CARDIFF, Wales-
Keeping up with the Joneses is about to get a whole new meaning.
More than 1,600 people with the surname of Jones are gathering in Cardiff to try to break the world record for the biggest get-together of people with the same last name. The event is aimed at breaking the current record by people with the last name of Norberg, who gathered 583 people together in Sweden in 2004.
Jones is the most common surname in Wales and is Britain’s second-most common, after Smith.
Friday’s event is, appropriately, called “Jones, Jones, Jones,” and famous Joneses–including singer-actress Grace Jones and opera singer Dame Gwyneth Jones–are expected to attend.
Guinness World Record officials are due to attend to validate the attempt; Joneses have been instructed to bring official identification. The show will be recorded for Welsh television.
The made-for-television event started out as a 30-minute documentary on the name, which is believed to be a derivative of John and has been traced back to 916, said Gwyn Williams, a member of the production team.
But the project mushroomed, and suddenly the production company, Cwmni Da, found itself taking on the Norbergs for a place in the record books.
Organizers persuaded far-flung Joneses to travel to the event: Participants from New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Canada are set to sit in the audience for the two-hour program.
“Jones is quintessentially a Welsh name,” Williams said. “But we’ve obviously touched a chord. We’re getting calls from all over.”
The record has strict criteria: Jones must be the participant’s legal name, and hyphenated names and stage names are not allowed. Picture identification is also required.
