Advertisement

Teen finds out her real name at 15 after typo on birth certificate

Gabrielle shared a video explaining that for 15 years she was officially known by another name.

A woman claims she was 'living a lie' for 15 years after finding out her name was not what she thought it was.

In a dramatic video, Gabrielle Mayor stares into nothingness while revealing the rather comedic mishap.

“Thinking about how my parents made a typo on my birth certificate, and I didn’t find out until age 15 that my real name is actually Babrielle,” it read in white text on the video.

Two photos of New York local Gabrielle Mayor who found out her name was spelt incorrectly in her birth certificate.
New York woman Gabrielle Mayor revealed how she found out her name was spelt incorrectly on her birth certificate. Source: TikTok/gabbbbb16

The New Yorker found out about the typo after passing her learner's driving test and having to hand in her social security number, at which point she was told that a Gabrielle Mayor does not exist with that social security number, only a Babrielle, The New York Post reports.

“Long story short, I did not learn how to drive that day, rather, I learned that I’ve been living a lie for the past 15 years,” she told the publication.

After being shocked by the news, she turned to her mum who was with her at the time, who admitted the blunder, which hadn't been changed.

Seeing the lightness in the bizarre situation, Ms Mayor told The New York post she "never struggle(s) to come up with a fun fact!”. “To this day, all my friends call me ‘Babby’ or ‘Babs’ — even strangers who have heard this story will just immediately start referring to me as Babs,” she said.

Typos in birth certificates a common reality

After sharing the video, which now has almost three million views, Ms Mayor learned she was not alone in her "fake name journey," with many sharing stories of their own.

"My friend's name is technically Bethang, not Bethany," one person commented.

"My name was Aima instead of Alma for 20 years," another said.

Ms Mayor was surprised to find out how common having typos in birth certificates were, feeling comforted by the realisation.

“After posting the video, I realised that sharing this story had brought together a whole community or people who had a similar story!” she told the publication.

Others were also quick to compliment Gabrielle's name in her birth certificate. "Babrielle goes hard tho," one person said.

After making the discovery, Ms Mayor's parents applied to have her name fixed, and she was able to get her earner's drivers licence.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.