Thousands of people with the surname Steeves are gathering in New Brunswick on Saturday, where they will attempt to break the world record for the largest-ever family reunion and the largest gathering of people who share the same last name.

The reunion is happening in Hillsborough, where German immigrants Heinrich and Regina Stieff settled after landing in New Brunswick 250 years ago.

The Stieffs, as they were known then, had originally landed in Pennsylvania, but embarked on a sloop named Lovey in 1766 for Monckton, which was then in Nova Scotia, according to an online history.

The pioneers had seven children, who went on to have an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 descendants. Among them are William Henry Steeves one of the Fathers of Confederation, and Jack Layton, who led the New Democratic Party until his death in 2011.

Susan Steeves, who is one of the organizers, said the reunion is “an opportunity for all of the Steeves to come from around the world and quite literally be counted.”

The largest ever family gathering, according to Guinness World Records, took place in 2012, when 4,514 Porteau-Boileves got together in Saint-Paul-Mont-Pénit, France.

With a report from CTV Atlantic