Kyle, Texas, once again attempted to break the world record for the most people with the same name gathered in one location.
For the fifth time, the City of Kyle, located roughly three and a half hours south of Dallas, made a valiant effort to gather as many people with the name Kyle as possible. At its peak, an impressive 706 Kyles from all walks of life descended upon the city in Austin’s suburbs during the May 18 event at Lake Kyle Park.
Sadly, hundreds of Kyles in one spot were not enough to beat the current record. In fact, it did not even come close.
In 2017, more than 2,300 Ivans gathered in Kupreski Kosci, a town in Bosnia, setting the current benchmark.
In 2023, the “Gathering of the Kyles,” as it is known, fared much better. As reported by The Dallas Express at the time, more than 1,490 Kyles made it to the event, more than double this year’s attempt.
Other years have seen far less attendance. In 2017, over 100 people participated in the record-breaking attempt. In 2018, after rules had been tightened, the event only attracted 27 individuals. The following year, 2019, did not fare much better, with only 34 Kyles showing up.
While the city has yet to beat the record, the event continues to offer Kyles an ideal excuse to enjoy each other’s company.
“I feel like we’re all as one, like all the Kyles are one. Even though we had different personalities, I feel like we were all connected somehow,” said one attendee, per KVUE.
In terms of popularity, Kyle is not necessarily the easiest name to pick to break the record. Nationwide, the name ranks as the 416th most popular among males in 2023. Ivan, on the other hand, sits much higher at 153, reported NBC 5 DFW.
