Longest Name in the World: Personal, Place & Oldest Records

Few trivia questions spark as much confusion as “What is the longest name in the world?” The official record for the longest personal name belongs to Laurence Watkins, who legally changed his name to 2,253 words in 1990 Guinness World Records (official record keeper).

Longest personal name (words): 2,253 ·
Holder: Laurence Watkins (Australia) ·
Year recorded: 1990 ·
Longest place name (letters): 58 ·
Place name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch ·
Oldest known name: Kushim (c. 3400–3000 BCE)

Six key records span personal names, place names, and antiquity — each with its own measure.

What is the longest name in the world?

Longest personal name: Laurence Watkins

• Guinness World Records currently lists Laurence Watkins as holding the title for the longest personal name with 2,253 unique words Guinness World Records (official record keeper).
• Watkins signed a deed poll on 8 March 1990 to officially register the name, according to his personal website laurencewatkins.com.
• Guinness later reported that the record had originally been awarded for 2,310 names but was updated to 2,253 after a guideline change Guinness World Records News.

Longest place name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

• The Welsh village name runs 58 letters and is widely promoted as one of the longest place names in the world Visit Wales (Welsh tourism authority).
• It was coined in the 1860s as a publicity stunt to attract tourists, not as an ancient name.
• Guinness World Records categorizes this as a place name, not a personal name, so it belongs to a different record category Guinness World Records.

Oldest known name: Kushim

• Kushim is the oldest known personal name, found on Uruk period clay tablets dating to c. 3400–3000 BCE Wikipedia (Uruk period article).
• The name appears in administrative records, likely referring to an accountant or official.

This distinction underscores the importance of category when asking about the world’s longest name.

What is the girl with 1000 letters in her name?

No verified record of a girl with 1000 letters

• No credible source — Guinness World Records, academic databases, or major media outlet — confirms a girl with 1000 letters in her name.
• The longest personal name record is held by a man (Laurence Watkins), not a girl.

Common internet hoax or misunderstanding

• The question likely stems from viral social media posts that confuse the Watkins record or misremember trivia about the Welsh place name.
• Guinness World Records does not list any female holder for a personal name with that length.

Without a credible source, such claims remain unsubstantiated.

What name has 2253 words?

Laurence Watkins’ full legal name

• The name with 2,253 words belongs to Laurence Watkins, an Australian man Guinness World Records.
• Guinness World Records published a 2025 article noting that Watkins changed his legal name to include over 2,000 middle names Guinness World Records News.
• A 2025 Guinness YouTube video confirms that Watkins has more than 2,000 middle names and holds the record with 2,253 unique words Guinness World Records YouTube.

How the record was verified

• The record was verified by Guinness World Records on 8 March 1990, when Watkins signed a deed poll laurencewatkins.com.
• It first appeared in the Guinness World Records 1992 edition Guinness World Records.

This nuance explains why the word count differs from his original 2,310 name registration.

Which is the largest name?

Largest by word count: personal name

Laurence Watkins’ name at 2,253 words holds the Guinness record for longest personal name Guinness World Records.

Largest by letter count: place name

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the longest official place name with 58 letters Visit Wales.

Largest by historical age: Kushim

Kushim (c. 3400–3000 BCE) predates all other known personal names Wikipedia (online encyclopedia).

Three records, three metrics — here’s how they compare.

The pattern across categories confirms that the question itself needs to be specified.

What is the shortest name ever?

Single-letter names

• The shortest names are single letters, e.g., ‘E’ or ‘A’, common in some cultures.
• Some individuals legally have a single-letter first name.

Cultural variations

• Guinness World Records does not maintain a “shortest name” category due to ambiguity — is it shortest by letter count, by phonemes, or by length of legal name?
• No official record exists for the shortest name, making it a topic of informal interest.

What is the oldest full name?

Kushim: the oldest recorded name

• Kushim is the oldest known personal name, found on clay tablets from the Uruk period (c. 3400–3000 BCE) Wikipedia (Uruk period article).
• The tablets record administrative transactions, likely referring to an accountant or official named Kushim.

Context from the Uruk period

• The Uruk period marks the rise of writing in Mesopotamia. Kushim’s name appears in early cuneiform records.
• This makes Kushim the earliest named individual in human history — a record that cannot be surpassed.

This antiquity gives Kushim a unique place in the study of human civilization.

For anyone researching longest names, the key is to distinguish categories: personal, place, and historical. The next time you see a viral claim about a 1,900,000-letter word or a “girl with 1000 letters,” check it against Guinness World Records — or you’ll likely be chasing a myth. For the curious reader, the concrete takeaway is clear: Watkins holds the personal name record, Llanfairpwllgwyngyll claims the place-name crown, and Kushim remains humanity’s oldest named individual.

While the longest personal name stretches over 2,000 characters, the longest place name on record belongs to a hill in New Zealand best known as the longest place name.

Frequently asked questions