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My name is Kiersten, but I go by Kiki. I honestly can't imagine my parents naming Kiki instead. Some nicknames can be names but others definitely should not.

I love them!
my favourites are;

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Girls
Effie
Ellie
Millie
Gracie

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Boys
Joe
Jay
Sam
Alex

I don't think giving nicknames as full names is wrong, persay, but it's definitely not my preference. I myself tend to go by a nickname fairly routinely, but I love having the choice and flexility of using my longer, more formal name. To use your example, a Samuel can always go by Sam, but not vice versa.

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That said, like several others have mentioned, I (subjectively) feel more strongly about some names than others. Names like Eliza, Max, or Leo can stand entirely on their own, and Sam is borderline for me. Sammie, though, would definitely be out.

I generally dislike it. You might not call someone by their full name, but it would be used in professional or formal situations.

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In this discussion I always like to give the example of a doctor's office near where I live. The sign outside of it says "Dr. Nick Surname." It looks really unprofessional.

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I would especially stay away from nicknames as full names that can't be pinpointed on one specific full name. Like Nell, for example. There are multiple names it can be a nickname for, so what would you use as its meaning? I know meaning isn't that important to some people, but it is to me.

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There are a handful of nicknames that I don't mind as full names. Molly and Jack are two examples. In fact I even prefer Molly on its own to being a nn for Mary because I love Mary just how it is. Jack I can never decide on whether I like it best on its own or as a nn.

This message was edited 7/3/2009, 1:17 PM

I don't like it. It's true that most Samuel end up as Sam and Thomas as Tom, but still it's better IMHO to be Samuel or Thomas in formal situations. This said, I like Max on its own. And I can tollerate those kind of nns that work on adults as well, like Alex, Kate, Nick and so forth. What I find really ridiculous is saddling for life someone with a very childish nickname like Maddie or Timmy.

I like them and I don't. I would use Christie and Nola without full names. But sometimes it bothers me, because I don't like my first name, but it only really has one nn to fall back on, and nns as full names bother me because you would be stuck without alternatives.

I think they're fine. Some of them might be too cutesy as full names (Daisy, Angie, Mikey, Timmy, etc.), but Sam and Max? Perfectly acceptable. They work for both a child and an adult.

I like Billie, Liam, Eliza.

This message was edited 7/3/2009, 11:07 AM

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

I guess it depends on the nickname. I love Mindy, Romy, Edie, Effie, Lise and Lola as legit names. I have a friend called Gary and his nickname is Gaza. I think Gaza would be cool as a legit name, too. But things like Fifi, Kiki, Gracie and Prissy just don't feel like proper names.

I know a Sam who is just Sam. Usually, I would go with the longer form, but that's my preference. I don't have a problem with people using a nn as a full name.

Well, nothing wrong with it, but I prefer using the formal name. You might as well give the child, who will one day be an adult, a choice.

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By the way, did you know, the name Dan is a name in it's own right, as well as a nick-name for Daniel? It's from the Bible.

Actually, yes!

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I too feel this way about certain names. It's the nicknames that make me love them, not the full version! Gus, Archie, Charlie, Louie and Toby are some names that instantly come to mind. Funnily, I feel more like this about boy's names, not so much girls. There are a couple examples; Hattie, for instance, and Eliza, but not as many as the boy's camp.

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I personally don't see anything wrong with giving nicknames as full names. I think it's kinda hip actually. Well, in most cases. As long as the nickname has enough strength to stand alone. I would feel pretty sorry for a little girl named something like Missy or Prissy. The name has to has some weight to it.

There are some nicknames that sound too cutesy as full names (ex. Mamie), but I think it's fine to use nicknames as full names for the most part. If I loved the name Sam but not Samuel, I'd have no problem just using Sam.

I know a Sam who is just Sam. I like Max on it's own too, I don't like any of the longer versions of Max. But then again I named my daughter Josephine and call her Sophie but I never would have named her just Sophie... so I don't know.