Cambodian name

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Part of a series on the
Culture of Cambodia
Flag of Cambodia.svg
History
People
Languages
Cuisine
Religion
Literature
Sport

Cambodian names usually consist of two elements, a familyname, given first, and then a given name. [1][2] (In Western sources the two are sometimes reversed).[3] Every Khmer name has a meaning.

Contents

Given names [edit]

Generally, women are given names of things of beauty, while men are given names of virtues.[4][5] Some Cambodian given names are unisex names.

Surnames [edit]

Surnames are usually taken from the surname or the given name of the father[1] and are generally monosyllabic.[6] Cambodian surnames are sometimes identical to Chinese or Vietnamese surnames.[6] Women keep their maiden names after marriage.[4]

Origin and meanings [edit]

The meaning of Cambodian names are generally very simple and reference positive attributes.[7] Cambodian people are called by their given names without a title (informal) or by their given names with a title (formal); surnames are not a usual form of address.[2][4] (Surnames are used as a form of address, however, in the case of names that originated as revolutionary aliases.)[clarification needed]

Different naming traditions exist among ethnic groups other than the Khmer majority. The Cambodian population is 90% Buddhist and names are often taken from Buddhism. Among the Muslim minority, Arabic names are often used as family names.[1]

Pronunciation [edit]

Khmer names are usually pronounced with emphasis placed on the last syllable.[8] Khmer uses a glottal stop (the Cockney stop in "ten green bo'les") and other stops: p, t and k. These stops are often totally unaspirated (i.e., no breath at all following), so the p sounds like a b, the t sounds like a d, and the k sounds like a g. Final r, d, g, s, b, and z sounds are not heard: Ngor is pronounced Ngow. Some final consonants written but not pronounced.[9]

List of family names [edit]

Cambodian names come from many different origins and have identical pronunciation to Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Hmong names. [10]

  • Chey:姬 (Most popular surname in Cambodia pronounced "Jee" from Chinese "Ji") or derived from Sanskrit Jaya meaning victory
  • Chen: 陳 (Given only to Cambodians of Chinese descent)
  • Im: 임 (Korean "Im")
  • Kim: 靳 (Chinese "Jin")
  • Lim: 林 (Chinese "Lin")
  • Chan/Chhan (Jahn/Chan): (Sanskrit word meaning moon)
  • Ouch
  • Ong: 王 (Chinese "Wang" pronounced Ong in Hokkien dialect)
  • Oung: 王 (Different variation of Wang)
  • Duong (doouhng): Dương (Similar in spelling, however it pronounced differently and have different origins)
  • Oum: 엄 (Similar to Korean "Um")
  • Pok
  • Seng
  • Soeur
  • San
  • Ang: 吳 (Cantonese variation of surname "Wu")
  • Chhet
  • Dith
  • Hu: 胡 (Chinese "Hu", most uncommon name for Cambodians)
  • Khin
  • Nhek
  • Pach
  • Po
  • Sam (Variation of Khmer name "San")
  • So: 蘇 (Chinese "Sū")
  • Tep meaning Deva in Sanskrit is god or devine
  • Yun: 윤 (Korean "Yoon")
  • Ly: 李 (Chinese "Li")
  • Uy:
  • Vy:
  • Mien: 瑶 (Hmong name originating in southern china spreading to Laos and from there Thailand and Cambodia)
  • Chhith (chit)
  • Em (iam) meaning yellow skin or less sweet
  • Hong (kowng): 洪 (Chinese "Hong", uncommon name for Cambodians)
  • Keo (kyoo): (2nd most popular surname in Cambodia) meaning glass or jewel or crystal
  • Khlot (klot)
  • Long (lung): 龍 (Chinese "Long")
  • Ma (mah): ม้า (Thai version of Chinese "Ma")
  • Meas (mih-uh) It meaning gold.
  • Mao (mah-oo) It came from khmer word black (ខ្មៅ), but it is a speaking language.
  • Moul (mool) meaning round
  • Muy (maw-ee) It meaning one in khmer.
  • Sok (sok): ( សង្រ្កឺត) It meaning fine. (សុខ)
  • Sang (sahng): 常 (Variation of Chinese "Chang")
  • Som/Sum (suhm)
  • Touch (too-ij) meaning small or tiny
  • You (yoo): 尤 (Chinese "Yu")
  • Tang: 唐
  • Pang: 龐
  • Meng: 孟

List of given names [edit]

Unlike Cambodian family names, given names may have multiple syllables and differ greatly. Given names were influenced greatly by Sanskrit.

  • Balin (bah-lin)
  • Chea (chee-ah) It means good health
  • Cheata (chee-ay-tah) meaning birth, nation, origin
  • Chheng cheng: 鄭 (Variation of Chinese "Zheng")
  • Chheang: 常 (Chinese "Chang")
  • Da: 大 (Similar to Chinese "Da" but not related)
  • Dara dah-rah: (Sanskrit, meaning "Star")
  • Leng (leng): 梁 (Chinese "Liang")
  • Lo (Lo): 羅 (Chinese "Luo")
  • Narong (nah-rong)
  • Naroeung (nahroong)
  • Phuong (poong) name of the kind of flower
  • Saroeung (sah-roong)
  • Srey (sareiy): (Khmer, meaning girl or in Sanskrit is better)
  • Son (sawn): 孫 (Variation of Chinese "Sun"
  • Bopha (bohpa) meaning flower
  • Chanda (chahndah): (More popular Khmer names) meaning heart or mind
  • Chhoun (choo-en)
  • Khan (kahn)
  • Kosal (kohsahl)meaning good deed
  • Kunthea (kunt-hee-ah)
  • Lai (lah-ee): 賴 (Chinese "Lai")
  • Lun Ang (loom-ang): 倫 (Variations of Chinese "Lun" and "Wu")
  • Maly (mahlee)
  • Mey (Mae)
  • Map (mahp): Mập (Vietnamese meaning "Fat")
  • Moeuk (mew)
  • Phalla (pahlah): (More popular Khmer names) meaning fruit in Pali
  • Phireak (pee-re)
  • Poew (pohew): youngest (sibling)
  • Rith (rit) mean power
  • Ry (ree)
  • Samnang (Lucky)
  • Sarit (sahrit)
  • Sophal (sohpahl): (More popular Khmer names)
  • Suon (soo-in): meaning garden
  • Tren (trayng): Trần (Vietnamese version of Chinese "Chen")
  • Thy (tee): Thị
  • Thuy (toy-ee): Thủy (Vietnamese version of Chinese 水)
  • Vanna (vahna): gold, golden

Compound names [edit]

At times, many families combine shorter names to create a longer name. This happens often among the wealthier class of Cambodians.

  • Sovanna (Combined "So" and "Vanna") means gold in Sanskrit
  • Somally (Combined "So" and "Maly")
  • Chandarith (Combined "Chanda" and "Rith")

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Naming systems of the world" (self-published). Citing Huffman, Franklin Eugene. Cambodian names and titles. Institute of Far Eastern Languages, Yale University (1968). OCLC 20035170.
  2. ^ a b Short, Philip. Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare. Macmillan (2006), p xv. ISBN 0-8050-8006-6.
  3. ^ Kershaw, Roger. Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition. Routledge (2001), p xiv. ISBN 0-415-18531-9.
  4. ^ a b c Valerie Ooka Pang & Li-Rong Lilly Cheng. Struggling to Be Heard: The Unmet Needs of Asian Pacific American Children. SUNY Press (1998), p51. ISBN 0-7914-3839-2.
  5. ^ Asian American Community Mental Health Training Center. Bridging Cultures: Southeast Asian Refugees in America. University of Michigan (1983), p98. OCLC 10431338.
  6. ^ a b Mary Fong & Rueyling Chuang. Communicating Ethnic and Cultural Identity. Rowman & Littlefield (2003), p40. ISBN 0-7425-1739-X.
  7. ^ Cambodian names The significance and beauty of Cambodian names
  8. ^ Khmer Institute
  9. ^ http://www.csupomona.edu/~pronunciation/cambodian.html
  10. ^ What Language Does He Speak? Asian Last Name Guide

1. http://www.chacha.com/question/what-are-some-common-cambodian-last-names

Personal names in world cultures
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cambodian_name&oldid=553725863"