Thai name

This differs from the patterns of Cambodian, Vietnamese, and other East Asian cultures, which place the family name first.

[1] While given names are used in formal settings and for recordkeeping, most Thais are also given a nickname at birth that is used in daily life.

This nickname takes precedence over the given name in most other social situations, including school or the workplace.

The 1962 law allowed a divorced woman to continue using her maiden surname (Clause 13 of the Personal Name Act 1962).

[9] For example, in the surname Temeeyaves เตมียาเวส, the ว consonant corresponds to /w/ in Thai phonology, but the relevant Sanskrit root has /v/ there, leading to the transcription with v. This kind of romanization can also be seen in the name of monarchs.

The vast majority of Thais have nicknames, though some do not have them, though they may be addressed by shortened versions of their formal given names.

These may often be nonsense words or humorous and seldom relate to the registered name except in cases where it is a diminutive, such as Nok for Noknoi, or 'bird' from 'little bird'.

The evolution of Thai nicknames dates back to the Sukhothai era, when names were used to mark the order of children.

Later, in the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods, children began to be named for physical attributes, such as Daeng ('red') or Uan ('fat') or for desirable items such as Thong ('gold').

Conversely, unflattering nicknames such as Mah ('dog'), Moo ('pig'), or Gop ('frog') were employed to keep malign spirits from coveting the child.

King Mongkut (Rama IV) (1804–1868) stimulated interest in naming babies in accordance with astrological principles as outlined in the ancient scripture, Namtaksapakorn.

In the 21st century, assigning nicknames still relies heavily on astrological beliefs, but also in keeping up with current naming fashions.

Observers have noted such modern nicknames as "Porsche", "Mercedes", "Benz", "Man U", "Big Mac", "Internet", and "Google", among others.

[16] King Bhumibol Adulyadej's nickname, for example, was Ong Lek (Thai: องค์เล็ก; Ong is a numerative noun for kings, princes, princesses, priests, images of Buddha, gods, angels, palaces, pagodas; lek means 'little (one)', a common name for younger siblings).

He later adopted as a surname what was originally an award for academic excellence and generally known in public life by the shortened form Pibun.

Thailand's first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, is nicknamed Pu 'crab' (ปู; Thai pronunciation: [pūː]).

It gives a married woman the right to change all her documents (ID card, driver's license, bank account) to include the title Nangsao before her given name.

[1] Today, in polite speech, Thais address each other by a given name,[19] preceded by the courtesy title khun, particularly with persons of higher status or public distinction.

[19] East Asian monarchs often adopted regnal names upon ascending the throne, as was done in Thailand until the present day.

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, Thai names may be indexed depending upon the individual practice.