Australian Man Sets Record With the World’s Longest Name

Here’s a world record that certainly stands out — an Australian man has officially read out the world’s longest personal name, and it took him more than an hour to get through it!

Meet Laurence Watkins. Back in 1990, he legally changed his name to include 2,251 middle names, giving him a full name made up of 2,253 unique words. The result? A Guinness World Record for the longest personal name ever recorded.

Laurence said he grew up obsessed with quirky and unusual records. After reading the Guinness World Records book from cover to cover, he realised there was one record he might actually be able to beat — and so he did. His new name begins with:

“Laurence Alon Aloys Aloysius Alphege Alun Alured Alwyn Alysander Ambie Ambrose Ambrosius Amias…”

— and that’s just a portion of the names starting with the letter A.

When Laurence got married, the officiant needed around 20 minutes just to read his full name during the ceremony. But when Laurence recently attempted to read the entire thing himself for a Guinness World Records video, it took him over an hour to complete.

For Laurence, it’s less about the practicality of the name and more about the fun of setting a record.
He says he simply wanted to be “part of the scene” when it came to unique world achievements.

So the next time you think your middle name is a bit long… spare a thought for Laurence — and whoever has to print his name on a form!