Names for Long Last Names

If your family has a long last name (three syllables or more, like Henderson, Montgomery or Maldonado) you may be wondering how best to pair a first and middle name for your baby girl or boy. Do you choose two short baby names, a longer first name that can easily be shortened into a nickname or a combination of the two? We'll show you these ideas and more. Come check it out!

 Short pairings

One idea is to give your baby a short first name to balance out the length of your last name. There are many short baby names to choose from. Some short names are soaring up the popularity charts such as Ava, Mia, Noah and Jack. If you'd like a name that is a little more distinct and unique, how about Kai, Ace, Lark or Oma? Classic names area also on the rise and there are plenty of short names to consider there as well -- Ada, Kate, Hank and Vince are all great choices.

For short baby name ideas, try: Short and Sweet Baby Names Unique Short Boy Names Unique Short Girl names Top 100 Baby Names 2009

Matching longer names

Another idea is to pick a longer first name to go with your last name. You may hesitate to do this -- after all, your child has to learn to write his name -- but one built-in benefit to a long name is that often they are often shortened to easy-to-remember nicknames. For girls, some ideas are: Victoria (Vicky, Tori), Alexandra (Alex, Xan, Ali), Elizabeth (Liz, Beth, Liza) and Virginia (Ginny, Gin). For boys, how about: Benjamin (Ben), Anthony (Tony), Finnegan (Finn) or Marcellus (Mark). Using a long first name with a long last name does give the full name balance as well as a shorter one, but in a different way.

For more long name ideas: Top 50 Long Baby Names Top 50 Elegant Baby Names and Meanings

Middle name concerns

Now that you've picked the perfect first name, how does a middle name fit in? There are several schools of thought on middle names -- some parents use filler names (meaning those that just sound good but have no personal meaning). Often this is a short name such as Grace or James. You can also use the middle name spot to honor a relative or use a name that's been handed down several generations.

Selecting by syllable is a popular choice as well. See Middle Names for Boys and Middle Names for Girls to break down potential middle names by syllable. Often parents choose a different syllable sound for the middle name than the first name -- it's pleasing to the ear. Isabella Jane Cunningham sounds musical with the different sounds together!

Building the perfect baby name is similar to conducting an orchestra -- every piece needs to fall in place, but once it does, you will know it.

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