Great Nicknames Shorten Classic Favorites
Kalli writes:
We are expecting our fourth child and our first boy! He joins three older sisters named Louisa Jane, Emilia Frances, and Georgia Mae.
We tend to use nicknames a lot – Lulu, Millie, and Georgie – so I’d like our son to have a classic, somewhat unique name with great nickname potential. However, I’m finding that with boys, there aren’t that many options! I feel like I know several babies already with each name I am interested in, but maybe we could get over that?
Some names we have considered using are Lawrence, Jameson, and Wesley. We would probably pick Lawrence, but the nickname Larry is just so awful, and other nicknames don’t feel as natural. The other two names we like, but we haven’t fallen in love with them, at least yet.
I love Calvin, Dean, Wesley, and Theodore, but those names have been taken by close friends or family members already.
Our last name ends in an -er, so we’ve avoided any names with that ending as well.
Appreciate any thoughts/insights!
The Name Sage replies:
The more our families grow, it seems, the more children we know – and the more names that are taken!
It’s true that classic boy names are slightly less subject to trends than girls’ names. Even Elizabeth or Katherine fails to rival the staying power of John, Joseph, and James.
Happily, plenty of classic choices for boys are just slightly out of favor now, and ready for revival.
That’s true for Lawrence, which could be perfect with your older kids’ names. I’m tempted to suggest the nickname Ren – but maybe that’s one of those possibilities you’ve already ruled out as too much of a stretch?
Great nicknames for classic boy names abound, though, so let’s look at more options.
FREDERICK
Among the most overlooked of traditional names, Frederick is ready for revival. Freddie is the obvious short form, big in the UK, but neglected by American parents – for now.
ROBERT
Robert feels traditional, even over-used. But it’s surprisingly uncommon for children born in recent years. For a child, Bobby is sweet and Robbie is darling. Bo works, too, and, of course, your Robert can easily grow into a Rob.
If none of these feel quite right, you might try working backwards. Cal, for example, might be short for Callum
, Callahan
, or Caleb, to name just a few. Or you can browse a long list of nicknames, with possible longer versions, here.
My favorites with your girls’ names are either August-called-Gus, or Malcolm-called-Mac. I think they’re traditional, but not too predictable. Plus those nicknames? They make grown-up August or Malcolm feel perfect for your sweet new son.
But I wouldn’t rule out Lawrence just yet. I do think Ren works better than you might guess. And, of course, there’s always the option of calling him Lawrie. After all, it worked for Little Women.