When Jason Kilburn searched for his toddler daughter’s birth certificate, he was shocked to find that because of an error, she was legally named “Unakite Thirteen Hotel.” To make matters worse, she had no social security number.

What stemmed from a mix of unfortunate circumstances and bureaucratic confusion has for Mr. Kilburn turned into a monthslong back-and-forth with government agencies to procure a simple identification document for his daughter, whom he calls Caroline.

Mr. Kilburn, 49, of Valley, Neb., learned over two years ago that a woman he dated had given birth to a daughter that may have been his. The baby was born at a home in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Nov. 5, 2022. The mother, who had struggled with homelessness and drug abuse, was not in a position to care for her baby and she did not join her baby when a friend arranged for the newborn to be taken to a nearby hospital, court records said.

The hospital gave her a temporary, nonsensical name that appeared to be generated by a computer, said Mr. Kilburn’s lawyer, Joshua Livingston. The name was Unakite Thirteen Hotel.

She remained with the state authorities until custody was granted to Mr. Kilburn, after he was confirmed as her biological father. He then began a long and frustrating battle that is yet to be resolved.

“This has been a long, difficult process,” Mr. Kilburn said in a text message forwarded by his lawyer on Tuesday. “I will keep working as hard as I can to get my daughter the documents she needs.”