Girl, 5, 'Always Rejected' Her Name, Answering Only to Her Nickname. Then, Her Parents Gave Her the Perfect Gift (Exclusive) Kayla GrantJanuary 12, 2026 at 4:30 AM 0 Laray of Light Photography Amanda Biddle and her family. Two Michiganbased parents are gifting their daughter something extra special for her upcoming birthday In a nowviral post on Instagram Threads, Amanda Biddle revealed that she and her husband Dan are getting their soontobe 6yearold daughter's name legally changed, per her request, as a gift The proud mom tells PEOPLE that this situation reinforced the idea that her children'...
- - Girl, 5, 'Always Rejected' Her Name, Answering Only to Her Nickname. Then, Her Parents Gave Her the Perfect Gift (Exclusive)
Kayla GrantJanuary 12, 2026 at 4:30 AM
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Laray of Light Photography
Amanda Biddle and her family. -
Two Michigan-based parents are gifting their daughter something extra special for her upcoming birthday
In a now-viral post on Instagram Threads, Amanda Biddle revealed that she and her husband Dan are getting their soon-to-be 6-year-old daughter's name legally changed, per her request, as a gift
The proud mom tells PEOPLE that this situation reinforced the idea that her children's "thoughts and feelings matter too"
One couple is gifting their daughter something extra special for her upcoming birthday.
In a now-viral post on Instagram Threads, Amanda Biddle, a 33-year-old mom of two, revealed that she and her husband Dan, 36, are changing their daughter's name legally, per her request, as a gift for her upcoming 6th birthday.
"We're legally changing our daughter's name for her bday. Her legal name is Margaret Olivia, but we call her Maisie and always have. She hates that her name is actually Margaret (family name)," Biddle wrote in the post. "She requested Maisie Margaret-Olivia, and we actually like it, so we are going to surprise her with the legal change."
"She's hated her name since she could talk," she continued. "I hate that [doctors] and stuff use it. So, we agreed to change it. She's only 6, but her feelings have never changed and she's for sure more of a Maisie. 💜."
Amanda tells PEOPLE that she originally chose the name Maisie for her daughter and fell in love with it. However, one day she woke up in the middle of the night while pregnant with her daughter and panicked that the name would be "too cutesy" for her when she grows up.
Upon doing some research for more formal choices to match the nickname, the mom came across Margaret, which had a connection to her husband's grandmother.
"My husband, Dan's late grandmother's name was 'Margarit,' but pronounced 'Margaret,' so we grew to like the name," she explains to PEOPLE. "Dan's grandma was a huge part of his life, and he has always said so many great things about her."
While the proud parents still planned to call their daughter Maisie, they decided to officially name their daughter Margaret. Since Maisie could talk, however, she's never liked being called Margaret.
"If we ever called her 'Margaret,' she would instantly say, 'I'm not Margaret. I'm Maisie,' " Amanda says. "She has always rejected the name Margaret despite my attempts at warming her up to it by turning it into a song that I always sang, and saying it at times when I would want her attention or if she's being a stinker."
Amanda goes on to share that when they would go to doctors appointments or when she'd be in school and they'd call her Margaret, she wouldn't respond or look up.
"It wasn't out of spite or disrespect, she just genuinely doesn't think of it as her name, so she doesn't think to respond. Nowadays, I can just see in her face that she doesn't like it or doesn't immediately recognize it as her name," she explains. "Over the past couple of years as she's grown more aware of her names and life in general, we have regular talks about how she doesn't want the name Margaret, that her name is only Maisie and she doesn't like the name Margaret."
After a few years and multiple conversations with her husband about potentially changing their daughter's name, the couple decided to officially make switch. The mom adds that they agreed their daughter would never change her mind after all these years of asking.
"We felt like she has never changed her answer and we don't think she ever will. Sure, she may grow to tolerate her fancy name, but she has always and will always just be Maisie," Amanda tells PEOPLE. "It fits her so well and she truly loves it and identifies as a Maisie and never a Margaret, and we agree that it's time to give her what she's been asking for all of these years rather than make her repeatedly hear it as a formality and have to request that they make sure that they make note of her name actually being Maisie."
Laray of Light Photography
Amanda Biddle and her family.
The proud parents are planning to present their daughter's name change to her as a gift on her birthday, creating a special scrapbook to mark the occasion. Amanda and Dan intend to make the scrapbook a collection of all of the things that celebrate her identity.
"I am certain that she will be overjoyed," Amanda tells PEOPLE. "When she's excited she makes a little squeal/scream, claps her hands and jumps around with the biggest smile on her face and I know that once she realizes what this means, she will display true joy over the change."
Courtesy of Amanda Biddle
Amanda Biddle's daughter
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Reflecting on this entire experience from her unexpected viral moment to the official celebration of her daughter's name, Amanda tells PEOPLE that it all has confirmed her thoughts about identity and the true importance of names.
"Having the right name can bring peace and joy," Amanda shares. "Just because she's young, just because she's a child, doesn't mean that her feelings and opinions aren't valid, and I've learned that it means so much to treat our children as humans too and not just discount their feelings because of their age."
Amanda, who's also a mother to son Jack, 10, says that she's continue to keep an open mind and heart when raising her children.
"Their thoughts and feelings matter too. I can't wait to see her reaction and the ways that this name change will benefit her life and bring new joy into her world," she says. "It going to be so great to witness what having a name that represents her as a person does to her growth in realizing her identity and her joy when more people call her the right name the first time."
on People
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: January 12, 2026 at 12:36PM on Source: RED MAG
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