706 People Gather in a Small U.S. City, All Sharing the Same Name

706 People Named Kyle Gather in Kyle, Texas
City Attempts to Set Record for Largest Gathering of People With the Same Name
Last Year Drew 1,490 Kyles, But Record Remains Unbroken
Ivan, Bosnia Holds Top Spot With Over 2,000 Ivans

People named Kyle attending the gathering of Kyles hosted by the city of Kyle, Texas, USA
Photo by Kyle City

Once, the names Cheolsu and Younghee were so common that they appeared in textbooks. Imagine if there were cities named Cheolsu and Younghee, and each city hosted a gathering for people sharing the same name. The Guinness World Records, which documents things most people would never think of, actually has a category for this. The City of Kyle in Texas is a good example. While Kyle is a common name in the United States, it is not often used as a city name. Because of this, the city of Kyle hosts a gathering for people named Kyle, inviting participants not only from across the United States but from around the world. The goal is to break a Guinness World Record.

On May 21, the Associated Press reported that the city of Kyle recently attempted to break the world record for the largest gathering of people with the same name, but failed. A total of 706 people named Kyle showed up from all over the world and across all age groups, but the attempt was unsuccessful because of a village in Bosnia.

In 2017, the city of Ivan in Bosnia (Ivan is pronounced "Aivan" in English) gathered as many as 2,325 people named Ivan, setting a Guinness World Record that still stands today. Last year, the city of Kyle also tried to break Ivan's record but only managed to gather 1,490 Kyles.

According to the Social Security Administration, which tracks the most popular boys' and girls' names in each U.S. state every year, Kyle ranked 416th among male names in 2023. In comparison, Ivan ranked 153rd.

The city of Kyle plans to hold this gathering annually. However, some residents have suggested, "Why not stop wasting money?" and have called for the city to invest in infrastructure such as water supply and roads instead of spending on things like 'Kyle' signs for parking lots.