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I´m glad not nicknames as first name :-(
Stevie - Stephan
Nick - Nicholas or Nikolaos
Zack - Zachary or Zacharias
Alex - Alexander, Alexej or Alexis
Billie - Wilhelmina or Wilma
Will - William,

Since my name is leagally just Amber and I added lyn to it 15 years ago, I would say give the longer name.....I gave my daughter a long name so she could have options, if people ask her name sometimes I tell them Gabby and soemtimes I tell them Gabriella. I think it's nice to have a more professional name and a fun name too.

For me, it really depends on the name. There are some "nicknames" that I like as given names, and others that just seem too informal.

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For example, I love the name Carrie, all on its own. I'm not too fond of any of the longer versions, and would therefore, really consider it as a first name. Abby, Maggie, Ellie, Ella, Julie, Lucy, and Sadie all fall into that category for me.

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On the other hand, the names that you've listed I don't care for on their own and would give formal versions.

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And then there are some others that I can really go either way on. I don't mind the nickname on its own, but I prefer the more formal name with a nickname - Kate (Katherine), and Lily (Lillian) are two of those.

I struggle with this. My first reaction is to say no, they should have something formal to fall back on. But then I think about it, and I can't see why it's not "OK." NNs are recognized just as readily as their longer forms, and there are names that I just don't like the "full names" that match (e.g., Max and Leo). Also, I think that we must remember that a name represents a person's identity. If the person has always been known as Nick, I don't know that he'd necessarily want to just switch to Nicholas because he has to put it on paper. More and more I lean towards just using the names you want.

I believe any human deserves a formal-sounding name. There are occasions where the diminutive will prove to be inadequate in more refined circles or events.

well for me I like Billie on a girl but her whole FN would be Billie Jean.

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I think if you would always call the kid by a certain name then use it.

No.

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Do you think someone will take a grown man seriously when he says his name is Billy or Stevie? I wouldn't-- it sounds childish and your baby won't be a baby forever.

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Many names, like Alexander, Zachary, and Matthew, get shortened to their nicknames automatically-- I can't tell you how many times a teacher has taken attendance in a class and come to a Matthew and asked "Do you go by Matthew or Matt?" It's only "different" nicknames that would have to be corrected (Like Xander instead of Alex, Liam instead of Will or Bill)

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So-- basically, no. Give them a full name and call them by a nickname if you like.