WordPress fix What is “NIckname” used for and why does it still exist?

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What is “NIckname” used for and why does it still exist?, by Spencer Hill

I’ve developed WordPress sites for nearly ten years and never – knowingly – used the “Nickname” field / data from User Profiles. Yet it says it’s required.

Can someone explain to me why it’s required? And what is it used for?

It seems redundant when you have the “Display name publicly as…” field + “Username”.

What is “NIckname” used for and why does it still exist?