Nebraska Toddler Named 'Unakite Thirteen Hotel' Finally Gets a Social Security Number After Father's Pleas

Mar. 15, 2025

Jason Kilburn and daughter Caroline.Photo:First Alert 6

First Alert 6

A toddler from Nebraska who could not apply for basic services given her usual name has finally been granted a Social Security number.

PEOPLE previously reported that Kilburn told the outlet that“Unakite Thirteen Hotel” was a name “computer-generated” at birth and he wasn’t initially informed of the mistake.

As Caroline never had a birth certificate with her real name on it, she was unable to access services such as Medicaid and daycare due to them needing to verify her identity with a Social Security number — which she didn’t have.

“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,” the dad told3 News Nowin a Feb. 19, interview.

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Social Security cards.Douglas Sacha/Getty

Douglas Sacha/Getty

NBC News notes that a day after their original report about Kilburn trying to get a Social Security number for his daughter, the Social Security Administration’s Omaha field office invited him in for a meeting to resolve the issue.

He was then given a Social Security number for his daughter and told to expect her card in the next few weeks.

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Due to the Social Security number being issued under the toddler’s official state name, Kilburn’s lawyer  Joshua Livingston plans to help him get a birth certificate under the name of Caroline.

“Getting it under ‘Unakite’ is obviously not the most desirable way to go about it, but having that number under any name at this point is such a victory,” he said, per NBC News. “There’s mechanisms in place to change names.”

Kilburn and the child’s mother were not together at the time of the birth. After a DNA test to prove he was the child’s father, he was granted legal guardianship.

source: people.com