A quest to break an unusual record has resulted in a New Zealand man claiming the title for the world’s longest personal name, a mammoth 2,253-word title that has proven to be as challenging for bureaucracy as it is for the person reading it aloud.
Laurence Watkins, of Auckland, legally changed his name in March 1990 to include over 2,000 unique Christian names, ultimately earning the Guinness World Record for the “Longest personal name” with a total of 2,253 words.
The astonishing length of his name, which reportedly takes up to 20 minutes for an officiant to recite fully—a fact humorously highlighted during his wedding ceremony—created an immediate administrative challenge for the New Zealand government.
Watkins, who was inspired by the quirky entries in the Guinness World Records book, initially had his application accepted by a local District Court. However, it was later rejected by the Registrar General. Undeterred, Watkins took his case to the High Court and eventually won the legal right to his extraordinary name.
This successful legal challenge, however, prompted a swift and definitive reaction from authorities. Soon after the ruling, New Zealand’s laws governing name changes were amended to prevent any other citizen from legally adopting a name of such extreme length. This legislative reform ensures that while Watkins holds the record, it can never be legally replicated in the country.
Watkins admitted that his unique identity comes with daily challenges, particularly with government departments and on official documents, which are not designed to accommodate his full title. He often uses only his surname or his first three names for practical purposes.
Despite the headaches, Watkins remains proud of his record-breaking identity, which he chose in part as a “symbol of human diversity,” incorporating names from various cultures around the world.
