Cambodian name
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Cambodian names usually consist of two elements, a family name followed by a given name.[1][2] (In Western sources the two are sometimes reversed).[3]
Contents
Given names
Generally, women are given names relating to beauty, while men are given names of virtues.[4][5] Some Cambodian given names are unisex names.
Surnames
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
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
Khmer names are usually pronounced with the stress (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, c and k which may or may not occur with aspiration. In romanizations of Khmer script, aspiration (i.e., a breath sound) is usually marked with an h. Final r, d, g, s, b, and z sounds are not heard: Ngor is pronounced Ngow. Some final consonants are written but not pronounced.[9]
List of some family names
Khmer "family" names are usually simply their father's given name and as such change with each generation. Other ethnic groups, particularly Chinese-Cambodians and Vietnamese-Cambodians may have a family name that is taken by each generation, in which case the name is pronounced similarly to the language of origin but within the bounds of Khmer phonology. Below is a list of some common family names[10] some of which are also found as given names.
| Khmer | IPA | Romanization | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| កែវ | kaew | Keo | (2nd most popular surname in Cambodia) meaning glass or jewel or crystal |
| ខាត់ | kʰat | Khat | Chinese 凯 (triumphant, victorious) |
| ខាយ | kʰaːy | Khay | Chinese 凯 (triumphant, victorious) |
| ខៀវ | kʰiəw | Khiev | blue |
| ខ្លូត | kʰlout | Khlot | generic name for melon-like fruit |
| គិម | kim | Kim | 金 (Korean "Kim" / Chinese "Jin", meaning gold) |
| គីម | kiːm | Kim | 金 (Korean "Kim" / Chinese "Jin", meaning gold) |
| គឹម | kɨm | Kim | 金 (Korean "Kim" / Chinese "Jin", meaning gold) |
| ឃិន | Khin | Chinese 钦 (respect, admiration) | |
| ចន្ទ | can | Chan/Chhan/Jan | Sanskrit word canda (चन्द) meaning moon |
| ចេន | ceːn | Chen/Jen | 陳 (Given only to Cambodians of Chinese descent) |
| ឆន | cʰɑːn | Chhorn | from Chinese 終; whole, complete, entire. |
| ជ័យ | cɨj | Chey/Jey/Jay | 姬 Most popular surname in Cambodia, the Cambodian word "chey" meaning "victory" or "victorious", derived from Sanskrit Jaya (जय) |
| ជា | ciə | Chea | 謝 (gratitude) |
| ជិន | cin | Chin/Jin | |
| ជឹម | cɨm | Chim/Choem | |
| ឈិត | cʰit | Chhet/Chhit | Chinese 奇 (odd, unusual) |
| ឈឹម | cʰəm | Chhim/Chhem | 欽 (respect, admiration) |
| ញឹក | ɲɨk | Nhek | abbreviation of 涅槃 (Nirvana) |
| ដួង | duəŋ | Duong | beloved, dear, darling |
| ឌិត | dɨt | Dith | ḍita from Sanskrit Paṇḍita (पण्डित) meaning wise man or scholar; or Chinese 狄 ("Di") |
| ឌិន | dɨn | Din | from ḍina (डिन) in Pali meaning flight |
| ឌុល | dul | Dul | from ḍula (डुल) in Pali meaning earring or tremble |
| ឌួង | duəŋ | Duong | Chinese 東 (east) |
| តាង | taːŋ | Tang | 唐 |
| តាត | taːt | Tat | 达 (attain) |
| តូច | touc ~ tuːc | Toch/Touch | Khmer for small or tiny |
| ទី | tiː | Ty | |
| ទេព | teːp | Tep | from Deva (देव), Sanskrit for god or divine |
| ធី | tʰiː | Thy | |
| ប៉ាង | paːŋ | Pang | 龐 (vast) |
| ប៉ែន | paen | Pen/Ben | 賓 (guest/visitor) |
| ប៉ុក | pok | Pok | 波 (Bo) |
| ប៊ុន | bun | Bun | 本 (the four winds, from Vietnamese bốn) |
| ផាន | pʰaːn | Phan | 潘 (to overflow; be abundant) |
| ភី | pʰiː | Phy | guardian, one of great importance |
| មា | maː | Ma | ม้า (Thai version of Chinese "Ma") |
| មាន | miən | Mean | rich or wealthy; or 緬 (nostalgic, distant) |
| មាស | miəh | Meas | Khmer for gold |
| មូល | muːl | Mul | round |
| មួយ | muəy | Muy/Muoy | the number 1 |
| មេង | meːŋ | Meng | 孟 (Chinese "Meng") |
| ម៉ៅ | maʋ | Mao | 毛 (Chinese "Mao"), locals argue that it came from a spoken form of the Khmer word black or kmav (ខ្មៅ), but this word is reconstructed from Proto-Austro-Asiatic as *kVm and thus is unlikely to be so. |
| យស់ | yuəh | Yos/Yous | |
| យុន | yun | Yun | 尹 (Chinese "Yun") |
| យូ | yuː | Yu | 尤 (Chinese "Yu") |
| រស់ | rʊəh | Ros | to live |
| លិម | lim | Lim | 林 (Chinese "Lin", meaning forest) |
| លីម | liːm | Lim | 林 (Chinese "Lin", meaning forest) |
| លឹម | lɨm | Lim | 林 (Chinese "Lin", meaning forest) |
| វ៉ាង | ʋaaŋ | Vang | |
| ស | sɑː | Sor/Sar | white |
| សម | sɑːm | Sam | |
| សរ | sɑː | Sor/Sar | |
| សង | sɑːŋ | Sang | |
| សាង | saːŋ | Sang | 常 (Variation of Chinese "Chang") |
| សាត | saːt | Sat | |
| សាន | saːn | San | |
| សាយ | saːj | Say | |
| សិន | sɨn | Sin | 森; forest |
| ស៊ិន | sin | Sin | 森; forest |
| សឺន | səɨn | Son | |
| សុខ | sok | Sok | from Sanskrit sukha (सुख) meaning joy or happiness |
| សុង | soŋ | Song | |
| សុន | son | Son | |
| ស៊ុយ | suy | Suy | from Chinese 隋 |
| សូ | soː | So | 蘇 (Chinese "Sū") |
| ស៊ូ | suː | Su | 蘇 (Chinese "Sū") |
| សួន | suən | Soun | |
| សៀង | sieŋ | Sieng/Seang | |
| សេង | seiŋ | Seng | |
| សេន | sein | Sen | |
| សោម | saom | Som | from Sanskrit soma (सोम) meaning moon or sky |
| ហុង | hoŋ | Hong | 洪 (Chinese "Hong", uncommon name for Cambodians) |
| ហ៊ុន | hun | Hun | |
| ហូ | hou | Ho/Hu | 胡 (Chinese "Hu", most uncommon name for Cambodians) |
| ឡុង | loŋ | Long | 龍 (Chinese "Long", meaning dragon) |
| អាង | aːŋ | Ang/Aang | 吳 (Cantonese variation of surname "Wu") |
| អិម | ʔim | Im/Yim | 任 (Hakka Chinese 'jim5') |
| ឣ៊ីម | ʔiːm | Im/Yim | 任 (Hakka Chinese 'jim5') |
| អឹម | ʔəm | Im/Yim | 任 (Hakka Chinese 'jim5') |
| អុង | ʔoŋ | Ong | 王 (Chinese "Wang" (pronounced Ong in Hokkien dialect), meaning king) |
| អ៊ុច | ʔuc | Uch/Ouch | |
| អ៊ុយ | ʔuj | Uy | |
| អ៊ុំ | ʔum | Um | |
| អៀម | ʔiəm | Eam/Iem/Iam | |
| អៀវ | ʔieʋ | Iv/Eav | Chinese 一 (one) |
| ឯក | ʔaek | Ek/Aek | self, single; from Sanskrit eka (एक) |
| ឱក | ʔaok | Ok/Aok | Chinese 玉 (jade) |
| ឱម | ʔaom | Om | 嚴 (Chinese "Yan") |
List of given names
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| Khmer | IPA | Romanization | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|
| ɓɑːliːn | Balin | (bah-lin) | |
| ជា | ciə | Chea | good health |
| Cheata | (chee-ay-tah) meaning birth, nation, origin | ||
| Cheng | 鄭 (Variation of Chinese "Zheng") | ||
| Chheang | 常 (Chinese "Chang") | ||
| Da | 大 (Similar to Chinese "Da" but not related) | ||
| ដរា | ɗɑːrɑː | Dara | Sanskrit, meaning star |
| Leng | 梁 (Chinese "Liang") | ||
| Lo | 羅 (Chinese "Luo") | ||
| Narong | (nah-rong) | ||
| Naroeung | (nahroong) | ||
| Phuong | (poong) name of a kind of flower | ||
| Saroeung | (sah-roong) | ||
| Srey | (sareiy): (Khmer, meaning girl; from the Sanskrit strī́ [स्त्री]) | ||
| Son | (sawn): 孫 (Variation of Chinese "Sun") | ||
| Bopha | (bohpa) meaning flower or blossom | ||
| 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 ("Fat") | ||
| Moeuk | (mew) | ||
| Phalla | (pahlah): (More popular Khmer names) meaning fruit (फल्ला) in Pali | ||
| Phireak | (pee-re) | ||
| Poew | (pohew): youngest (sibling) | ||
| Rith | (rit) meaning 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") | ||
| ទី | tiː | Thy | Thị |
| Thuy | (toy-ee): Thủy (Vietnamese version of Chinese 水), meaning water | ||
| Vanna | (vahna): gold, golden, from Sanskrit varṇa (वर्ण) |
Compound names
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
- A list of popular Khmer names Khmer Institute
- Cambodian Names Asian name pronunciation guide
- Cambodian names- Discover the beauty and significance of the Cambodian names and their meanings.
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Short, Philip. Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare. Macmillan (2006), p xv. ISBN 0-8050-8006-6.
- ↑ Kershaw, Roger. Monarchy in South-East Asia: The Faces of Tradition in Transition. Routledge (2001), p xiv. ISBN 0-415-18531-9.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 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.
- ↑ Asian American Community Mental Health Training Center. Bridging Cultures: Southeast Asian Refugees in America. University of Michigan (1983), p98. OCLC 10431338.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mary Fong & Rueyling Chuang. Communicating Ethnic and Cultural Identity. Rowman & Littlefield (2003), p40. ISBN 0-7425-1739-X.
- ↑ Cambodian names The significance and beauty of Cambodian names
- ↑ Khmer Institute
- ↑ http://www.csupomona.edu/~pronunciation/cambodian.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
