New Zealand man changes his name to 97-character, 16-word moniker after losing bet

The 22-year-old had forgotten about the drunken bet until his passport expired

The man is said to have changed his name after he lost a poker bet (PA)

A New Zealand man has changed his name to a 99-letter moniker after allegedly losing a poker bet five years ago.

The 22-year-old man from Normanby, in the southern city of Dunedin, is now legally known as  “Full Metal Havok More Sexy N Intelligent Than Spock And All The Superheroes Combined With Frostnova'” - just one character short of the Department of Internal Affairs’ (DIA) 100-character limit, The New Zealand Herald reported.

A friend of the unidentified man posted a message on an online body building forum, claiming the name change was the result of a drunken poker bet five years ago.

But he said his friend had not gauged the consequences of his actions until his passport expired.  

Mr Frostnova is also required to change his name on his driving licence and all other official and legal documents.

DIA Births Deaths and Marriages spokesman Michael Mead told The New Zealand Herald that the change of name was registered in March 2010.

The name met the requirements of naming rules and the applicant paid the fee and completed the form correctly, he said.

Mr Frostnova could alter his name again at any time by completing the form correctly and paying the $127 (£64) fee, Mr Mead said. The process takes around eight days.

Under New Zealand rules, a new name must consist of one surname and one or more other names, except in rare circumstances.

Names are not accepted if they cause offence, are unreasonably long, or include or resemble an official title or rank without adequate justification. They can also not contain numbers or symbols.

In 2008, a New Zealand judge ordered that a girl named Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii be taken into court custody so she could change her name.

Rejected names in recent years include Majesty, King, Knight, Princess, Justice, Anal, V8, 89, Mafia No Fear, Lucifer, full stop and *, according to The New Zealand Herald.