Hawaiian Woman's 36-Letter Last Name Doesn't Fit on Her Driver's License

By Sheila Cosgrove Baylis

09/12/2013 at 05:45 PM EDT

Janice "Lokelani" Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele

KHON

It's back to school time, which means that students all over the country are enduring the mispronunciation of their last names while teachers try their best to get acclimated.

But with a surname like Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, mispronunciation and misspellings are just the beginning.

Janice "Lokelani" Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, a Hawaiian resident, must carry two IDs since her driver's license can't accommodate her full name. Her license drops the 36th letter of her surname, so she also carries a state ID.

Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele says the driver's license, which does not include her first or middle name, has caused her travel problems, including being questioned by police at a traffic stop.

"[The policeman] looked at it and he goes, 'Well, where is your first name?' And I said, 'Don't blame me. This is your department, this is the county.' " Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele explained to KHON News.

The county has requested that Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele use her maiden name or shorten her name. But the name honors the memory of Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele's late husband, a native Hawaiian.

"How disrespectful of the Hawaiian people," Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele said.

The Department of Transportation is now working to extend the limit to 40 characters, which will accommodate Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, KHON reports.

"I really, really appreciate any attention to this issue because it's not only for me, it's also for those who come after me who also are going to be dealing with this in the future," Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele said.