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Kay is slightly insubstantial as a full name. I would also worry about its similarity to "okay".

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It's not really trendy sounding because it has a longer history than names like Kayley. I've read old books with characters named Katherine "Kay" and I like that.

I like Kay better as a nn than a full name. It works with any name that starts with K. My cousin Karen was occasionally called Kay- she didn't really like it though. Kayley isn't that common where I am, but I do know a couple who go by their full name.

I adore Kay. Its the name of my favorite character in a book series I've been reading since I was 12ish.

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I had the same reservations as you on the name. I think it could totally work as a fisrt name though. Or as a nickname to Katherine or Kathleen. Kayla and the like are so trendy.

I don't think Kay is at all trendy. It was trendy back in the thirties/forties, but it's definitely not now. Kay to me is very insubstantial, like a fragment of a name. It's blah, dull, and not very attractive. Very fillerish for a middle name and doubly so for a first name.

Kay used to be my favourite name as a kid, and I still have a soft spot for it now. My mother used to say that Kay sounded old fashioned and personally I don't think it's trendy despite the trendy names you've listed.
I fear that Kay is too insubstantial alone and the shortness of Okay to 'Kay makes it difficult to use as a full name. But names grow on other people too and I'm sure a baby Kay would have no difficulty with her name. At least no one would mispronounce it or mispell it (hopefully) :)

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The only time I've heard it used outside of as a surname (Kay or Kaye) is as a nickname. I knew a sweet older lady named Kathleen and she went by "Kay" and it was perfect for her. Also my friend Sarah calls her sister Katie (just Katie, no full name) "Kay" quite a bit of the time and it fits on her. I like Kay on a girl, and it would actually age quite well, but prefer it as a nickname for Katherine or Kathleen. It would work as a nickname for Kayley but that's so trendy right now.
Kay would be acceptable as a full name for a boy (as in the Authurian legends) but not really as a full name for a girl.

I think it's solid and traditional enough to stand on its own. It's a friend of mine's mn and works just fine. If it strikes your fancy, go for it.

I think it is substantial enough. When people say 'kay it tends to be a pretty abrupt sound, at least for me Kay has a softer sound. I don't think that Kay itself is trendy at all, because so few people do use it on it's own and it's rare that someone named Kayley or Kayla would actually go by it except amongst close friends.