Long names are common in many cultures around the world. It reflects the traditions and social structure. In South India, people often add their village and father’s name to their name. In Arab countries, after a person’s name is often added the name of his father, grandfather, and then his clan. The same is seen in western countries also. Famous examples include singer Billie Eilish’s full name, “Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell”. The full name of the great painter Pablo Picasso is even longer: “Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santissima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.” But these long names are nothing compared to the name of the person who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest name in the world. His name is Lawrence Watkins.
This is Laurence Watkins from New Zealand.
Well, it used to be, until he changed his name via Deed Poll in 1990.
His official name now includes 2,253 words and he now holds the record for the longest personal name. pic.twitter.com/ZiaOoe2OLr
— Guinness World Records (@GWR) October 7, 2025
Why such a long name?
Born in New Zealand, Lawrence legally changed his name in March 1990, adding more than 2,000 middle names. This unique change earned him the Guinness World Records title for longest individual name. There are a total of 2,253 unique letters in his name. Speaking to Guinness World Records, he said, “I’ve always been fascinated by the weird and unique records people make, and I wanted to be a part of them. I read the Guinness World Records book from cover to cover to see if there was a record I could break. I thought the record for most names added was the only record I could break.”
Changing your name was not easy
The process was long and difficult, especially at a time when computers were not widely used. Lawrence spent several hundred dollars to have the complete list of all his names typed. His application was initially approved by the District Court, but later rejected by the Registrar General. Lawrence did not give up and appealed to the New Zealand High Court, where the decision came in his favor. Soon after this case, two New Zealand laws were amended so that no one could do this in the future. Initially, his name counted 2,310 letters, but later, under the new Guinness World Records, this was revised to 2,253.
How did they choose so many names?
According to Guinness World Records, Lawrence worked in a library in the city at the time. He chose the names from books and with the advice of his colleagues. “My favorite name is ‘AZ2000,’ which means my names are from A to Z, and I have 2,000 names,” she explained. Lawrence says that when he tells people how many names he has, they can’t believe it. Their biggest challenge comes from government departments, as their full names do not appear on any identity card or form.