I think its too common as a surname to pass as a first name. It might be confusing depending on what his last name is...because you may not be able to tell which name is the fn or ln. ex. AndersonJames or JamesAnderson. ;c)
I know too many people with Anderson as a last name. To me it will never be a first name, sorry, I dont like it. I suggest a short mn though, especially if the last name is long.