I prefer the formal version of my name as well, but I find that here in the American South, total strangers tend to use informal names more than formal ones. (datinggoddess.com)
The features on Pluto have been given informal names which the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will hopefully confirm. (astrobiology.nz)
I am reminded of the Munich massacre (informal name) for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)