Sentence:  David, with its final "d", sounds finished and complete, whereas <WSD>Dave</WSD> just kind of hangs there in the air, indefinitely. - - - Worse, if your name is <WSD>Dave</WSD>, the only possible nickname is "Davey", which makes you sound like you should be wearing a coonskin cap. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (dim=David), also used as a formal given name.