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I agree that Sam is very friendly sort of name. I think it can stand alone, though it isn't my personal preference. I actually love Samuel and, if I used it, I'd call him Samuel, not Sam.

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Merely for the purpose of giving the bearer more options (not being able to predict whether he'd later feel he had only a nickname), I would choose a full name for "Sam", provided there was a full name I liked. If not, however, I would not give a full name, just to have it on the birth certificate.

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For fun, some "thinking out of the box" "Sam" names...

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Gresham
Salomon
Absalom

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Huh, that was harder than I thought it'd be. :)

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From the perspective of something with a nickname as a full name, I'd say that it's better to use Sam instead of a full form, because on registers and that in school they'd always have to be saying "I prefer Sam".
I prefer Samson ovr Samuel, but can see the pull of using Sam as a full name.

I like Sam. It's not babyish or twee, and it wouldn't look out of place on a business card or after a title like "Dr. Sam Jones" or "Sen. Sam Olsen." I much prefer Sam over Samuel or Samson, and I think it's okay as a standalone.

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I would never put a name that doesn't appeal to me on a birth certificate just to get to a nickname that I love, especially when that nickname is as user friendly as Sam. But then, I like plenty of nickname names, and I don't buy into the idea that one must always put the most formal & buttoned up form of a name on the birth certificate even if you never want it used. There are different kinds of nicknames; some work on their own, some don't. Sam feels more like the Jack-Max-Molly sort of nickname to me than the Timmy-Skip-Lizzie kind.

I love Sam, but I would definitely use a full name for it. I prefer Samuel over Samson, but I like both.

I have a young friend who recently named a newborn son Sam, just Sam with a family name in the middle. And it's true that I don't know a single Samuel who goes by Samuel--they all get called Sam. (But then they have this more formal name up their sleeve). My young friend's choice of Sam as a full name has been a topic of discussion among mutual friends and family, with opinion probably equally divided about whether or not this was a tasteful choice. At least it's not as diminutive as Alfie, Bobby, or Bertie.......

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I'd put using Sam as a given name in the same category as Jack being given as a full name--fully acceptable, rather confident, perhaps upper-middle class copying celebrity class? To me, the confident aspect of such a choice involves a total lack of pretension--the possibility that the name Sam would be completely adequate for a growing boy and grown man, that there would be no need for added complexity stemming from the name itself. It takes a degree of chutzpah to be comfortable with such a choice.

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For the record, I really don't like Samson.

This message was edited 2/22/2013, 4:20 AM

For what it's worth, I've always disliked Samuel and Samantha, which means that I'd never even give Sam a thought.

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I do think it's sensible to use a full form - you never know how fashions might change, or whether a mass murderer or country singer might surface with that same nickname and your ln. That's when a Rick could become Richard or Liza could become just about anything without having to mess about with name changes, mns suddenly becoming fns etc. And full names have dignity and solidity and history that nns don't. For marriage, graduation, congratulatory telegrams on one's 100th birthday etc, a bit of dignity is welcome.

I love Sam. It's great. And very sweet.
I don't like Samuel as much, but it's the best Sam- name and I do think Sam is a bit nicknamey so I would probably go with Samuel "Sam".
The only reason I would put a full name on the birth certificate is because he might want a full name when he grows up. Samuel sounds more professional than Sam does. And there's always a possibility that he doesn't want to go by a nickname, that way Samuel is a great name to fall back on.

I LOVE the name Sam and always have. I personally like it as a full name. I do like both Samuel and Samson, both with the nn Sam, but I prefer just Sam. I think people often get stuck in the "They need to have a full name to fall back on, it's more professional" thing, which for the most part I don't agree with! I think if you love just Sam, then use it! There is no guarantee a Samuel or Samson would become more professional in life than a Sam anyway! It just doesn't make sense to me.

My female cousin is Sam. Not Samantha or anything--just Sam. We're roomies and we're very close so it's extremely hard for me to separate the two. Plus one of the brothers on SPN is Sam.

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That said, I do like the name Sam. It's short, strong, and full of worth. I'm not the biggest fan on Samuel but I do like Samson. Honestly, I like Sam by itself the best. Whether it be for a girl or a boy and I think it's 100% unisex.

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I wouldn't ever use the full version of a name I don't really like just so I can use the nickname I'm really after. I feel that lacks sense. I would just give the kid the nickname.

I feel the same way about Sam/Samuel. I think Sam could work on it's own honestly.

Sam is a friendly, reliable, plain-spoken kind of name. I like it a lot, but I would have to say that it's better to have Samuel or Samson (though Samson sounds to me like a circus strongman's stage name) as the full name.

I don't like Samuel, but I do like Sam. I don't really like Samson either... it reminds me of dogs because I've known several dogs named Samson and no humans.
As far as Sam names go, I like Samwise and Samwell. Samwise might be too hobbity, but I think Samwell is pretty useable. Unless it would get mixed up with Maxwell...

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I think it's better to have just the name you use on your birth certificate. If you liked Samuel, then it would be good to use even if you always called him Sam. But if you really don't care about the full name, and are just using it for the sake of using a full name, I say don't use it.

Sam to me sounds more for a girl because of how so many Samantha's are called Sam. It can pass on boys but I wouldn't name anyone Sam. I dislike Samuel and Samson, because of there endings. I guess I'd rather use Sam right on the birth certificate then Samuel or Samson. If you like Sam, then go for it! Not many boys are named that or nicknamed that.

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Sam names
- Sammy
- Samantha
- Samius (Roman name for a boy)

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