We’ve recently grown to love Max as a contender for our April baby, however, I am wondering about giving him something longer than just Max as a standalone name so he has options (and then of course most of the time we would call him Max).
Our other son is just Leo (no longform) but for some reason that name seemed perfect to us on its own. With Max, we’re not sure if it’s too matchy-matchy to have both son’s with three letter names (Leo + Max) or on the other hand, if it looks unbalanced to have one name longer (Leo + Maxwell). Thoughts?
And so far we are liking Thomas for the middle with Max/Maxwell! It’s a family name 
- Maxwell Thomas Hamilton
- Max Thomas Hamilton
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I love [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] & I recently saw someone suggest [name_m]Maddox[/name_m] with the nickname [name_m]Max[/name_m] on another post & thought you might like that name as well 
I think “just” [name_m]Max[/name_m] is substantial enough! [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] has a different vibe that makes [name_m]Max[/name_m] better suited with [name_m]Leo[/name_m] for me. I prefer the flow of [name_m]Max[/name_m] [name_m]Hamilton[/name_m] to [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] [name_m]Hamilton[/name_m] too!
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Thanks for your response! What kind of vibe do you think [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] gives off versus [name_m]Max[/name_m]? I feel like I’m not great at deciphering vibes with names haha so I’m just curious!
For me, [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] feels more preppy and tailored [name_f][/name_f]— in line with names like [name_f]Vivienne[/name_f], [name_m]Henry[/name_m], [name_f]Eloise[/name_f] and [name_m]Theodore[/name_m]. [name_m]Max[/name_m] feels more upbeat and playful [name_f][/name_f]— similar to [name_m]Ezra[/name_m], [name_f]Poppy[/name_f], [name_m]Arlo[/name_m] and [name_f]Sadie[/name_f]. I hope that makes sense!
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[name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] feels more complete, like an adult name. He’d have options that way: [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m], [name_m]Max[/name_m], [name_m]Mac[/name_m], [name_m]Wells[/name_m].
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I don’t think you have to match the number of letters in your children’s birth certificate names.
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[name_m]Max[/name_m] and [name_m]Leo[/name_m] as everyday names are a good combo.
I think just [name_m]Max[/name_m] is gorgeous! I absolutely love Le0 and [name_m]Max[/name_m] together such a sweet spunky sibling set with a cheeky chappy flair.
[name_m]Just[/name_m] name them what you’ll call them
Both are great, but it feels like a longer form is speaking to you this time round, so I went with Maxwell!
I don’t think Leo and Maxwell feel unbalanced - it might be a little different if you had, say, Leo, Bea, Jem and Maxwell as a bigger sibset, but I don’t think you’ve locked yourself in to any kind of pattern etc.
I don’t think you can go wrong either way though
I have been loving [name_m]Max[/name_m] lately, too! [name_f][/name_f] I’m not super fond of [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] myself (I prefer Maximilian), so [name_m]Max[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m] gets my vote, but I would love to see [name_m]Maximilian[/name_m] [name_m]Thomas[/name_m]. [name_f][/name_f] 
I’d only choose the longer form if you love it just as much as the short form – or if you’re getting something very valuable out of it like a family name. For me, potentially having options isn’t a big draw especially if I’m not keen on some of those alternatives e.g. he may choose to drop [name_m]Max[/name_m] and only go by [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] or [name_m]Wells[/name_m] when he’s older.
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I don’t think you’re tied to short names if you expand your family further. What makes [name_m]Leo[/name_m] and [name_m]Max[/name_m] such good brother names is their style and zippy sound, not so much the length. So you could totally have [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_m]Max[/name_m] and [name_m]Benjamin[/name_m] or [name_m]Leo[/name_m], [name_m]Max[/name_m] and [name_f]Charlotte[/name_f] no problem.
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[name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] nn [name_m]Max[/name_m] offers you the best of both worlds!
[name_f][/name_f]It’s a wonderful name. In my opinion, [name_m]Maxwell[/name_m] is a great match for Le¤.