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