Thomas Peter Thorvald Kristian Ferdinand ‘Christian’ Mortensen (Denmark/USA, b. 16 August 1882, d. 25 April 1998) died aged 115 years 252 days. He is the only Nordic person to live beyond the age of 113.
New evidence has come to light that casts doubt on the long-standing longevity record held by Shigechiyo Izumi (Japan). The birth certificate submitted as evidence might actually belong to his older brother, who died at a young age; if the family used Izumi as a ‘necronym’ that is, gave him his dead brother’s name, as the new research suggests this means his final age was 105 years old, not 120. The title of oldest man ever, then, passes to Thomas Peter Thorvald Kristian Ferdinand ‘Christian’ Mortensen.