Four Steve adels walk into ar...

People with carbon-copy names form online clubs — and real-life friendships

STEVE Nadel used to think he was special.

“I went my whole life thinking there was just one Steve Nadel,” says the 50-yearold hedge fund lawyer and father of two from Springfield, NJ.

Then, about two years ago, his wife sat next to a different Steve Nadel at a baseball game. Not long after, another namesake randomly showed up at his son’s book signing downtown. And then came the Google alerts: “I started getting all these e-mails about another Steve Nadel in the energy space.”

And so he went on LinkedIn and began reaching out to every Steve Nadel he could find. They hailed from as far as London and San Francisco. He found three lawyers like himself, as well as a trio of dentists.

Earlier this month, the Steve Nadel Club held its first-ever meeting at Shun Lee Palace in Midtown East. It was a group of mild-mannered men in their 40s, 50s and 60s — the lawyer, the software guy, the real estate guy and the financial adviser.

The club, which has now swelled to 20 members, has ground rules for entry. Steves, Stephens or Stevens make the cut, but alternate surname spellings do not.

“It was quite a surprise to discover that there are a number of other Steve Nadels out there,” says the 63-year-old Forest Hillsbased Steve Nadel, who attended the lunch.

Namesake groups are springing up regularly on socialmedia sites. Facebook’s 11-member-strong “Michael Hurwitz Group” is another.

“It’s great having our own group,” says member Michael Hurwitz, 39, of Delray Beach, Fla. “Interestingly, I think a few of us are married to Dianes.”

Members of such groups say discovering — and bonding over — similarities is part of the thrill.

“We all share the same heritage, we’re all college graduates and we all really like Chinese food,” says Steven C. Nadel, a 57-year-old from Yardley, Pa.

Adds the original Nadel: “Now everyone says, ‘I want that for my name. I want my own club.’ ”