Man Breaks Record for Longest Name (5 photos)

In New Zealand, Lawrence Watkins decided that a normal name was boring, and in March 1990, he officially made his life as complicated as possible.





He changed his normal name to a record-breaking one: 2,253 unique words, which now make up his full name. This idea was born out of a love of unusual achievements—Watkins, then working at the city library, was leafing through the Guinness Book of World Records and thought, "Why not break the current record for the longest personal name?"

He collected words from books, encyclopedias, and even advice from colleagues, creating an epic list, his favorite being "AZ2000," symbolizing the alphabet from A to Z plus two thousand names.



At first, everything went smoothly: the District Court approved the application, but the Registrar General, responsible for registration, refused, citing absurdity and practical problems—the name simply wouldn't fit on a passport or any official documents.

Watkins didn't give up and appealed to the High Court of New Zealand, where he won, proving that the law does not prohibit such changes. This victory caused a sensation: Parliament soon amended two laws to prevent repetition and keep bureaucracy within reasonable limits.

"I paid a couple of hundred dollars to have someone type the entire list on a computer—in 1990, it was quite an adventure," Watkins recalled in an interview with Guinness World Records.





His record has since been officially confirmed: 2,253 words, which, according to him, can be spoken in 20 minutes without stumbling. But everyday life is a constant challenge: ID forms, bank cards, and even visas refuse to accommodate this epic tale, and people are shocked when they learn the truth.



"Nobody believes it until they see six pages of names," he jokes. In October 2025, Guinness updated the record, adjusting the score from 2310 to 2253 according to the new rules, and Watkins, now living in Australia, holds the certificate like a trophy. "Out of 8 billion people on Earth, I'm the only one with that name—no one has surpassed me yet," he boasts.

Sometimes, to make history, you just have to... stretch your name to its limits.