Short and funky original names might be trendy, especially with celebrities, but classy and sophisticated names will never go out of style. Especially if your last name is Smith — or if you just want something you can shorten into a sweet nickname.
For baby names that will stand the test of time, we've got just the list for you.
Name pairings
Long and elegant baby names pair great with a shorter last name; they sound like they really belong together. If you have a two-syllable last name, you can balance it out with a one-syllable middle, and vice-versa.
More: Old-Fashioned Baby names That Totally Work for a Modern Baby
But of course there’s no real reason to avoid a long first name if you also have a long last name — just look at the ever-cool Benedict Cumberbatch. Still, many parents choose shorter first names if their last is long to save their child some spelling/writing time.
Nicknames
Even though you love a longer baby name, will your daughter love that you named her Cordelia when she gets to be a schoolgirl? Maybe, maybe not, but fortunately almost all of the names listed below have an easy-to-create nickname lurking within its string of letters. Cordelia, for example, may want to be known as Cora, Corrie, Delia or even Dolly when she gets bigger. Your son Constantine, who may have be known as Connie if he were born a few decades ago, may prefer to go by Andy, Stan, Tanner or Connor.
It's a smart idea to have a ready-made nickname backup just in case your child isn’t totally wild about the name you choose. On the other hand, she may love nothing more than growing up with a fancy name that's a little different from those of her peers.
More: Baby Names That Mean 'Miracle'
Here are some of our favorites — maybe they’ll find their way to your baby name list.
Long & elegant names for baby girls
- Alannah
- Anastasia
- Caroline
- Charlotte
- Colette
- Cordelia
- Elenora
- Elizabeth
- Evianna
- Gabriella
- Genevieve
- Gwyneth
- Jacqueline
- Josephine
- Imogen
- Isabella
- Lorelei
- Lucinda
- Madelina
- Mallory
- Marielle
- Morganna
- Victoria
- Vivienne
More: Game of Thrones Baby Names True Fans Need to Add to Their List
Long & elegant names for baby boys
- Alastair
- Atticus
- Augustine
- Benjamin
- Cameron
- Constantine
- Delaney
- Dominic
- Gabriel
- Hamilton
- Harrison
- Jamison
- Jonathan
- Julian
- Kingsley
- Laurent
- Lawrence
- Leopold
- Malachi
- Maximus
- Napoleon
- Nathaniel
- Nikolai
- Prescott
- Quentin
- Sebastian
A version of this article was originally published in July 2013.