Thai Names Explained: First Names, Surnames & Meanings

A Thai name is a first name (ชื่อchûue) followed by a surname (นามสกุลnaam-sà-gun), and almost every Thai also has a short nickname for daily life. People are addressed by their first name or nickname with a polite title such as คุณkun ("Khun Somchai"), never by their surname. Thai surnames are long because a 1913 law gave every family its own unique one.

How Thai names work

The order is the same as in English: first name, then surname. Lisa of BLACKPINK, for example, is ลลิษามโนบาลlá-lí-sǎa má-noo-baan, Lalisa Manobal. Official documents put a title in front: นายnaai (Mr), นางnaang (Mrs) or นางสาวnaang-sǎao (Miss), and for children under 15 เด็กชายdèk-chaai (boy) or เด็กหญิงdèk-yǐng (girl).

In daily life the first name does the work that a surname does in English: your doctor, your bank and your teacher all call you by it, and the surname mostly lives on paper. Since 2005 a married couple can choose whose surname to use, or each keep their own, and since 2008 a married woman may keep the title "Miss" if she prefers.

Why Thai surnames are so long

Until 1913 most Thais had no surname at all: people were known by their first name, their parents and their village. That year King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) passed the Surname Act, which required every family to take a surname, and each surname had to belong to one family only. The king coined thousands of them himself, mostly from elegant Pali and Sanskrit words.

The short, simple combinations went first. Every new family name since has had to be different from all the others, so they grew longer, stringing together lucky roots such as ศรีsǐi (glory), สุขsùk (happiness), ทองtawng (gold), แก้วgâew (crystal), บุญbun (merit), วงศ์wong (family line) and สวัสดิ์sà-wàt (well-being). Many Thai-Chinese families built their old clan name into the new one. A useful result: two Thais who share a surname are almost always related.

Common Thai first names and what they mean

Most first names are chosen for their meaning. Classic names from the parents' and grandparents' generation:

• Men: สมชายsǒm-chaai (a fine man), สมศักดิ์sǒm-sàk (worthy of honour), ประเสริฐbprà-sòet (excellent), วิชัยwí-chai (victory), ชัยวัฒน์chai-yá-wát (growing victory), สุนทรsǔn-tawn (beautiful), อนุชาà-nú-chaa (younger brother), บุญมีbun-mii (blessed with merit), อาทิตย์aa-tít (the sun), กิตติgìt-dtì (fame)
• Women: สมศรีsǒm-sǐi (worthy of glory), มาลีmaa-lii (flower), บุษบาbùt-sà-baa (blossom), กาญจนาgaan-jà-naa (gold), รัตนาrát-dtà-naa (jewel), สุดารัตน์sù-daa-rát (a precious daughter), อรุณีà-rú-nii (dawn), วันเพ็ญwan-pen (full-moon day), ประภาbprà-paa (radiance), ศิริพรsì-rí-pawn (glorious blessing), พรทิพย์pawn-típ (divine blessing), ดวงใจduang-jai (beloved, literally "heart")

Younger Thais tend to have longer, rarer names, often chosen with a monk's or fortune teller's help, such as ธนพลtá-ná-pon (strength of wealth) or พิมพ์ชนกpim-chá-nók (her father's image). Grand as they are, nobody uses them day to day: that's what nicknames are for.

How to address Thai people

• คุณkun plus the first name is the polite default for adults: คุณสมชายkun sǒm-chaai. Thais will call you Khun plus your first name too.
• Never put Khun in front of a surname, and don't use the surname on its own.
• With friends and colleagues, nicknames take over, with พี่pîi for anyone older and น้องnáwng for anyone younger.
• Teachers are ครูkruu or อาจารย์aa-jaan, and doctors are หมอmǎw: Dr Somchai is หมอสมชายmǎw sǒm-chaai. The lesson on Khun, Phi and Nong covers the rest.

Titles and royal prefixes

Descendants of kings carry titles such as Mom Rajawongse (M.R.) and Mom Luang (M.L.) before their names, and many royal families have surnames ending in ณอยุธยาná à-yút-tá-yaa, "of Ayutthaya". You'll also see military, police and academic titles used in front of names on business cards and signs.

Why Thais change their names

Changing your first name is common and easy: you apply at the district office. People do it after an illness, a run of bad luck or before a big step in life, usually with a new name chosen by a monk or a fortune teller (หมอดูmǎw-duu), using letters that are lucky for the day of the week they were born. Lisa is again the famous example: born Pranpriya, she became Lalisa, "one who is praised", at 13 on a fortune teller's advice, and has said her call from YG Entertainment came the following week.

Your name in Thai

Foreign names are written in Thai script by sound, so John is จอห์นjawn and Emma is เอ็มม่าem-mâa. Thais will say yours with Thai tones and may drop endings Thai doesn't use. Practise introducing yourself in Unit 2 of the free course: ผมชื่อจอห์นpǒm chûue jawn (men) or ฉันชื่อเอ็มม่าchǎn chûue em-mâa (women).