Short names, long names, nicknames

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

I've been participating in this community for a while now, and I've been starting to notice that many people here consider short names nicknames. For example; names like 'Max', 'Chris' and 'Sam' are considered nicknames instead of real first names. Here, those names mentioned above are perfectly normal first names. I'm European, is this something American? Or is it's pure coincidence?
I find it very interesting!

Comments

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

(I'm British.) Sam and Chris are nicknames to me and I know a lot of people formally called Samuel/Samantha or Christopher. Max is perhaps a lost cause because there are so few people using the long form at all.

[turn-it-upp.livejournal.com]

i'm american. i like short names. my older brother is a prime example, his name is max, just max, which i'm happy with because he is soo not a maxwell.

[ex-ollivande895.livejournal.com]

Lots of Americans think short names have to be nicknames. I don't understand it, either, and I live in Missouri. My uncle's name is Chris (just Chris) and he's frequently asked if that's short for Christopher. It gets annoying.

[hotchpot.livejournal.com]

My name is Catherine and I go by Cathy. I think it's important for a person to have a "full" name and a more "familiar" name. I especially like nicknames that don't necessarily flow from the first name. (Alec or Sandy or Sascha for "Alexander," Jake for "John," Hannah for "Anne.") It just adds character, IMO.

[red-inuzuka.livejournal.com]

I had an art teacher whose name was Gregg. Not Gregory, but Gregg. I guess his parents hoped the extra 'g' would help people realize it wasn't a shortened name but his full name but it didn't help much. I heard quite a few new people ask him about it.

[aquilinum.livejournal.com]

I quite dislike it when nicknames are used as "real names", but I'm aware that my personal dislike isn't necessarily the standard.

In some cases, the variant or former diminutive takes on such a life of its own that the name is quite and utterly removed from its previous root. Even "Cindy" used to be a nickname, and I'll bet it would take most people a few seconds of blinking thought before realizing which name is its root.

[0o-faerie.livejournal.com]

More people have mentioned the 'you can choose your nickname' argument. I never thought of that, and you have a point there =)