Say My Name! Say It!

What is there about the name Daniel that just makes people think they can call you Dan? I'm pretty consistent about introducting myself as Daniel (besides when ordering at Jamba Juice/Peets/etc. -- I've had my name announced as Danielle when my order was ready. Now I always say my name is Dan. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?), but here's how the typical conversation goes:

Me: Hi, I'm Daniel.
Average Person: Nice to meet you, Dan. I'm XXXXX. (Note: I have never actually met anyone named XXXXX, but even if I did, I would never call them XXX for short.)

What??? Are there other names for which this holds true? I should start introducing myself Richard and see how many people call me Rich, Richie, or Dick. Hmmm... better yet, I should try to introduce myself to people named Richard and call THEM Dick. See how they like it!

Up until high school I was pretty adamant about wanting to be called Daniel as opposed to Dan. However, my fencing coach just insisted on calling me Dan, and four years of being so addressed eventually wore down my ability to care. Now, my co-worker friends all call me Dan, but they're my friends, so I hardly even notice.

I also wish it to be known that I have nothing against the name Dan. Some of my best friends are named Dan (okay, one). I just have always thought of it as a very corporate executive name. You know: Dan, Bill, Bob, Larry; tall old white guys with side-parts. Ok, so I guess I do have something against it. Sorry, Dan.