Virdie & Virgie Trapp: Sisters With Almost The Same Name

My great-great-grandparents William Wright Trapp and Martha (Mattie) Ann Murphy had seven children. The first two were daughters born less than a year apart. The first was born in November of 1880 and the second was born in October of 1881.

The first was named "Virdie" and the second was named "Virgie". I guess nobody ever told them that parents already have a hard time keeping their kids names straight. Why make it harder for yourself?

For a time I thought these were variant spellings for the same person, until I saw this 1900 US Census. It isn't a typo.

Virdie and Virgie Trapp in the 1900 Census