KYLE, Texas — It's once again time for the Kyles to gather.
Last year, the city of Kyle attempted to break a world record for the most people with the same first name gathered in one place at one time. The "Gathering of the Kyles" was held during the Kyle Fair A Tex-Travaganza on May 21 and was attended by 1,490 Kyles from all over.
Unfortunately, that number was 835 Kyles short. The current Guinness World Record for people with the same first name together at the same time in the same place comes out of Kupreski Kosci in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where 2,325 people named Ivan gathered on July 30, 2017.
Now, the city of Kyle will again gather Kyles, in another attempt to best the Ivans.
This year's Gathering of the Kyles will again be held at the Kyle Fair A Tex-Travaganza on Saturday, May 18. The official count will take place at 1 p.m.
This year, all Kyles are encouraged to pre-register for the gathering online or on-site at the Kyle Fair from 4 p.m.-10:30 p.m. on on Friday, May 17, and from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 18. There is no cost to participate or register in the gathering and entry to the Kyle Fair is also free.
The city said all participating Kyles will be given a free Kyle Fair T-shirt, while supplies last. Kyles of all ages are welcome to participate but will need to provide proof of identification.
To qualify, participants must, of course, by named Kyle – spelled that way. Variations will not be accepted and middle names, last names and nicknames won't count.
The city of Kyle said this year's event will actually be its fifth attempt to break the world record. In 2017, more than 100 people – including those with names like Kyler and Kylie – participated in the Gathering of the Kyles. In 2018, 34 Kyles took part, and in 2019, 27 Kyles gathered. The largest Gathering of the Kyles yet, in 2023, included Kyles from 49 of the 50 states, as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.
According to the city, the majority of Kyles in attendance last year –approximately 950– were from Texas.
Learn more about this year's Gathering of the Kyles.