I know
Luke as a standalone better than I know it to associate with
Lucas, probably due to a
Christian background and growing up as a
Star Wars fan.
I am not particular with specific versions or spellings for names of others, as variants, at least to me, are just personalized manifestations of the same essential root. So to me
Katherine,
Kathryn,
Catherine,
Katie,
Katee,
Kate,
Kat, Cat or any of the various spellings or versions are essentially the same meaning - even among different pronunciations or formats.
My personal take on traditional names compared with nicknames is to legally assign the formalized lengthier version, so the child can more easily use as many shorter nicknames, pet-names, or other more distant versions upon circumstance at preference; however, before this, I would honor your thoughts - as you--as guiding parent / guardian would know the environments, circumstances, or conditions under the child grows best.
This message was edited 3/13/2016, 9:03 AM