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I feel some nicknames are fine as given names and others aren't. I really don't have any formula to determine which nicknames I feel work as given names and which don't. It's completely subjective.

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For example, these are fine as given names:

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Kate (not Katherine or Kathleen), Greta (not Margaret or Gretchen), Nora (not Honora or Eleanor), Nathan (not Nathaniel), Beth (not Elizabeth), Lisa (not Elizabeth)

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These seem too lightweight as given names, and I feel they need the long version for formal papers, etc.:

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Becky, Katie, Sally, Sadie, Millie, Lily, Daisy, Polly, Sam, Joe, Mike

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These, I can't decide:
Max, Leo, Alex

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And these may SOUND like nicknames, but I have heard they originally started out as given names so I think these are fine as given names:

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Lucy, Julie, Sophie, Sylvie