Only in America: Change your (35-letter) last name!

Government officials encourage a Hawaii woman to shorten her surname for her ID card — and more in our collection of strange revelations about the nation

Change your (35-letter) last name!
(Image credit: Screenshot/KHON2)

A Hawaii woman was encouraged by local officials to shorten her name because it exceeded the number of characters that could fit on her state ID card. Janice Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele called the suggestion disrespectful to the Hawaiian people, as her last name has been passed down for several generations. She is urging the Department of Transportation to change its character limit to 40.

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Samantha Rollins

Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.