Why are Thai names so long compared to Chinese, Korean and other SE Asian countries? An example: Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchia,

Like men in general throughout the world, most Thai people of both sexes like to be able to boast that "mine is bigger than yours" ????

สุวรรณชัย วัฒนายิ่งเจริญชัย

(RTGS: suwan chai watthana ying charoen chai)

 

https://ddc.moph.go.th/executive.php

 

I am fighting hard to split apart.

It's all golden, triumph/victory, grow, prosperity....

My only bet: it's not one derived from Chinese origin.

More like given by blessed monk for a real good contribution.

 

28 minutes ago, Farangwithaplan said:

Like men in general throughout the world, most Thai people of both sexes like to be able to boast that "mine is bigger than yours" ????

Referring to parents?

It's not the norm that people change/select their name although possible.

some kids names near us, not long ones:

Google

i phone

Hamburger and twin pizza

captain

idea

and last but not least baby youtube

Their genuine birth/family names are usually quite long, as the Op says, which can be a nuisance at the best of times. Another Op has dissected the example given quite well. A lot of it is indeed Chinese in origin in many cases. Anyway, the majority of Thais are thus given a 'nickname' at birth (or soon after) and are usually known by this name by their friends and family. Which explains why there are dozens of girls named "Nok" (bird), "Gai" (chicken), "Noi" or "Lek" (little or small) etc. I must have bonked a dozen girls named "Dang" (red) over the very many years I was single in LOS (and still had a prostate gland). In more recent years, as Mr Orton has said, it has become popular to use new or more modern topical words - my wife has a relative with a son named "Golf" who has dreams of being the next Tiger Woods. I once taught the twin daughters of a senior CM policeman and his Mia Noi (minor wife), who had the names "Bim" and "Bomb". My all-time favourite though was a girl by the name of "Beer" and, she liked a few too !

Thai names are not long. 

 

Long are the family names of Thai Chinese. When they were forced - in the 30s - to adopt Thai family names they chose artificial long names. Add as many lucky meanings as possible!... see the parsing above. Oh, and they couldn't choose existing,  short Thai family names  because duplicity of family names is not allowed (you don't find one million "Smith"s here).

 

Example for a non-Chinese Thai name: Bupa Nisai.