Ari for
Zachariah -
Ari doesn't make me think of
Zachariah in the slightest. The only connection I see between the names is that
Zachariah contains "ari." They sound nothing alike, though.
Ian for
Damian,
Adrian, and other -ian names -
Ian is so well-known as a full name that I think it seems odd as a nickname.
Reno for
Lorenzo - If Reno is pronounced REN-o rather than REE-no in this case, it could work. Reno (REE-no) doesn't sound like the -renzo part of
Lorenzo, so I wouldn't recommend it as a nickname for
Lorenzo. I automatically think of the city in
Nevada and casinos when I see Reno. I would be more inclined to use
Renzo or
Enzo as a nickname for
Lorenzo.
Axel for
Maxwell - I know them as two completely different names. If I wanted the nickname
Axel so badly, I would just use
Axel as a full name.
Silver for
Silvester - It works.
Alis for
Alister - People might think of the girls' name
Alice, but
Alis works as a nickname for
Alister.
Gene for
Genesis -
Gene doesn't sound like the beginning of
Genesis, so I think it seems odd as a nickname for
Genesis. Gen (pronounced like
Jen) and Genny / Gennie (pronounced like
Jenny) make more sense.