A friend is searching for baby boy names that start out long – three or more syllables long – and can be reduced to one-syllable nicknames.

　　If you’ve got a two-syllable last name, this is a good strategy. You end up with not one but two euphonic pairings. And your child has the benefit of a proper, even imposing formal name as well as a short, friendly, accessible nickname.

　　Some stylish options for long baby names with short nicknames for boys:

　　Abraham – Abe or Bram

　　Alexander – Lex or Xan

　　Augustine or Augustus — Gus

　　Balthazar or Lazarus – Zar

　　Casimir — Cas

　　Edison – Ed or Ned

　　Ezekiel — Zeke

　　Finnian or Finnegan or Phineas — Finn

　　Frederick — Fred

　　Gabriel — Gabe

　　Isaiah – I or Zay

　　Jebediah — Jeb

　　Jedediah — Jed

　　Josiah – Joe

　　Jupiter — Jupe

　　Leopold – Lee

　　Ludovic or Ludovico — Lu

　　Macarthur, Macgregor – Mack

　　Matthias – Matt

　　Maximilian — Max

　　Nathaniel – Nat or Nate

　　Octavio or Octavius — Tav

　　Ozias – Oz

　　Rafael or Rafferty – Rafe

　　Sebastian – Bas or Seb

　　Solomon – Sol

　　Sullivan – Van

　　Thaddeus – Thad

　　Valentine — Val

　　Whitaker – Whit

　　Zebulon or Zebediah — Zeb

　　RELATED:

　　One-syllable boy names

　　Two-syllable boy names

About the Author

Pamela Redmond

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　　Pamela Redmond is the cocreator and CEO of Nameberry and Baby Name DNA. The coauthor of ten groundbreaking books on names, Redmond is an internationally-recognized baby name expert, quoted and published widely in such media outlets as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, CNN, and the BBC. She has written about baby names for The Daily Beast, The Huffington Post, and People.

　　Redmond is also a New York Times bestselling novelist whose books include Younger, the basis for the hit television show, and its sequel, Older. She has three new books in the works.

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