Is Larry short for anything?

Yes. Larry is a nickname in most old records, and it usually points to Lawrence. Less often it stands in for Laurence and Lorenzo. Expect it in American and Irish records, mostly 1800s-1900s. A record that says Larry and a record that says Lawrence can easily be the same person, so search both names before you rule anyone out.

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FAQs

Is Larry a nickname?+

In old records, almost always - it stands for Lawrence or Laurence. Treat it as a pointer to a formal name until the documents prove otherwise.

Is Larry a real name on its own?+

It mostly rode on Lawrence in the eras we track (1800s-1900s). If your ancestor's papers only ever say Larry, record it as written and keep Lawrence as a candidate.

How does this nickname lookup work?+

It searches a curated dataset of historical nickname-to-formal-name mappings - in both directions - entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded or stored on our servers.

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