Babies born hours apart next door to one another coincidentally named Romeo and Juliet

Two newborn babies born within hours at the same hospital have accidentally been called Romeo and Juliet – with both sets of parents not knowing each other.

The babies were born at the Coastal Carolina Hospital in Hardeeville, South Carolina, on Sunday 19 March and Monday 20 March. Both had been scheduled to be induced on the 26 March, but were born early.

The hospital's resident photographer Cassie Clayshulte posted the news on social media, along with photos of the newborns, which went viral.

"It was just a coincidence. They were both actually scheduled to be induced on March 26, but they both came early which is so neat.

"It just shows even more that it's fate – they just happened to be in the room next to each other," Clayshulte told CBS News.

The parents had picked the names months before, but neither knew each other until the children were born.

Romeo was born to Morgan and Edwin Hernandez on the Sunday. Eighteen hours later, Christiana and Allan Shifflett welcomed Juliet into the world.

Clayshulte had been talking to Romeo's parents about photographing their son when she realised she had seen the name Juliet on a list of patients. Both sets of parents agreed to a joint photoshoot, joking a romance could be on the cards in a few years.

"I had told them that if they want to book me now as their wedding photographer they could do that," Clayshulte said.