So why doesn't Romney ever use his actual first name?

[Reginald]

Well, Bachmann and Huntsman are the only candidates left who use their actual full first names. So in this day and age, it wouldn't be all that unusual for him to avoid stuffy Willard if his nickname weren't so bizarre.

This is a pretty interesting read: http://babynamewizard.com/archives/2011/11/the-republican-presidential-name-field

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Reginald]

But as I stated above, Mitt is his actual middle name.

But Mitt's still a nickname. As you also stated above, his father's cousin Mitt was actually named Milton.

[Reginald]

But Mitt's still a nickname. As you also stated above, his father's cousin Mitt was actually named Milton.

AFAIK, Mitt is an actual middle name. According to all sources, his full name is "Willard Mitt Romney", not "Wlllard Milton Romney" or anything like this. So he uses his middle name. Big deal.

Right, I understand that. I was trying to clarify (and did an exceptionally poor job, in hindsight) that if his name was "Willard Robbie Romney" and he went by Robbie (God forbid), the name Robbie itself is still intrinsically a nickname regardless of its presence on his official birth certificate. Or it is in my opinion; I suppose some may disagree with that.

But of course, this is a complete non-issue.