I don't like
Sam on its own. It's too incomplete, and it's strictly a nickname to me, and I dislike nicknames as formal names. Also, it's not gender specific, since it's a nickname for
Samuel and
Samantha (actor
Charlie Sheen and his wife, actress
Denise Richards named their daughter just
Sam). I much prefer
Samuel with
Sam as a nickname. I say, if you can't find a formal name you like, then discard the name altogether. But, I don't think the formal name choice should revolve around a nickname.
Also, I don't get mule when I pronounce
Samuel. How are pronouncing
Samuel? I pronounce it as
Sam-u-el, not as
Sam-yule. I think
Samuel is a nice strong and classical name.
-
Lissa Hannah-
As soon as tradition has come to be recognized as tradition, it is dead. - Allan Bloom