Cambodian name
Cambodian names usually consist of two elements including a patronymic, which serves as a common family name for siblings, followed by a given name. Surname then given name. An example is famous singer Sin Sisamouth, his surname is Sin and his given name is Sisamouth. Traditionally, the Khmer do not have Western-style family names shared by multiple generations or entire families. Instead, Khmer children use their father's given name as their family name. Other Austroasiatic indigenous people groups within Cambodia have similar naming customs, while the Sino-Khmer and Viet-Khmer may follow Chinese and Vietnamese naming patterns, respectively. Chams in Cambodia may have either Khmer or Cham names or a combination of both. Cham name order is the reverse of the Khmer; the given name is followed by the father's given name.
Given names
Generally, women are given names relating to beauty, while men are given names of virtues. Some Cambodian given names are unisex names.Surnames
Surnames are usually taken from the surname or the given name of the father and are generally monosyllabic. Cambodian surnames are sometimes identical to Chinese or Vietnamese surnames. Women keep their maiden names after marriage.Origin and meanings
The meanings of Cambodian names are generally very simple and reference positive attributes. Cambodian people are called by their given names without a title or by their given names with a title ; the full name, including both family name and given name is often used.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.
Pronunciation
Khmer names are usually pronounced with the stress placed on the last syllable. Khmer uses a glottal stop and other stops: ', ', ' and ' which may or may not occur with aspiration. In romanizations of Khmer script, aspiration 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.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, some of which are also found as given names.| Khmer | IPA | Romanization | Origin |
| កូយ | Kuy | ||
| កឹម | Kem | ||
| កែប | Kep | ||
| កែវ | kaew | Keo | meaning glass or jewel or crystal |
| ខាត់ | kʰat | Khat | Chinese |
| ខាយ | kʰaːy | Khay | 凱/凯 |
| ខៀវ | kʰiəw | Khiev | 喬/乔 |
| ខ្លូត | kʰlout | Khlot | generic name for melon-like fruit |
| គឹម | kɨm | Kim | 金 |
| គួច | Kouch | ||
| កាំង | Kaing | ||
| ឃាង | Kheang | ||
| ឃិន | Khin | Chinese 欽/钦 | |
| ឃីម | Khim | ||
| ចន្ទ | Chan/Chhan/Jan | Sanskrit word canda meaning moon | |
| ចាន់ | Chan | ||
| ចាប | Chap | Bird | |
| ចេង | Cheng | ||
| ចេន | ceːn | Chen/Jen | 陳/陳 |
| ឆន | cʰɑːn | Chhorn | 終/终; whole, complete, entire. |
| ឆាយ | Chhay | ||
| ជា | ciə | Chea | 谢 |
| ជាម | ciəm | Cheam | bowl. From Persian jam meaning "cup". Related to Hindi "drinking vessel". Possible cognate of Chinese also meaning "cup." |
| ជិន | cin | Chin/Jin | |
| ជឹម | cɨm | Chim/Choem | |
| ជ័យ | cɨj | Chey/Jey/Jay | Most popular surname in Cambodia, the Cambodian word "chey" meaning "victory" or "victorious", derived from Sanskrit Jaya |
| ឈិត | cʰit | Chhet/Chhit | 奇 |
| ឈិន | 陳/陈 | ||
| ឈឹម | cʰəm | Chhim/Chhem | 欽 |
| ញឹក | ɲɨk | Nhek | abbreviation of 涅槃 |
| ដួង | duəŋ | Duong | beloved, dear, darling |
| ឌិត | dɨt | Dith | ḍita from Sanskrit Paṇḍita meaning wise man or scholar; or Chinese 狄 |
| ឌិន | dɨn | Din | from ḍina in Pali meaning flight |
| ឌី | Dy | ||
| ឌុល | dul | Dul | from ḍula in Pali meaning earring or tremble |
| ឌួង | duəŋ | Duong | Chinese 東/东 |
| តក់ | Tok | Droplets of water | |
| តាង | taːŋ | Tang | 唐 |
| តាត | taːt | Tat | 達/达 |
| តូច | touc ~ tuːc | Toch/Touch | Small or Tiny |
| តាំង | Taing | ||
| ថន | Than | ||
| ទាវ | Teav | ||
| ទី | tiː | Ty | |
| ទុំ | Tum | ||
| ទ្រី | Try | ||
| ទេព | teːp | Tep | from Deva, Sanskrit for god or divine |
| ធី | tʰiː | Thy | |
| នី | Ny | ||
| ប្រាក់ | Prak | Khmer for silver | |
| ប៉ាង | paːŋ | Pang | 龐/庞 |
| ប៉ុក | pok | Pok | 波 |
| ប៊ុន | bun | Bun | 本 |
| ប៉ែន | paen | Pen/Ben | 賓/宾 |
| ផាន | pʰaːn | Phan | 潘 |
| ពិជ | Pech | ||
| ពេជ្រ | Pich | means Diamonds in Cambodia | |
| ភី | pʰiː | Phy | guardian, one of great importance |
| មា | maː | Ma | ม้า |
| មាន | miən | Mean | rich or wealthy; or 緬/缅 |
| មាស | miəh | Meas | Khmer for gold |
| មួយ | muəy | Muy/Muoy | the number 1 |
| មូល | muːl | Mul | round |
| មេង | meːŋ | Meng | 孟 |
| ម៉ៅ | maʋ | Mao | 毛, locals argue that it came from a spoken form of the Khmer word black or kmav. However 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 |
| យូ | yuː | Yu | 尤 |
| រស់ | rʊəh | Ros/Rous | to live |
| រួយ | Rouy | ||
| លិម | lim | Lim | 林 |
| លី | Ly | ||
| លីវ | Liv | ||
| លឹម | Lim | ||
| វ៉ាង | ʋaaŋ | Vang | |
| វង្ស | ʋʊəŋ | Vong | Circle, line of descent. Derived from the Sanskrit word vansha meaning lineage. |
| ស | sɑː | Sor/Sar | White |
| សង | sɑːŋ | Sang | Payback |
| សម | sɑːm | Sam | |
| សរ | sɑː | Sor/Sar | |
| សាង | saːŋ | Sang | 常 |
| សាត | saːt | Sat | |
| សាន | saːn | San | |
| សាយ | saːj | Say | |
| សិន | sɨn | Sin | 森; |
| សឺន | səɨn | Son | |
| សុខ | sok | Sok | from Sanskrit sukha meaning joy or happiness |
| សុង | soŋ | Song | |
| សុន | son | Son | |
| ស៊ុយ | suy | Suy | 隋 |
| សូ | soː | So | 蘇/苏 |
| ស៊ូ | suː | Su | 蘇/苏 |
| សួន | suən | Soun | Garden |
| សឿង | Seoung | ||
| សៀង | sieŋ | Sieng/Seang | Soy or Shang |
| សេង | seiŋ | Seng | 常 |
| សេន | sein | Sen | Cent |
| សោម | saom | Som | from Sanskrit soma meaning moon or sky |
| សៅ | Sao | ||
| ហាក៉ | Hak | ||
| ហុង | hoŋ | Hong | from Chinese 洪 "Hong" meaning water or flood listed 184th among the Song-era Hundred Family Surnames |
| ហ៊ុន | hun | Hun | money investment, share. Thai or Chinese etymology. Possibly related to meaning "share, portion." |
| ហូ | hou | Ho/Hu | 胡 |
| ឡាយ | Lay | ||
| ឡុង | loŋ | Long | 龍/龙 |
| អាង | aːŋ | Ang/Aang | 吳/吴 |
| អិម | ʔim | Im/Yim | 任 |
| អុង | ʔoŋ | Ong | 王 |
| អ៊ុច | ʔuc | Uch/Ouch | To Light |
| អ៊ុយ | ʔuj | Uy | |
| អៀម | ʔiəm | Eam/Iem/Iam | |
| អៀវ | ʔieʋ | Iv/Eav/Eaw | 楊 |
| អ៊ុំ | ʔum | Um | Aunt |
| ឯក | ʔaek | Ek/Aek | Self, Single; from Sanskrit eka |
| ឱក | ʔaok | Ok/Aok | 玉 |
| ឱម | ʔaom | Om | 嚴/严' |
List of given names
Unlike Cambodian family names, given names may have multiple syllables and differ greatly. Given names were influenced greatly by Sanskrit.| Khmer | IPA | Romanization | Origin |
| ɓɑːliːn | Balin | ||
| បទុម | Botum | : Meaning lotus | |
| ជា | ciə | Chea | good health |
| ជាតា | Cheata | meaning birth, nation, origin | |
| ឆេង | Cheng | 鄭/郑 | |
| ឈៀង | Chheang | 常 | |
| តា | Da | 大 | |
| ដារា | ɗɑːrɑː | Dara | Sanskrit, meaning star |
| ឡេង | Leng | 梁 | |
| Lo | 羅/罗 | ||
| ណារុង | Narong | ||
| Naroeung | |||
| និមល | Nimol | Which is without doubt, without blemish, always happy | |
| ភួង | Phuong | name of a kind of flower | |
| សារឿន | Saroeung | ||
| ស្រី | Srey | : | |
| សន | Son | : 孫/孙 | |
| បុប្ផា | Bopha | : Meaning flower or blossom | |
| ចិន្ដា | Chenda | : Meaning heart or mind | |
| ឈួន | Chhoun | ||
| Khan | |||
| កុសល | Kosal | : Meaning good deed | |
| គុន្ធា | Kunthea | : Means "sweet-smelling" or "good deed" | |
| ឡាយ | Lai | : 賴/赖 | |
| លំអង | Lom Ang | : 倫/伦 | |
| ម៉ាលី | Maly | ||
| ម៉ី | Mey | "妹" | |
| ម៉ាប់ | Map | : Mập | |
| Moeuk | |||
| ផល្លា | Phalla | : Meaning fruit in Pali | |
| ភារៈ | Phireak | ||
| ពិរុណ | Phirun | : Means "rain" in Khmer, from the name of a rain god in the mythologies of southeast Asia. The god's name is possibly derived from Varuna. | |
| ពៅ | Pov | : youngest | |
| រិទ្ធិ | Rith | meaning power | |
| រី | Ry | ||
| សំណាង | Samnang | lucky | |
| សារិទ្ធ | Sarit | ||
| សុផល | Sophal | : | |
| សារិទ្ធ | Sophea | : Means "wisdom" | |
| សារិទ្ធ | Sopheap | : Means "gentle or proper" | |
| សួន | Suon | : meaning garden | |
| Tren | : Trần | ||
| ទី | tiː | Thy | Thị |
| Thuy | : Thủy, meaning water | ||
| វណ្ណា | Vanna | : gold, golden, from Sanskrit varṇa | |
| វាសនា | Veasna | : Means opportunity, good fortune, or fate. | |
| វិបុល | Vibol | : Means abundant, large, vast | |
| វុឌ្ឍិ | vuttʰi | Vuthy | : meaning prosperity. Derived from the Pali word vuddhi of the same meaning. |
Compound names
At times, many families combine shorter names to create a longer name. This happens often among the wealthier class of Cambodians.- Sovanna means gold in Sanskrit
- Somally
- Chandarith