Thousands of people with a fascination of Thai culture visit our web sites every day. Not all of these are tourists – many have already been to Thailand on holiday and want to know more about their favourite destination. It always surprises my Thai colleagues at school when I tell them how many foreigners are visiting our web sites every day. The most popular one with foreigners is ethaimusic.com which gets about 9,000 unique visitors per day. Then about 4000 people visit learningthai.com and a similar number thailandlife.com. This makes them proud to hear that so many people have a fascination with everything to do with Thai life and culture.
However, what surprises them the most is the number of requests we get from people asking for advice on how to choose a good Thai name! These people feel that they have become so connected with Thai culture that they want to go to the next step by getting a Thai name. Some even want to tattoo their Thai name on their body. However, choosing a Thai name is not as easy as it first looks. Thai people don’t just pick names at random or ones that sound nice or have good meanings. Most of them would consult an astrologer or monk in order to choose a name that is auspicious and would bring the child plenty of good luck in their life. Thai people believe so much in auspicious names, that if they feel that their name hasn’t brought them enough good luck they will change it!
I will tell you the experience of Gor when the time came to choose a name for his baby. He went to his “family” monk who is also good at Thai astrology. The first thing the monk asked was the day and time of birth. He then consulted a book to find which letters should and shouldn’t be used in her name. He then wrote these on a piece of paper together with three suggestions for names which have good meanings. (Visit thailandlife.com to see a scan of this paper.)
PEOPLE BORN ON FRIDAYS
Gor’s baby was born on a Friday. You can see the choice for a Friday baby in the chart above. On the left hand side are different characteristics which you might like for your baby. The monk chose “sri” (marked with **) which means glory, fame and good luck. This is only for girls. The characteristic “det” (marked with *) is only for boys and means power, luck and honour. By the way, the letters marked in red should never be used by a baby born on a Friday. That group is very unlucky! It means disaster and neverending trouble.
Here are my translations for each group:
บริวาร (bo-ri-waan) – you will always be surrounded by people
อายุ (aa-yoo) – you will live a long and prosperous life
เดช (det) – power, luck, honour for a boy
ศรี (see) – glory, fame, luck for a girl
มูละ (moo-la) – you will inherit valuable things from your parents
อุตสาหะ (oot-saa-ha) – diligent, patient, successful at work
มนตร (mon-dtree) – older cousins and older people will help and support you
กาลกิณ (gaan-gi-nee) – disaster, neverending trouble
The names the monk chose were as follows:
I have marked in green the auspicious letters. Out of the three names, Gor then chose Chanakarn which means “a darling to all people”. It seemed the most fitting of all names.
However, circumstance in your life might lead you to changing your name. Sometimes people do this because a monk didn’t choose their name in the first place. Also, people might change their name if they had a string of bad luck and want to “try again” with life. Suthee (the webmaster of ethaimusic.com) used to be called Suthiphong. His parents changed his name after a piece of bad luck when he was a child involving a bucket of acid on a hot day. Even some of the teachers at my school have changed their names in adulthood which is very confusing. Now, who are you?
Although Gor had chosen “Chankarn” correctly to be his daughter’s name, a year later circumstances have changed that would make the name unlucky for her. As Gor hasn’t written yet in thailandlife.com about why he had to change his daughter’s name, I won’t mention it here yet.
I am sure a lot of children would like to change names that were chosen by monks. Sometimes the emphasis is too much on an auspicious name rather than what is suitable for that child. I know some boys that have girl sounding names. Other names have some really peculiar meanings. I think the majority of my students are 100% embarrassed about their parents’ names. Sometimes during my English classes I might ask the students what their mother’s or father’s names are. They are always hesitant to say this out loud and whenever they do everyone nearly always laughs.
If you want to try and choose a name for yourself, then click here to find out which letters you should and shouldn’t use. However, when it comes to actually choosing a name with good meaning, you should consult some Thai friends. If in doubt, always consult a friendly monk first. Choosing a Thai name is a serious business.
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OMFG. I could not believe my eyes that you know SOOOO MUCH about THAILAND and its culture/language/religion/people! It’s like you devoted your life to be a complete THAI! I bet your Thai language skills are even better than mine, I’ve failed most Thai Language exams over the past few years! CHOSITA? I don’t even know what the hell that means. Great blogs, keep it up!
Well, that is kind of you to say so but I still consider myself a struggling student of not only the Thai language but also Thai culture. There is so much to learn and so little time.
Can you also provide the names for people born on Mondays?
What does the name, “Jantira” mean?
How to speak in Thai ” Arthur “
Thank You!
For names written in Thai letters, please visit our extensive database:
http://www.learningthai.com/names.html
To find meanings of Thai names, please post on our Learning Thai web board:
forums.thailandguidebook.com
To find out what letters to use in Thai names for people born on each day of the week, please visit here:
http://www.thai-blogs.com/choose_thai_name.php
I enjoyed this article very much! To emphasise your point, I’ll like to say that my grandmother has had THREE names (I daresay she can be rather fickle) and two of my aunts have had two each. I think the bank manager suspects that they’re all engaged in some unscrupulous, dodgy business when they ask to change their account names!
My parents, however, are not extremely superstitious and so simply added an ‘A’ to the end of my brother’s name to come up with mine. Hmmm….
The English name when you say it in Thai language it’s the same .
hi i realy want to get something translated and it`s something realy inportant to me. so would anyone know any websites which can translate english into thai symbols please. thank you.
My mom took me to see a monk when I was very little to get a name. He was a close friend of the family and I guess I had seen him many times before. I couldn’t really remember him.
Anyway. He asked my mother all types of questions as I sat there eating fruit and keeping out of the way. After what seemed to be forever my mom showed me a little card. She said it had my name in Thai and it had this chart on it as well. She didn’t really explain it to me, I was a little kid and could have cared less. I just wanted to go home and play the Ultraman video I had just bought. So I thanked the monk, in the cutest little kid voice ever… I assume. 
And we left. I didn’t use my Thai name, ever, except with family. Explain later…
My name is Ruttapong LaPlume, but when people say my last name (which is French) they pronounce/spell it Lapoom. My first name mean the one and only in the land.
Boy, they know how to pick names in Thailand haha.
is the thai name Jirapon male or female
Jirapon/Jirapol – sounds like a male to me. If it’s Jiraporn that would be a girl.
Is there a differentiation of male and female name for Thai? Is ‘ purida’ a male or female name? What does it mean?
can anyone translate this for me
أول شركة عملت بها
Would like to find out the meaning of the name Thanit (for boy and Pinnanong (for girl). Would anyone know where i can find this information
Thank you
I met a girl in Thailand whose name was pronounced in English (You) How would it be spelled in Thai??
what is chosita khunchai means?
thanks
my wife is thai she can speak it but not read or write it our anniversry is coming up and i want to get her something with her name in grave in thai if possible can you spell it for me and send me a copy please thanxs
her name Jirawadee
Can you please post this question in the forums – http://www.thailandQA.com.
I wish I can speak thai languange with confident but always I forgot the word…How can I be master in this language
Can anyone please let me know what Mattanee means? People have always told me it is French and it means Afternoon. My mother however told me that she went to a monk and asked him to name me when i was very young. she is Thai so i know it is not French.
I would like to fine out,that my son name is ethan,how is the it translate to thai,it a thai name and how is it written?
I was a Thai girl who was born and lived in Bangkok for 3 years, before my family migrated to London. In Thai my name means happiness, however, there is one catch: in England (where I live), the USA and the rest of Europe, Ramon is a boy’s name. I’m a girl, and in Thailand, that’s about the only place that it’s known as a girl’s name. And to add to the embarrassment, my nickname is Porn (feed). Grrrrr.
Hello people, i need your help.
I am a muaythai fighter and my trainers call me SURASAK, and they cannot axplain to me what does it mean, if somebody can translate it, Please help!
I think SURASAK is a compound word of SU and SAK. SU (ÊØ) means good and SAK (ÈÑ¡´Ôì) means power or honor or dignity, something like that. RA is something just added in to complete it, because SUSAK sounds something pretty blunt. Then SURASAK can mean good honor or having highly respect.
Hope you satisfied this.
Hello everyone. My name is Sasithorn. I was born in Thailand. My parents are from Cambodia and when I was born, my parents did not know what to name me. They asked the doctor and the doctor suggested Sasithorn.
I wanted to know if someone here knows what SASITHORN means. I always get asked a lot about it…like what it means and stuff, but I tell them I don’t know. I’d really appreciate it.
I have a neighbour called (english pronunciation) ‘sow’ – not sure how to spell it, can anyone help?
My adoptive Thai son has 2 names:
PRASONG and PANITHI.
Could you please explain me the meanings
and the origins of these 2 names?
In advance, thank you very much.
SASITHORN = the moon
i would like to have my name:”jhair” translated and written in thai!
Sawadee Kha
I would be most interested to find out Thai meaning and any other information regarding a boys name- Sivakorn
please tell me what the name somporn means
Does anyone know how to spell PAULA in thai?
regards,
who know how to write my name in thai??
My boyfriend is from Thailand and has not used his given name since he was a child. I would like to know how to spell it correctly and what it means as we are looking for his family. Phonically, it is
Ah-Corup-Pong Wong-Sue-Ah-Dee.
Please help if you can and thank you
Seidhe
i am trying to find my long lost friend from high school. she was an exchange student from thailand. her name was pronounced: wee t ma. how do you spell that correctly? thank you!
Sawadee Kha.
I am trying to find out the Thai meaning and and any other information regarding a boys name- Niwat
Can you tell me what the names Vorgit (or Vorjit)and Thongthaem mean in Thai?
That is my husbands name but we don’t know the meaning.
Thanks.
I was born in Thailand, my mom is Thai. I’m a girl, but my name is Ben and when I came to US people always ask me where I got my name from. I miss my flight cuz of my name they were looking for a man. When I buy stuff with my card they always ask for my id.. anyway i want to know how to write Zack in thai?? thx u
my name is Ryan Booth, and would like both of my names translated into thai for a tattoocan anyone help???
people have more question than i do,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
just would like to make sure people are aware that thailand has more than one Langueag
thai and lao are the most used, and the both use the Thai alphabet, so when you askeed what you names mean, make sure you know which language, because like many diffrent languages , they can have the same words but mean something different
I was born in Thailand.
my name is Pao vang. I like to read
and write of thai and english.
Does the male name “Tevan” have a meaning in Thai culture?
My Thai friend is named Tevan, but his parents passed away before he could find out the meaning behind his name.
Thank you!
May I add something. I would like to give you a more correct meanings of names :
Surasak means : Divine power or divine honour ; sura means deity, divine; sak means power, honour
It can also mean Bravery, sura also means brave
Prasong means : Require (indicating the wish for this son, or wishing the son all he may require)
Tevan means : Deity
Niwat means : Return, or Progress depending on the Thai spelling
Saowalux， thank you so much for helping me find out the meaning behind the name Tevan!! I have been trying to find the meaning for this name for yearsï¼
Hope you have a happy new yearï¼
–Ab
أول شركة عملت بها
means “the first company I worked at”
It is Arabic.
what does somwang mean?
Hi,
Would like some help I have a new Grandson named KRIDTRIN which I belive stands for knowledge would love to be able to write his name in Thia can you help
What does “Khemvika” mean? People told me it’s a rare name in Thailand?? Thank you in advance.
hi my boyfriend was born in thailand and im getting him a signet ring for valentines and i want to get his initials “A B” in thai? any help would be great asap
thanks