Nebraska Father with Toddler Named 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel' Pleads for Help to Change It

Mar. 15, 2025

Birth Certificate — stock image.Photo:Alamy

Alamy

A Nebraska father’s unusual name for his daughter is the least of his worries as he struggles to apply for basic services, such as healthcare for the toddler.

Jason Kilburn recently spoke toNBC Newsabout a legal mixup involving his 2-year-old child, whose official name on state records is “Unakite Thirteen Hotel.”

“I was told it was a computer-generated name,” he said in the article, published Monday, Feb. 24.

After learning he had a daughter, Kilburn was able to become her legal guardian through DNA testing, but that hasn’t made his situation much easier.

“It’s like she’s a ghost,” he said of the child, noting that she has no birth certificate. “It’s been very, very taxing.”

“When she was brought to Nebraska, she was in the juvenile court in Nebraska in the foster care system," Livingston said.

“They petitioned the court while she was in their custody for an order so that they could obtain a Social Security number,” Livingston continued. “They gave her a legal name. That legal name was Unakite Thirteen Hotel.”

Now, Kilburn is trying to share his story in hopes of getting the care he needs for his daughter.

“I can’t get medical insurance on her. I can’t claim her on my taxes. I can’t even sign her up for daycare because they want a social security number too for insurance purposes,” he told3 News Nowin a Feb. 19 interview.

More recently, Kilburn told NBC News the issue has cost him more than he can afford, with one of Caroline’s latest pediatrician bills costing him $700.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“Three or four weeks ago, she was sick. She had a fever and she was throwing up, and I had to weigh my options about what I was going to do,” he said. “It really sucks to sit here and watch her suffer when there’s health care out there that I can’t get because of this.”

The father continued, “It’s not like I’m trying to pull something here. This is stuff she’s entitled to as any American is.”

Kilburn told NBC News that once he’s able to get proper records for “Unakite Thirteen Hotel,” his daughter’s full name will be Caroline Elizabeth Kilburn.

source: people.com