I’m sort of convinced that I read this somewhere. [name_m]Bear[/name_m] with me if I’m wrong.
Wasn’t [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] an old nn for [name_f]Anne[/name_f]? WDYT of it in modern times?
It is a nickname for [name_f]Anne[/name_f], but it feels too different now to be used that way. It’s sort of like [name_f]Molly[/name_f] as a nickname, the nickname has had enough usage on it’s own for so long, that it doesn’t really seem like a nickname anymore. Honestly, while I know it’s a nickname for [name_f]Anne[/name_f], I’d probably find it a bit silly, not only because [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] is so well known on it’s own as a name, but also because [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] is longer than [name_f]Anne[/name_f], and they don’t really sound alike at all.
[name_f]My[/name_f] sister is obsessed with the name [name_f]Nancy[/name_f], for personal reasons. I quite like it, just on its own, and hope to have a niece named [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] on day!
It’s true that [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] is an old nickname for [name_f]Anne[/name_f], but it has had so much usage in the past century that it really is seen as a stand alone name nowadays. I don’t think its too outdated either. I know a [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] in her twenties, and she wears the name beautifully. (Her sister’s name is [name_f]Cindy[/name_f]!) Its considered such a modern day classic, I think, and I don’t think it is overused. [name_m]Skip[/name_m] the [name_f]Anne[/name_f], and just go for [name_f]Nancy[/name_f]!
Traditionally yes, but I’d love to see [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] as a stand alone name. [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] is great! 
I second this - I’d use [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] as a standalone name (and is another “dated” favorite of mine).
I think it was more of a diminutive than a nickname? To me [name_f]Anne[/name_f] nn [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] is like [name_f]Elizabeth[/name_f] nn [name_f]Isabel[/name_f].
It’s popular in the UK as a stand-alone name; it’s the name of the Prime Minister’s daughter (her sister is [name_f]Florence[/name_f]) and it’s almost in the top 100 here. I think of it more along than lines of [name_f]Evie[/name_f]/[name_f]Elsie[/name_f]/[name_u]Ruby[/name_u] (old-lady nicknames that are back in trend), rather than ‘dated’ as it’s seen on Nameberry.
I’ve heard [name_f]Constance[/name_f] nn [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] around here a couple of times but I think that’s kinda unnecessary too. I’d prefer them as sisters!
[name_f]Nancy[/name_f] originated as a diminutive of [name_f]Ann[/name_f], yes. It came from the phrase “mine [name_f]Ann[/name_f]” which became [name_f]Nan[/name_f], which is the same way you get [name_m]Ned[/name_m] from [name_m]Edward[/name_m]. Nowadays [name_f]Nancy[/name_f] stands firmly on its own, and it doesn’t make much sense to use it as a diminutive when there aren’t anywhere near as many Anns as there used to be. I know a little Greek girl named [name_f]Nancy[/name_f]. She’s adorable.