names on post-it notes
Mayukh Saha
Mayukh Saha
February 3, 2024 ·  3 min read

Woman With World’s Longest Name Has 1,019 Letters On Her Birth Certificate

Generally speaking, our parents are the ones who name us. A name that will not only make its way to our birth certificate but one that will most likely stay with us for the rest of our lives. And it goes without saying, that at times, parents name their newborns after things that they like. While we have all seen our host of ‘Johns’ and ‘Jessicas’, some, like Sandra Williams, decided to go a different route. On September 12, 1984, the day of her daughter’s birth, Sandra and her partner named her… now wait for it… “Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenk Koyaanisquatsiuth Williams”.

Should A 1000 Letter Name Be Allowed On A Birth Certificate? 

However, within weeks of her birth, her parents thought that it wasn’t enough, and her first name was extended to 1,019 letters which includes a 36 letter middle name. This extension marked a new Guinness world record – with her birth certificate now measuring 2 feet. She went by the abridged name of:

Rhoshandiatellyneshiaunneveshenkescianneshaimondrischlyndasaccarnae renquellenendrasamecashaunettethalemeicoleshiwhalhinive’onchellecaundenesh eaalausondrilynnejeanetrimyranaekuesaundrilynnezekeriakenvaunetradevonneya vondalatarneskcaevontaepreonkeinesceellaviavelzadawnefriendsettajessicanneles ciajoyvaelloydietteyvettesparklenesceaundrieaquenttaekatilyaevea’shauwneorali aevaekizzieshiyjuanewandalecciannereneitheliapreciousnesceverroneccalovelia tyronevekacarrionnehenriettaescecleonpatrarutheliacharsalynnmeokcamonaeloies alynnecsiannemerciadellesciaustillaparissalondonveshadenequamonecaalexetiozetia quaniaenglaundneshiafrancethosharomeshaunnehawaineakowethauandavernellchishankcarl inaaddoneillesciachristondrafawndrealaotrelleoctavionnemiariasarahtashabnequcka gailenaxeteshiataharadaponsadeloriakoentescacraigneckadellanierstellavonnemyiat angoneshiadianacorvettinagodtawndrashirlenescekilokoneyasharrontannamyantoniaaquin ettesequioadaurilessiaquatandamerceddiamaebellecescajamesauwnneltomecapolotyoajohny aetheodoradilcyana. 

Jamie with her mother on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1997.
Jamie (left) with her Mother Sandra Williams (right) in a 1997 appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. Sandra is holding her daughter’s extensively long birth certificate. Image Credits: Oprah Winfrey Show | YouTube

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For ease of communication, the girl understandably goes by the name of ‘Jamie.’ Not surprisingly her unique name made headlines, and in 1997 at the age of 15 she made an appearance on Oprah with her mother. When Oprah asked, “What were you thinking?”, Sandra, Jamie’s mother, replied, “I had to do something to break a Guinness World record. I had to make sure that her name was going to be unique. I didn’t want her name to be like anybody else’s. Her name had to be different and I had to be in the Guinness book.

After the name stuck on the birth certificate and made the record, Texas had to change its rules[2]. The state altered its legislation. Now, parents can only name a child within a specific size limit. It should come as no surprise, that even now, social media had a lot to say about the incident.

One user commented, “This can’t be real.” He further added, “Why didn’t the mother change her name to this sideshow name? It’s just names strung together.”

Another user snarked, “Ask the mom if she can say her own daughter’s name.”

The Girl, Her Name, and The Story

Sandra said that it took six months for her to come up with this name. The name appearing on the birth certificate features a combination of cars, films, and relatives. Needless to say, Jamie did find it quite difficult to memorize her name. But, she did love her unique name as it made her famous all over her school. Here is the episode from the Oprah Winfrey Show:

With such an unusual name, Jamie did break the Guinness World Record. The previous name which held the record belonged to one Hubert Blaine, who had a 747-letter name. 

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Sources

  1. The girl with the world’s longest name whose birth certificate is 2 feet long.” Face 2 face Africa. Mildred Europa Taylor. January 21, 2022.
  2. Woman with world’s longest name has 1,019 letters in her unique moniker.” Mirror. Zoe Forsey. January 2, 2022.