A Stellenbosch WhatsApp group exclusively for people with the name Matthew, or any Matt variant, is closing in on its 200th member since its creation on 18 August 2018.
The group was founded by three friends who had the vision of creating a positive community out of seemingly nothing.
“An atmosphere of respect, support, laughter, and just general positivity is what drives the group,” says Matthew Carruthers (24), co-founder of the group and former economics honours student at Stellenbosch University (SU).
The only requirement for one to gain entrance into the group, which is called the 9 Inch Nuggets, is to go by the name of Matt. The name of the group was chosen on a night out, where the word “Buggers” was autocorrected to “Nuggets”, and has remained the same ever since.
“Starting with 20-30 members, each member was given administrative powers to add any Matthew they knew,” continues Carruthers, explaining that this organic process of adding Matts is how the group reached its current membership figures.
The 183 members are spread throughout South Africa into the United States, Australia, and the UK.
“There are no rules on the group, but amazingly, an adherence to an unspoken set of ethics and conduct was immediately adopted,” Carruthers explains.
“When another member comes on board, he is welcomed by a plethora of [greetings to make one feel welcome],” he says.
A Matt, recently inducted into the Matt group, stands on the rooiplein while being greeted by the plethora of welcoming messages that flood into the group every time a new member is added. PHOTO: Mike Wright
The other two founders of the group are Matthew Arnot (24) and, surprisingly, Alexander Carter (24), of whom has been made an “Honorary Matt” for his involvement in the group’s establishment.
The idea behind the group is that anyone from any race, gender, culture or socioeconomic status can join, just as long as they have the correct name.
“The ethos is incredibly supportive,” says co-founder Arnot. “Whenever anyone needs support there is help in abundance.”
“One of my favourite moments was when Matt helped Matt change a tyre,” he says, laughing.
“We just hype each other up,” says Matthew Gallow (23), currently completing his BAcc honours at SU.
“As long as their name is Matt, I encourage as many to join as possible,” he says.
One of Gallow’s favourite moments was when South African musician Matthew Mole was added as the 100th member of the group, a moment which is still spoken about when convincing new Matts to join.
The Guinness World Record for the largest same name gathering is currently held by the Ivans of the world, where 2 325 Ivans gathered in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017.
“We had no idea how large the group would grow; we joke on the group that we could easily beat [the world record]. Who knows, maybe one day?” Carruthers muses.
“All in all, it’s just a small example of people supporting each other for something as simple as sharing a name. And I think the world needs more of that,” Carruthers concludes.