Thai Names and how longgggg they are

Names names and more names
Origins of Thai names

The issues with trying to get the bank to call me either Dr. Huber or Ms. Huber raised another issue in my mind. Particularly because I have difficulty taking roll in my classes. The last names.... They are sooooooo long. So I wondered why.

So what is in a Thai name and why are they sooooo long?.
My research has uncovered that until the 20th century, Thais only went by one name, their given name. The country was small, localized and you generally associated with people from your local area. As a result, you only needed a given nane. Family? Everyone knew which family you belonged to.

Around 1913, the Thai government passed a new law requiring that everyone have a unique last name. That's the "hitch" each family name had to be unique. it was not allowed to choose a name you liked -- unless it was a unique name. So there were no Jacbob "son" or John "son". The exception was that if the name was unique and was the first name. We can't have lots of Smiths unless it can be proven that the Smiths are all related. Nor do we have mac Donald to mean son of Donald. We have looooong last names.

The new law partly came about because there were many immigrants into Thailand from other countries -- particularly China. To not stand out as a foreigner and to not be discriminated against, these immigrants wanted to have Thai last names or least hyphenated names indicating their heritage but their new beginnings in Thailand. The number of immigrants was particularly large from China. Therefore, a law was passed. The law is quite stringent. To make it easier on immigration authorities, the 1913 law required that only one family can use any given surname. So any two people with the same last name must be related. So in Thailand

As a Fulbrighter scholar teaching at Chulalongkorn University, I checked my role of students. In my two large classes, there were no students with the same last name. There were similar last names and similar first names. however, all students had unique names.

One interest variation is that some names have "Na" in them. This is particularly used when there is a relative that comes for nobility or royalty. So I do have some students who are related to royal. For example Panomwon Na Ayutthaya is the last name. Ayutthaya is a province in Thailand founded in 1350 by King U-Thong. So my student's family is either from the Provence of ayutthaya or a descendant of King U-Thong. I prefer to think he is related to the king.

In terms of formal first name, we have more rules to follow and learn. Assuming a child lives more than 30 days, most families turn to the Monks to help with the naming. Used in the naming is
1> Thai astrology and the date of birth to form the name. The day begins at 6 a.m.
Using a process I don't understand, they consider based on the date the degree of honor,power, property, diligence, patron and misfortune. For males, letters in the word power have been popular while the letters in the word honor have been popular for women. The letters in Misfortune are avoided.
2. Named based on numerology. Each letter has a numerical value and you want to create a name high in value.
3. Naming based upon the traditional Thai calendar is the best way according to fortune tellers for anticipating the horoscope or destiny of people.

For more on the science of name giving see the following article http://informingscience.org/proceedings/InSITE2006/IISITSnae179.pdf

Showing respect if you don't use titles or last names

Nicknames in Thai

Not because the last names are so long but because of traditional beliefs, most Thais also have nicknames or play names that supplement their given names. The nickname often comes at a early age and may be given by friends or family and be related to something the child does. According to some reports, the giving of second names dates back to primitive times. It was thought that a child with a lovely official name or an important family name would be at risk of envy from spirits. As a result the spirits might embark bad fortune or even steal the child. Therefore, families began giving children, second names "nicknames" based on things in nature or which would not attract attention. The nicknames may also be derived from favorite things of the parents or relatives. Among my students, I have a "Mint" "Oak" and "Nunu"

Curious about the word nickname I did further research. Some say, the Greeks and Romans were the first to use nick names as an endearing term Here is the trivia word for the day. The term "nickname" originated in Middle English as an Anglo-Saxon word: ekename. In the Anglo-Saxon tongue, "eke" meant "also" or "added." Over time the word, as many words do, became awkard to pronounce and became nekename and also nickname.


Addressing people "given name, family name or nickname"

When addressing people, the tradition always has been to use their first name. While Americans or Europeans may be offended and perceive this as a lack of formality. It is not. It is tradition. Whether you are the dean of a school, a doctor, a lawyer, your first name will be used. Respect is shown in how they greet you using their hands. Instead of shaking hands, Thais “wai” to greet people. The “wai” is a short bow done with hands held fingertips-together close to your chest or face. The higher you place your hands, the more respect is being shown.

Signing Off Vandra who has a name made up by her mother.