Sam
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Sam is one of the few nicknames I can see as a full name without a huge problem. Personally, though, I prefer Samuel. But I like more 'formal' names, in general. Samuel James is a little on the bland side for me, though. Both names are common enough that either the fn or mn in the combo should be a tiny bit less common or even unusual, I think.
I prefer Sam on its own, to be honest. I think it works fine, and I'm just not all that fond of Samuel (which doesn't feel right on a lot of people). I know a kid who is always called Sam, and I heard his full fn/ln said recently, and I was like, "Samuel Dagan just doesn't sound as good as Sam Dagan!" (Surname invented to recreate the feeling of the name.) Plus, I love me some Sam Spade. So I'd prefer the jauntiness of just Sam, but Samuel is certainly respectable enough.
Samuel James is fine.
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Samuel James is fine.
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