def abbreviate_name(a_string, max_length):
    """
    Abbreviate a name to the first max_length - 5
    Append ellipsis to the remainder
    :param a_string: A string to be abbreviated
    :param max_length: The max length the string can be.
    :return: An abbreviated string
    """
    if len(a_string) > int(max_length):
        return str(a_string[0:int(max_length-5)]+'...')
    return a_string