Nicknames are fluid; they don't have to appear in full in someone's proper name. Bella as a nn for Annabel is perfectly fine. I wouldn't
ever use a name I don't love just to get to a nickname. It's too risky! The child could easily insist on using the full (disliked) name or opting for a different nn than the one I wanted.
Annabel is growing on me some, but I flatout hate Annabella, so I would definitely pick Annabel, nn Bella. Bella as a standalone is fine with me, too, though I prefer Belle.
I know one girl with the fn Bella. Her parents were waaaay ahead of the Bella curve--she's about 19. The other Bellas I know are all Isabelles or Isabellas. I'm not sure how many I know. It's a lot harder for me to keep track of nicknames that are only used occasionally than it is proper names. None of the Isabels/Isabellas I know go by a nickname all the time. They seem to use their full names, Izzy, Bella, and Bel(s) in near equal measure. That could just be my perspective, though.
Oh, and I have a cat named Bella. It seems to be a common cat & dog name. My cat was named after a dog Bella.
This message was edited 10/31/2011, 9:11 AM