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I've pretty much never liked the idea of nicknames as first names, though my reasons have evolved over the years. The only exceptions are names that started out as nicknames, but were so different from the original name that they eventually became their own names (e.g. Ella / Elle, Margot, Sadie, and Robin - particularly as a masculine name).

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My original reason for disliking "nicknames as legal names" was that I perceived it as unprofessional. Yes, there's a touch of elitism in there, but it still seems to assert informality in places where some formality should exist. Over the last several years another reason developed: it removes choice from the bearer. This is particularly true for a name like Katherine, which has many nickname options (just using this as an example). If someone has the legal name Katie, she could keep that into adulthood or perhaps change over to Kate. But... what if she would've been happier as a Kat, or Kathy? It's too prescriptive.

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Please rate my personal name lists:

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www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/117507
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/109399
www.behindthename.com/pnl/69381/132018