While joining student clubs in school is an option, Chan wanted to make connections that did not revolve around a specific activity.

At the event, she met other Chloes in fields such as psychology, technology and social work.

“The more conversations you have with people who are doing completely different things, the more open-minded you become,” Chan said.

She has made plans to meet another attendee in London, where the person is pursuing law.

“I have to do an exchange in London next year for the degree I’m taking. We agreed that if I am ever there, I would hit her up,” Chan said.

At the second meetup on Sept 19, participants signed on the same poster in a different colour. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHLOE TAN

At the second meetup on Sept 19, participants signed on the same poster in a different colour.

‘They just need someone else to get started’

This is not the first organised meetup of people sharing the same name.

In the US, a series of events known as the Ryan Meetup went viral after three people named Ryan first met up in New York in 2023.

After the event gained traction, hundreds of people named Ryan began joining subsequent meetups .

It has since spawned a non-profit organisation, with the aim of breaking the world record for the largest gathering of people bearing the same first name. The current record is 2,325, set in 2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina by attendees named Ivan.

Organisers Tan and Chong said they were not aware of the Ryan Meetup before they came up with the idea of a Chloe meetup .

Separate events – for women named Nicole – were also held here in August and September.

The dinner gatherings, held at a restaurant at the Esplanade, garnered over 100 sign-ups on event page Luma.

“Meetings like these give people in Singapore more opportunities to discover the joy of meeting new people, especially introverts who don’t go out of their way to make friends,” Chong said.

“I was quite flattered that somebody wanted to organise a similar event inspired by us,” Tan added.

“People do want to make friends, they just need someone else to get started.”

对于许多参与者来说，这项活动的独特性鼓励他们参加，尽管他们性格内向，通常会避开陌生人。

照片：由 Chloe Tan 提供

发布于2026年10月14日上午7:30

更新于2026年10月14日上午7:30

两位名叫 Chloe 的朋友在新加坡组织了社交聚会，让同名的人们即使没有共同的兴趣或背景也能互相认识。

这些活动吸引了性格内向的参与者，他们喜欢轻松无压力的氛围，可以做真实的自己，结交新朋友。

受类似国际活动的启发，Chloes 旨在鼓励社交和包容，尤其是对于那些不愿参加典型聚会的人来说。

新加坡——一切始于一个问题：人们能否在工作、学校和兴趣小组之外结交朋友？

为了结识新朋友，两位朋友发出了一场社交聚会的公开邀请。任何人都可以参加，但必须满足一个简单的条件：名字必须叫克洛伊。

主持人 Chloe Tan 和 Chloe Chong 都是 20 多岁的女性，她们想看看一群除了名字之外没有任何共同点的陌生人能否找到共同点并建立联系。

Tan在一家科技创业者网络公司担任活动策划人，她说她想尝试一些新的东西。

她发现，这类活动往往“结构相当严谨”，参与者通常都有一些共同点。

“我想完全剔除爱好和特质，只保留最基本的要素，”她说。“我们能保留的共同特质是什么？”

首场活动于 8 月 15 日在淡马锡店屋旁边的户外场地举行，约有 25 人参加。

在一家数据公司从事销售工作的 Chong 表示，这次活动没有预设议程，目的是让人们“以最自然的状态参与”。

活动期间，许多参与者表示，他们通常会避免与陌生人社交。

“他们中的许多人告诉我们，他们性格内向，但这次活动非常新颖，而且（只有名叫 Chloe 的人）才有资格参加，这鼓励了他们加入，”谭说道。

钟补充说，这项要求意味着人们更有可能独自前来。

“这减轻了参与者对内部群体或被排斥可能性的恐惧，”她说。

一位名叫 Chloe Tan 的与会者也表达了同样的看法。

这位22岁的新加坡管理大学学生表示，其他活动（例如学校举办的活动）的参与者通常都有自己的目的。

“我觉得我仍然需要以某种方式展现自己，”她说。

然而，她参加 Chloe 聚会时并没有感到任何关于自己必须成为什么样的人的期望，她发现其他参与者也有同样的感受。

“这项活动的性质就是让你以最自然的状态来参加，”她说，并补充说她现在对自己的名字有了新的认识，她以前觉得这个名字“很普通”。

活动海报上印有所有参与者的签名，她们的名字都叫克洛伊。照片：由克洛伊·谭提供

一张活动海报，上面有所有参与者的签名，她们的名字都叫克洛伊。

与圈外人接触

对于20岁的南洋艺术学院学生陈克洛伊来说，这次活动让她有机会结识来自不同背景的人。

“我想拓展社交圈，走出舒适区，”陈女士说。她参加了8月15日的聚会，以及9月19日举行的第二次聚会。

虽然参加学校的学生社团也是一种选择，但陈希望建立一些不围绕特定活动的人脉关系。

在活动中，她结识了其他来自心理学、科技和社会工作等领域的克洛伊们。

“你与从事完全不同工作的人交流越多，你的思想就越开放，”陈说。

她计划在伦敦与另一位与会者见面，此人正在伦敦攻读法律学位。

“我明年要去伦敦交换学习，这是我攻读学位的一部分。我们之前说好，如果我去了伦敦，就联系她，”陈说。

9月19日的第二次聚会上，参与者们用不同颜色的笔在同一张海报上签名。照片：由克洛伊·谭提供

在 9 月 19 日的第二次聚会上，参与者用不同的颜色在同一张海报上签名。

“他们只是需要有人来启动这个项目。”

这并非首次有组织同名人士的聚会。

在美国，一系列被称为“瑞恩聚会”的活动在2023年于纽约首次见面后迅速走红。

活动获得关注后，数百名名叫瑞安的人开始参加后续的聚会。

此后，它催生了一个非营利组织，旨在打破最多同名人士聚会的世界纪录。目前的纪录是2325人，由一群名叫伊万的参与者于2017年在波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那创造。

组织者 Tan 和 Chong 表示，在他们想到举办 Chloe 聚会之前，他们并不知道 Ryan 聚会的存在。

8 月和 9 月，这里还举办了专门为名叫妮可的女性举办的活动。

在滨海艺术中心的一家餐厅举行的晚宴聚会，在活动页面 Luma 上获得了超过 100 个报名。

“像这样的聚会能让新加坡人有更多机会发现结识新朋友的乐趣，尤其是那些不主动结交朋友的内向者，” Chong 说。

“有人想组织一个类似我们举办的活动，我感到非常荣幸，”谭补充道。

“人们确实想交朋友，他们只是需要有人来开启这段友谊。”