Laurence Watkins, 60, only uses his first and last names – but his full name is actually much longer and includes some words he can’t even pronounce, he revealed
The record holder for having the world’s longest name says it takes a whopping 20 minutes to read his full moniker aloud – and he’s only ever heard it once.
For ease, Laurence tends to go by just his first and last names – Laurence Watkins – but there are an incredible 2,308 other names that sit between them. The 60-year-old decided to change his name legally in 1990 after reading the Guinness Book of World Records and becoming inspired to hold his own title.
At the time, he was working as a delivery driver for a library, and used the books he was surrounded by to select his many new names. His efforts paid off, and he was awarded the title of world’s longest name.
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But the unique moniker doesn’t come without its drawbacks. “Having such a long name can sometimes be a hindrance as it’s not recognised,” Laurence, who is retired and lives in Sydney, Australia, said. “My passport has a note with ‘See pages for list of forenames’, with six pages attached.
“And the only time I’ve heard my full name read aloud was at my wedding, and it took the marriage celebrant 20 minutes.” Laurence, originally from Auckland, New Zealand, considers the first 2,309 names to be his “first” names, with a humble single-name surname of Watkins.
He picked his various names from library books, with some more traditional local names, and others more unique. He said: “Surrounded by thousands of books was the perfect place to find my new name.
“Many of them are hard for me to pronounce properly, but my two favourites are Kalwhakamatautau, and AZ2000 – which means I have names from A-Z and I have [more than] 2,000 names. Each name holds great significance to me.”
But despite holding a world record, Laurence has often been disappointed by the reaction he gets when sharing his lengthy name. He said: “The reaction I get when I tell people I have over 2,000 names is a bit underwhelming as I find they don’t share my enthusiasm. I shouldn’t expect people to have the same enthusiasm as me, as it doesn’t concern them, but it’s still a bit of a let-down.”
Laurence was originally awarded the record for 2,310 names, but it was later updated to 2,253 following a change to the record guidelines – though Laurence’s full name is still 2,310 individual names long. He is due to be issued a new certificate soon.