I have a somewhat unique surname that poses challenges when dealing with customer service. It’s a minor inconvenience in my case; however, individuals with the last name ‘Null’ encounter much more significant hurdles, particularly with digital forms and databases worldwide.

The term ‘Null’ was introduced by British computer scientist Tony Hoare 60 years ago to describe a value that doesn’t exist and is still extensively used in databases today. Nontra Null, a designer, shared her experiences with the Wall Street Journal, recounting how her surname caused complications, such as delaying her visa to India in 2014.

“I had to mentally come to terms with not being able to go,” explained Null after the Indian consulate informed her that her name could not be processed by their computer systems. In the end, she managed to receive her travel documents just before her flight.

To navigate these obstacles, Null has resorted to using her maiden name, Yantaprasert, or hyphenating it with Null to avoid further miscommunications, though she still frequently receives mail intended for others because of the automatic redirection caused by ’null’.

Another individual, Joseph Tartaro, has experienced equally frustrating results. He received a license plate that reads ‘NULL’ ten years ago, hoping that it might prevent officers from issuing tickets. Instead, he started receiving numerous traffic citations for other vehicles mistakenly connected to his registration due to the ’null’ designation in the database.

In December, Tartaro got a call from his insurance office about two car accidents attributed to him over a two-day span. “My wife gets super pissed off about it and hates that I still have the license plate,” he shared.

Daan Leijen, a Microsoft researcher, noted that this issue is challenging to resolve due to its widespread nature, although he mentioned that Microsoft employs practices to avoid using null values within their systems.

So, tonight, if your last name isn’t causing chaos in databases, take a moment of gratitude. I can say with certainty that I will no longer complain about my own frequently misspelled name appearing on my mail.