A Man Named 2,253 Words: The Longest Personal Name That Upended Bureaucracy
Lawrence Watkins, a city library worker in New Zealand, decided ordinary names were dull. In March 1990 he officially changed his name to 2,253 unique words—the lengthiest personal name on record at the time. The project sprang from a love of unusual achievements: while browsing the Guinness World Records, he asked himself why the longest name couldn’t be longer. He assembled a colossal list of words, creating what he called AZ2000—a symbol for the alphabet from A to Z plus two thousand names. The goal was not vanity but a demonstration that boundaries can be pushed, even in something as intimate as a name.
In This Article:
From Idea to Identity: The Library Clerk Who Built an Epic Name
From a spark of curiosity to a living legal entity, Watkins gathered words from books, encyclopedias, and even coworkers’ suggestions to fill the list. The result was an epic full name that began as a dare and grew into a personal identity. The moniker AZ2000 symbolized the alphabet from A to Z, plus two thousand additional names, framing a lifetime of curious achievement.
A Legal Duel: District Court Rejection, High Court Victory, and Parliament's Response
The paperwork journey began smoothly: the district court approved Watkins’s bid. But a registration official rejected it, calling the idea absurd and impractical—the full name would simply not fit in a passport or any official document. Watkins did not surrender. He took the case to New Zealand’s High Court, where he won, proving that the law did not explicitly ban such changes. The victory became a national sensation and prompted Parliament to amend two laws to prevent repeats and to keep bureaucratic processes within reasonable bounds.
The Record in Reality: 2,253 Words, 20 Minutes to Say, and a Bureaucratic Backlash
With the legal fight resolved, the record was officially recognized: 2,253 words, reportedly pronounceable in about 20 minutes if spoken smoothly. In everyday life, the name is a headache: banks won’t print it in full, visa centers balk, and people often react with shock when they hear the truth. “Nobody believes it until you see six pages of names,” he jokes. In October 2025, Guinness World Records updated the entry, adjusting the count from 2,310 to 2,253 under new rules. Watkins, now living in Australia, keeps the certificate as a trophy. “Among eight billion people on Earth, I’m the only one with this name—so far no one has beaten it,” he says.
Why Stretch a Name? Lessons from a World-Record Pursuit
This story isn’t only about a quirky record. It’s a meditation on ambition, legality, and the friction between identity and bureaucracy. Sometimes, becoming a part of history means pushing the limits of what a name can be—and accepting that institutions will test those boundaries. The larger takeaway is clear: curiosity, persistence, and a willingness to challenge conventions can leave a mark on culture and governance.
