I use a shortened version of my first name. I don’t like my first name anymore. It’s too foreign and I am tired of people treating it as such, to the point that when I (eventually) get married I plan to change it formally at the same time as my last name.
For purposes of preserving internet anonymity let’s pretend my first name is Janet. my own real first name is similar. Two syllables, easily and commonly shortened to just its first syllable.
My own preference is to use my whole name. There are a few people I’ve known for longer than I was comfortable saying “You know, I really prefer being called Janet” who call me Jan. I’m not going to make people who knew me thirty years ago change what they call me.
I always, always, use my middle initial in my signature.
Other.
Entirely depends on the situation. To students and parents I am Mr. Silenus. To my debaters I am Silenus. To graduated debaters I am Initials. To my fellow teachers I am either Silenus or FirstName. My signature on everything except legal documents is InitialsSilenus. To the wife I am SickenlySweetNickname or Dipshit, depending. To the cats I am CatFudGiverPerson.
I am large. I contain multitudes.
A lot of people use my full name (first + last) as if it were one name. My dad always did this and quite a few others do it too, with no prompting from me that I know of. Although, I do introduce myself that way. Maybe I run the words together and people pick up on that? I don’t know.
Mostly first name, a very small group of people use a nickname, over the years there have been different small groups and nicknames.
As with gwendee, I use my middle initial in my signature. I used to use my middle initial in my typed name, but when I was working in Europe my colleagues found that to be very funny. They indicated that they found using a middle initial as part of your “formal” name was an American rube affectation, so I stopped.
This. My first name is Jennifer, but my parents started calling me “Jenny” right away and I’ve always preferred it. When I got my first “real” job at 26 I tried going by Jennifer, to sound more professional/adult, but it just felt wrong. Too formal. So, now I’m a 43-year-old “Jenny”…one day I hope to be a 90-year-old “Jenny.” 
Mostly my given first name, Cynthia. I don’t like the nickname Cindy and very few people call me by that name – mostly a couple of people I knew in grade school who I’m still in touch with, and a few family members. A few friends use the name “Cyn” instead, which I’m fine with.
I’ve always gone by the familiar, shortened version of my first name, as opposed the formal version, which I use only in official business and as my signature.
No one has ever called me by the formal version…except my first wife — who decided on her own that this is what she was going to call me. Somehow, my own wishes never entered the picture.
This is one of several signs that, taken together, should have told me something.
Today, unknowing folks will occasionally, in all innocence, call me by my formal name. Though my first wife and I were divorced over 24 years ago, this still causes me to involuntarily tense up.
I heard that in the UK as well. Whatevs. :dubious:
I still use my middle initial. It might be “rube”, but it does serve to differentiate me from the other three people in my town with the same first and last name, and the hundreds of others with the same first and last name in the metro Boston area.
Ridiculous! My first post here, and I tell a LIE! I am struggling with my sight, and I read, “I use my first name only.” I chose that. But it really said, “I use my last name only.” Yep! I’m the only one so far who chose that option, and I LIED!
Sorry!
I use my first name
However, my signature includes my middle initial.
I was given an absolutely hideous first name at birth, so when we moved again before 4th grade, I changed to my middle name, which was very pleasing. However, for my own reasons, I no longer have any of those names – all legally changed – and I go by my chosen first name almost exclusively.
When I’m in my mild-mannered alter-ego, I use my first name.
A nickname that’s based on my first name in day-to-day life.
For legal, medical, governmental, and signature purposes I use my full first name with middle initial. (And usually my last name, too. 
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I said nickname since technically it’s not my full given first name. I go by basically the only normal contraction/abbreviation for my first name. Well only normal one outside of the diminutive involving a Y at the end. My family frequently still used the diminutive version well in to my 30s since Dad has the same first name.
For formal thing/ business I always use full first name, middle initial and and last name.
I spent a lot of years military so being referred to by last name, rank and last name, or just appropriate rank based term of address is something I’m also used to.
I have always been known by my middle name*. Sometimes, on anything governmental I have to be first initial, middle name last name. In my teens and twenties I had a strong aversion to my initials, and also my first name. Sometime in the 1990s my banks started insisting I register as first initial middle name, last name. When I bought a house I was told I had to change my accounts and mortgage to First Name Initial Last name. Not fond of that, but when I get phone calls for that name i know it is official. The other annoying thing is full name is on health card, so if I am in emergency or a doctor’s office that doesn’t know me (specialist I am seeing for the first time) I have to pay attention for the other name. My first name was very popular a generation ahead of me, now there are many aging baby boomers in Doctor’s offices with that name.
My first name is the same as jsgoddesses’ but I prefer being called the full name, not the diminutive. Only family that I was close to when I was very young, and that don’t see me often anymore get away with it. If you see me more often than weddings and funerals you will call me by my full middle name.
Eventually, I will get around to changing my first name. One of my fears is ending up with either a head injury or suspected injury/trauma and when questioned calling myself by my middle name, and as a result being thought to be more confused than I really am.
I go by the obvious nickname but to my sibling, cousins, etc. it’s “Baaack-y,” kind of like a hen’s cackle. I like it. Chickens softly clucking out in the yard is my favorite white noise.
My husband calls me by name so rarely that when he does use it, I know I’m in trouble. But I don’t hold it against him; throughout my first marriage I addressed my MIL as “uh…”
I use a nickname that’s a diminutive of my first name in every occasion, formal or casual. In fact, my parents gave me my name with the intention of calling me that. When people call me by my first name or the more common diminutive of it, I may not even know they’re referencing me. Further, I never use my last name either, other than when it’s completely required. Even if formal greetings where people introduce themselves with their full name, I give just that. The way I see it, a name is as much of how I choose to present myself, so I should go by how I feel I should. I don’t get to choose my last name or my given name, but I could go by variations on them, so if I feel attached to any of those more, I should use them.
I’ve had a whole gamut of other nicknames throughout my life, usually completely unrelated to my given name, and really, I don’t mind going by any of them. But, I’m also of the opinion that any of those sorts of nicknames really can’t be self-chosen; they need to created by other people, so I never put in any effort to perpetuate them.
I use the informal version of my first name. I don’t think of this as exactly a “nickname”, like Spuds or Chip, but just an informal version of a common first name. I hate the formal version of my name and would change it if it wasn’t too much hassle.
You may want to list what you are called in the ICE listing on your phone contact list. Paramedics and other emergency personnel check this stuff when they need to contact your next of friend.
missred, another Julia who goes by Julia