Thai names have three components; the family name, first or given name, and nickname or informal given name.

The family name (last name) is assigned by the government, and all with that name are directly related to each other. Anyone getting a Thai citizenship must select their new family name from a pool of available names managed by the government. These names are usually very long and complicated to pronounce, even for Thais.

The given name is the same as a first name, and given by the parents at birth. It is also the formal name used to uniquely distinguish one individual from the next. For example, names in a phone book are sorted by the given name and then the family name. Like family names, given names can also be long and/or complicated to pronounce.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

The nickname is also initially given by parents, but can be changed as often as one wishes throughout life. However, a lot of boys opt to keep their given nickname, because it would be bad luck to change. From what I understand, family and given names are so difficult to pronounce, not to mention remember, the use of nicknames has become a practical way for Thai people to identify each other. There are exceptions, like official government documents, but from what I gather, family and given names are usually only known to family and close friends. Two people can know each other for their entire life and not know each other’s family and/or given names.

The nicknames chosen are typically a fruit, color, number, animal, or English-based. The English based names, for whatever reason, are usually a letter of the English alphabet - A, B, C. Apparently Thais use a variety of criteria when selecting a nickname. One, in an attempt to fool bad spirits, is to intentionally select a name that is an opposite of their real person or personality. Boys wanting to meet farang often select a nickname that is farang friendly. I know one boy whose given nickname is Piak, but he uses Ben at Internet dating/hookup sites. I’ve long suspected a lot of boys use “A” because it sorts to the top of the stored numbers on your cell phone, but have no way to prove it.

Mr. first Name

Thais use first or nicknames to address people, even in formal situations. In English, Mr. is added, so Jim Jones would be addressed as Mr. Jim. In Thai it would be Khun (koon) Jim. Thais do not use equivalents of Mr, Mrs, or Ms. Instead they use the gender-neutral Khun, which usually translates to “you” in English, but can also be used in place of Mr, Mrs, or Ms. Chances are, most Thais you meet will use their nickname, so Nok (bird) would be addressed as Mr. Nok or Khun Nok.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

Best I can tell Mr. or Khun is used more with casual acquaintances or situations where it is appropriate to be more formal. Once you get to know someone the formality can be dropped in most circumstances. For example you might simply call your friend Nok all day long, but add Mr or Khun when making introductions.

Thais do not use middle names, so they get a little confused with how to apply ours. My apartment rent agreement, phone bill, and Internet bill all came addressed to my first and middle name. All three were established by one Thai person, so I cannot say with any certainty this will happen to everyone.

UPDATE 2-19-9

Translating Boy’s Nicknames

One of the things I find interesting and fun to do is translate the boy’s nicknames.  This isn’t always easy, because while the boys know what their name means, they don’t always poses the English skills to tell you.  But with the help of an on-line translator, the boys can often get you an answer.  Another way to get the translation is to ask one boy with good English skills what another boy’s nickname means.  Here are some examples:

Chit = near
Nok = bird
Ton or Dton = tree
Chai = victory, triumph, win, or success
Sak - power or status

One of the other things I learned is that properly spoken, the nickname may actually be two words, but because it’s a nickname they shorten it to just one.  A good example would be dton maai, shortened to Dton, which sounds like Ton.

Thais also use English words and numbers for nicknames, but pronunciation can often render some interesting results.

For the longest time I thought the boy that takes care of me at Banana Bar was named Wan or Juan.  Only recently I discovered his name is actually One.

A boy I hang out with regularly has the English nickname Little.  The boys can’t pronounce Little too well, so they shorten it to Tle, that somehow ends up being pronounced Dtun, which sounds like Tun.  So when you ask the boys what his name is, those with good English skills will say Little, but all of them actually call him Dtun.  There are many Thai words for the word little, such as “iat” and “nit”, but Dtun is apparently not one of them.

English names might also get shortened.  The nickname of a boy I know is Pancake, but all the boys just call him Cake.