Determined things come in small packages. A five-year-old from Michigan who steadfastly rejected her name all her life has finally won her battle, convincing her parents to legally change it as a birthday present. In a now viral social media post, Amanda Biddle announced that she and husband, Dan, were giving in, and letting their daughter officially become what they have always called her instead – her nickname.

“She’s hated her name since she could talk,” Amanda said. “If we ever called her ‘Margaret’​ she would instantly say, ‘I’m not Margaret. I’m Maisie.’ 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.”

Clearly this is a victory for stinkers everywhere, but it also reiterates the power of the nickname.

They are a separate category from the pet name, which is shared only between couples, and sometimes unrecoverable from if it becomes public knowledge. (I’ve never felt quite........

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