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I didn't go by a nickname myself, but we did this with my son. His name is Alexander, but we always call him Xander. It's easy to correct teachers with your preference, I would think, and I wanted him to be able to have options with his name later (like maybe he eventually wants to go by Alex) and use a "normal" name on his resume.

I like Margot better than Margo. Margo looks weird to me - like you just forgot the "t!"

I like Margaret better because she could still go by Margo.

I like Margo better than Margot. Really not smart people will pronounce the t and say "got".

I grew up with a nickname. It wasn't annoying at all. My nickname was less formal sounding than my real name, so when I was entering the professional world, I just changed it to my real name, and now that's what I go by!

I go by a nickname and it's no big deal. The teacher will write down Margot on the attendance sheet on the first day roll call and that will be that.

I prefer a formal name and then a nickname.

I always had to tell teachers on day 1 to use my nickname - heck, at 39 yrs old I have to tell people because my work email uses my formal name.

When DS started K this year there was actually a spot that said "nickname" so I put his nickname there and formal name in the name spot. I was happy to see his teacher address him by his nickname

My brother always went by his nn in school. My parents would sign him up for classes with his nn or add it in the space where forms ask what your child likes to be called.

To me Margot is a formal name, where as Margo is a nn. I like the idea of going with Margaret which would give her plenty of nn options to pick from that suit her in all stages of her life including Margo.

I wonder if it's a regional thing, but the only Margos I've known in person have spelled it Margeaux. So maybe that's an alternative as well?

I have gone by my nickname my whole life. Only annoying thing is that there are 3 spellings of the nickname and no one spells it right. For that reason, I suggest Margot, which seems to be the most traditional spelling.

I prefer Margaret--I think it goes better with your LO's name and I like the idea of a more formal first name. I've never heard Margot used as a nn for Margaret, but if that's what you go with I prefer Margot to Margo. Margo looks like it's missing a "t" to me.

My brother has gone by a nickname his whole life and it hasn't been an issue. Plus usually at school teachers already know the name the kids go by unless it's the first day at a new place. Not a big deal at all!

My son's name is Theodore and we pretty much exclusively call him Theo, we have since day one. (Theodore comes out when he's in trouble )

I like the flexibility of it.

DH has a nickname as his given name and it's hilarious when people assume it's a nickname. His name is Billy and whenever we fill out paperwork, etc., people think William is his legal name, but it's legally Billy. In his situation, he is so not a William at all. Maybe once he gets much older, he'll drop the "y."

I think it all comes down to your preference as the parent!

I should add that I was thinking of Margaret as full name and Margot as nickname in case that wasn't clear

I've gone by nickname since I was in first grade. It's weird to hear my formal name sometimes. It looks good on business cards though. My kids will probably end up with names that don't do nicknames partly because of DH's preference. As long as the name is strong, I don't see a problem with it.

I've gone from a nickname of my middle name with family and close friends since day 1 and have never found it annoying. I've actually always used my first name at work and school.
We are giving our daughter my grandmother's name and it's beautiful but we've used a nickname since we decided to use it. I figure it'll be her choice but to us she'll probably always be nickname.

I personally don't like the idea of giving a child a "formal" name if the intention is to only use a nickname. My brother has a name similar to Jonathan, and I've always called him Jonathan and not Jon or Johnny. That said, I really like Margaret. I have a friend who is named Margaret and she goes by the full name.

@raspberries: that's the spelling I know/prefer.

My full name is Alison and my nn is Ali. Personally I internally cringe when I'm introduced by my full name And let people know I prefer my nn.

Unless it's an obvious nn, she may has another nn- I've only heard Maggie as a nn for Margaret.

I prefer the name Margaret with nickname options (esp because it mirrors your first daughter's name), but in this case I would use Margo for the nickname. It seems more appropriate to me as an (American) nickname without the T.

If you were going with Marguerite as the first name, then the T at the end of the nickname Margot makes more sense to me since they are both the French derivations.

I've always gone by a nickname, and absolutely prefer it. I changed my nickname several times, and am glad I have a name (Elizabeth) that allows for a variety of choices. I, personally, would never choose a name for a child that didn't give them that flexibility, and DH agrees. LO will go by a nickname unless she asks us to use her full name.

Oh, and I have a cousin named Margaret who has always gone by Margie, so I don't think you're limited to just Maggie.

I have a formal name and my mother gave me a nickname the day I was born, she didn't intend to, but she said I was just too little for the big name they gave me. I never used the nickname in school or work though, which I think is quite unusual.

I love Margot, but Margaret, for some reason, not so much.

Full name with a NN.

I know a Margaret that goes by Meg and a Margaret that goes by Margo. I MUCH prefer Margo over Margot....one because I am used to it and two for the same reason your sister stated. Looks just like maggot and I think people not familiar with the name would mispronounce it, which having your name mispronounced your entire life is far more annoying than stating your NN the first day of school (FWIW, my name is one of the other names on your short list and while I feel it may be a more common name it ALWAYS gets mispronounced and misspelled).