> At a Glance
> – Maisie Biddle, 5, will receive a legal name change for her 6th birthday
> – She has rejected her birth name Margaret since learning to speak
> – Parents Amanda and Dan Biddle filed paperwork to make Maisie Margaret-Olivia official
> – Why it matters: Highlights growing trend of parents honoring children’s identity choices early
Maisie Biddle’s January birthday party will include cake, candles-and a courthouse surprise. After years of correcting teachers, doctors and strangers, the Michigan kindergartner will learn her chosen name is now legally hers.
A Name She Never Wanted
From the moment she could talk, Maisie insisted Margaret wasn’t her name.
“No, I’m not Margaret. I’m Maisie,” she told her parents repeatedly, starting at age two.
Even when Amanda and Dan tried calling Margaret her “fancy” name, Maisie held firm. At medical offices she ignored staff calling “Margaret.” School forms carried the unwanted name while she introduced herself as Maisie everywhere else.
The Family’s Turning Point
The constant corrections wore on Amanda.
“I thought, ‘Why am I doing this to her? Maisie is going to have to explain this for the rest of her life,'” the 33-year-old mom told Sophia A. Reynolds.
Kitchen-table talks over months revealed the same answer: Maisie wanted Margaret kept only as a middle name. Consistency convinced them.
- Asked open-ended questions, Maisie never wavered
- She placed Margaret between two chosen middle names
- Parents filed papers ahead of her January birthday
Online Reaction
After Amanda posted the decision on Threads, thousands responded:
- Adults shared decades of discomfort with their own given names
- Parents praised the practicality of changing it at 6 versus 26
- Others called it the most meaningful birthday gift
Key Takeaways
- Maisie will discover her new legal name when she turns six
- The switch honors both her autonomy and great-grandmother Margaret
- Early name changes avoid years of administrative headaches
- The story sparked widespread support on social media
For the Biddles, the paperwork affirms a simple belief: children deserve to be trusted to know themselves.
