It Really Sucks to Be Named Jennifer Null

Once upon a time, the worst names to be named were things like Hugh Jass and I.P. Freely. But that all changed when we started living our lives on the internet.

A BBC story looks into some names that you don’t want to have in our hyperconnected world, and topping them all is the name of a woman in Virginia named Jennifer. Her full name is Jennifer Null:

When Jennifer Null tries to buy a plane ticket, she gets an error message on most websites. The site will say she has left the surname field blank and ask her to try again.
Instead, she has to call the airline company by phone to book a ticket – but that’s not the end of the process.
“I’ve been asked why I’m calling and when I try to explain the situation, I’ve been told, ‘there’s no way that’s true’,” she says.

Apparently Null has trouble getting into the IRS’s site, and had problems with her utility bill as well. I guess that’s what happens when your name is a programming placeholder for “nothing.”

What’s worse is that this is not her maiden name: Null willingly put herself into this situation by taking her husband’s name when she got married. And they have a child, so it’s something that something Little Null will have to live with forever as well. Thanks for Null, mom.

[BBC]

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