Looking for formal names for Gus?
Over a dozen options lead to this short, friendly name.
Of course, you might just name your son Gus and skip the formal version. It ranked in the US Top 200 as an independent name in the nineteenth century; it’s climbing in use again, currently ranked #994 out of 1000.
That’s just common enough that you might find a just-Gus on your family tree, hanging out with Great Aunt Esther and your third-cousin-twice-removed, Mabel.
But if you’re more of a formal name fan? Possibilities abound. Most of these lean traditional, but they range from the names you’d hear in any kindergarten to the truly rare.
Here are the best formal names for Gus.
THE AUGUSTS
AUGUST
Just like the month, and playwright August Wilson. A trio of Polish kings were also August.
AUGUSTINE
Saintly, scholarly, and elaborate. It’s easy to imagine wanting something a little cuddlier for a baby Augustine, and Gus is a great go-to.
AUGUSTEN, AUGUSTIN, AGUSTIN
All forms of the name used in various romance languages. Writer Augusten Burroughs gives the first spelling some literary flair. The last is the Spanish spelling, but it doesn’t make the US Top 1000.
AUGUSTUS
Imperial Augustus sounds quite grand. As with Augustine, there’s no surprise parents mind find themselves dropping a few syllables from this majestic name.
GUS AT THE END
ANGUS
It’s tough to come up with a boy’s name that is simple, straightforward and not in the US Top 1000. Angus fits the bill – and leads to the nickname Gus.
FERGUS
It’s a bit more daring than Angus, but might work for an adventurous parenting pair.
MAGNUS
Actor Will Ferrell named a son Magnus, probably thanks to his wife’s Swedish heritage. It comes from a Latin name meaning “great.” While g-u-s isn’t exactly present in the name, it fits with formal names for Gus.
MINGUS
If you’re a jazz fan, naming your child after jazz musician and activist Charles Mingus might appeal.
UNEXPECTED FORMAL NAMES FOR GUS
CONSTANTINE
It sounds like a stretch, but Gus has served as a traditional nickname for Constantine. That’s because Constantine is Greek, and the sounds are different. In English, K and G are distinct; that’s less true in Greek. And so immigrants heard Gus as a natural shortening for Constantine … and it stuck. (No guarantee that it’s considered especially current among Greek-Americans or in Greece right now.)
FERGUSON
With names like Cameron, Harrison, and Sullivan so stylish, you might expect Ferguson to have a place on the formal names for Gus list. Except the 2014 Ferguson Unrest (or Uprising) seems very current. (It wasn’t a consideration when this list was drafted in 2008.) On the one hand, it’s a familiar surname and fits with plenty of favorites. On the other hand, the reference feels charged. Still, the sound is great and naturally leads to Gus.
GUSTAV, GUSTAVE, GUSTAVO
Everyone recognizes Gustav, but few people consider it for their sons. There’s something theatrical about this choice, and it might be tougher to wear than Augustus or Angus. But it’s tough to overlook a name that goes all the way back to Old Norse and has been worn by six kings of Sweden.
GUSTIN
Sometimes listed as a short form of Augustin – or possibly a nickname for Gustav, too – it’s easy to imagine parents inventing Gustin (or Guston?) to add to the list of formal names for Gus.
VIRGIL
Okay, not really. But pioneering astronaut Gus Grissom was born Virgil Ivan. A nickname from his surname – Griss – became Gus. That’s not an option for your average kid necessarily. And yet, Gus feels a little bit like Buddy, Sonny, or Mack – the kind of name that can be short for almost anything.
Besides Grissom, there’s also football coach Paul “Gus” Bradley; in an earlier generation, there’s another football coach, Elmer “Gus” Henderson and probably dozens more.
What are your favorite formal names for getting to Gus?
Originally published on January 31, 2008, this post was revised substantially and republished on March 5, 2012 and again on February 24, 2020, and September 27, 2022.
UPDATE, years later – I just stumbled on this comment, and thought I’d let you know which names we ended up choosing, for anyone who may be curious.
My original comment was made when I was pregnant with, as it turns out, my daughter. We named her Cordelia Esme Rose.
2 years later, I had twin boys! We named them August “Gus” Emanuel and George Fitzgerald. The boys are 5 now, and Gus is called Gus exclusively. While I don’t regret going with August, I suspect he’ll never use it, and probably we could have simply named him Gus and that would have been just fine!
My husband’s family has a Gus whose full name is Gustav, and on my side there’s a Gus whose actual name is Chester.
I think Gus is like Buddy, Beau/Bo, and Chip — the nn doesn’t always have to connect exactly to the given name.
My husband and I love Gus for a boy (we don’t know what we’re having yet!), but – as is very common with this name – I want a longer, formal version. I’ve pored over this articles and others like it and still can’t find an answer. I’m so-so with all the August names, and none of the others fit my main criterion, which is: I want a name that my Italian relative will recognize and be able to say, or at least there needs to be a workable Italian version of the name.
I am hoping to wrangle my husband into the following compromise: I would like to name a boy George, after my grandfather, and I’m cool with using a middle name with a prominent S sound (either first letter, or generally first sound), and then smoosh them together and use Gus as a nickname. Any thoughts? We don’t have an S-name that we really like, however I’ve been considering Anselm, which is my husband’s recently deceased grandfather. George Anselm – could you call him Gus? Any thoughts? I’d appreciate input from this awesome name community!
Agostin and Agostino are Italian versions of Augustine (which is a name with Latin roots, one of the most famous saints, and present in some variation in virtually every European language, so even if you didn’t go with a specifically Italian version, I don’t think it would be unrecognizable to people from any European background). There’s also Gustavo in Italian.
There’s also Giuseppe, which isn’t obviously related to Gus phonetically but visually is a pretty easy jump.
But mostly I think: You can use whatever nickname you like for your kid and most people will go along with it. In fact if you use “Gus” consistently, most people you encounter casually won’t even know what his full name is. I’ve had many friends whose social names and legal names had little or nothing to do with each other. I really wouldn’t stress over choosing a name you don’t really like *just* to get to Gus. Choose a name you like, and call him Gus anyway if you still want to.
(We actually called my brother Gus and Bud almost exclusively growing up, neither of which has any relation to his real name. Nobody ever stopped us and demanded to know how we arrived at those nicknames, ever.)
I love Emmy’s advice. Agostino was my first thought as well; it’s so gorgeous. A quick perusal of Italian names also has me thinking Amerigo could work, and the tie in to American history is cool.
Good luck
Anselm is cool. Or do George “____-us”. Marcus, Caius, Zeus, Darius,
We’re currently considering Atticus for our baby boy, but my two year old pronounces it Attigus.. We’ll most certainly call him Gus 🙂
There’s a little boy at my church whose given name is Ferguson (he goes by Freddie, but that’s another story.) His mother’s maiden name was Ferguson and she got the idea of passing on her name from watching “Clarissa Explains it All”.
The only Gus I know in IRL is my friend’s son August, in a round-about way he was named after Cinderella’s mouse.
I know a boy named Guthrie who goes by Gus.
Love that idea!
We have a politician here in the UK called Sir Menzies ‘Ming’ Campbell – Menzies being pronounced pretty much the name as Mingus. There used to be the joke that Sir Ming was so old, letters in his name had become obsolete.
I’ve always liked the idea of Gus. Ever since I first saw Lonesome Dove years ago (Augustus McCrae was my favorite) the name Gus (and Augustus) has been stuck in my mind.
I’ve been seeing quite a few baby boys just called Gus – but in Australia, the most common would be Angus nn Gus.
Add these to the list of T.V. Characters who make Gus names less appealing:
Ferguson – Clarissa’s annoying younger brother from Clarissa Explains It All and
Mingus – the nerdy kid no one cool wanted to hang out with on Boy Meets World.
Yes, these two were my first thought for Ferguson and Mingus. Perhaps its just showing which generation I belong too, since I don’t think I could get over either T.V. character enough to use the names.
Thanks, Saranel. I was dimly aware of Ferguson, but I missed Mingus!
I love August and Augustine. Gus is the cutrst nickname!
Mingus brings to mind the HP name…Mundungus…which would also give you Gus. 🙂
I adore the name August and Angus has been on my list for a long time. However, I’m not a fan of the nn Gus which is why I’ve substituted Angus with Amos in my top boys list.
I had to look it up but apparently Mundungus is an obsolete term for a very stinky tobacco.
HA! That fits J.K. Rowling’s character. She really is a tremendously clever namer.
Mundungus!!! why didnt I think of that!? I do thing that the middle syllable -dung- does make this name a little less useable than the rest of the getting to gus names.. but still draws me in just because it is HP related
Oh yes, and if you want more Disney I think you could get to Gus with Geston!
I have a five-week old son we call Gus. My husband and I actually used this post to jump start the discussion on his formal name. We ended up choosing Augustin since it sounds best with our older daughters’ names but I would have used Mingus or Augustine in a heartbeat if we lived in Europe where they would likely be better received than here in the US.
I am really in love with Gus! I actually love the thought of having a rolly polly toddler named Gus-Gus. In Cinderella she named him Octavius and called him Gus.. could this be another way to Gus? I think my favorite formal name is Augustus, but my husband thinks it’s too “Charlie and the Chocolate Facotry”. Which I actually dont mind that association at all. I actually like Gus by itself the best, no formal name, but I do feel he is rising i popularity as a nn pretty quickly so he is like 3rd on our list of fave boys.
Other getting to Gus names I like are Giuseppe and Argus (as in Argus Filch from Harry Potter) . Great re-run, I totally didnt know this post existed!!!
I actually suggested Gustaf to my husband a few weeks ago. He dismissed it along with Olaf and Oscar. I think I had better give up on Scandinavian royal names. I like August and the other Gus names work pretty well. I wouldn’t mind hearing a Gus or two in the future.
My brother and I discovered a rather prominent Gustav on our family tree a couple of years ago when searching for family names to recycle. I was somewhat enchanted by the discovery while my brother appeared more horrified. However, I do agree that it somehow has a theatrical ring. I wonder whether my great-great-grandfather will be offended if I name my hypothetical pet after him and call it Gus-Gus for short?
Haha! Impressive lineup, but I’m laughing at Gus’ disappearance circa 1978, and thinking it could have something to do with the Disney film starring Don Knotts, about a football-playing mule named Gus (also the title of the movie)… Which, coincidentally, I’m sure, came out in 1976! I also recall a fat mouse in the Cinderella movie called Gus-Gus, now that I think about it. I’m glad you’re speaking out against Disney’s now-obvious plot to de-popularize the name among us Gen-Xers!
I agree with you, Jess. Magnus is coming up as a NotD, too. 🙂
Sorry, I’m late on this. I was just thinking that Magnus COULD also work as a way to get to Gus. Not as intuitive but it works, IMO.