The Man Who Took Over an Hour to Say His Own Name
Hey, it’s Hoss. You’ve probably heard some wild stories on-air, but this one? It’s next level.
Meet Laurence Watkins, an Australian man who legally changed his name to include 2,251 middle names. That’s not a typo. His full name has 2,253 words. And yes, it’s a Guinness World Record.
Why Would Anyone Do This?
Laurence was obsessed with quirky world records. He read the Guinness book cover to cover looking for something he could actually beat. Most records were out of reach—until he realized no one had gone all-in on middle names.
So he did.
It took a mountain of paperwork and multiple court visits, but in 1990, he made it official. His name starts with Laurence Alon Aloys Aloysius... and that’s just the A’s.
The Wedding Moment
At his wedding, the officiant tried to read his full name. It took 20 minutes. Later, Laurence read it himself for a Guinness video. That took over an hour.
Imagine trying to fill out a form with that name. Or renewing your driver’s license.
His Favorite Part?
A name buried in the middle: “AZ2000.” It’s his way of saying he has names from A to Z—and over 2,000 of them.
The Aftermath
Shortly after Laurence pulled this off, new laws were passed to stop anyone else from trying to break his record. So yeah, he’s locked it in for life.