New Baby Due Soon,want Advice On Names And Stuff

[Nickthegreek]

Hi All,

I have the pleasure of becoming a father soon and being as this is my first at the ripe old age of 40,this is all new to me,as well as dealing with any thailand issues..

So..I dont want to make mistakes really,so here is my situation..

I am married and my wife and I decided that she would keep her family name and not take my name in marriage,mainly because we felt it might hinder us with buying land and other things in future months..

I am not sure what is the best way to go with naming the child, so any advice here would be useful,we are thinking maybe an easy to use western name for every day and then a thai name for the birth certificate,whilst I realise that this may be down to us,will this cause issues?

We do not plan to go to the UK at any time soon,not for any reason other than I cant be bothered and see no reason to visit,but do I need to be thinking about this in registering the child in the UK? or can this be left until later..

If there is anything else I should be thinking about please add it in..

Thanks

Nick

[Cuban]

I am married and my wife and I decided that she would keep her family name and not take my name in marriage,mainly because we felt it might hinder us with buying land and other things in future months..

No issues on that score at all. There was a law that limited Thai wives of farang owning land - but that has been repealed. She can get your family named appended to her Thai family name, as in Smith-Jones, 20 Baht to change her ID card, very easy.

I am not sure what is the best way to go with naming the child, so any advice here would be useful,we are thinking maybe an easy to use western name for every day and then a thai name for the birth certificate,whilst I realise that this may be down to us,will this cause issues?

You will know most Thais have a long given name, a short nickname (that can change during their life) and may even change their given name via a semi-religious route later in life - there is plenty to choose from. I would suggest that the given name is only really used on offical Thai paperwork, ID cards, etc. so you could gain some family qudos by looking for to take this from a favored grand parent. Consider that this will need to 'function' in English for passports, so use a spelling (transliteration) that English speakers will not screw up when booking flight tickets etc.

For the nickname, I just suggest avoiding Moo (pig), we have a relative so called and now our household has a small pen with four small piglets in it - I get slapped when pointing to each one counting 1,2,3,4....where's 5? She is a bit portly.

There are a few short names that work in Thai and English, we have a 'Jenny' in the family that has no farang connection, elsewhere I've also writen about use of Greek letters - which IME is pretty cool and allows for a neat signature later in life.

Eg.

พี่สาว (Phee) Older Sister - close to Greek Phi.

Somthing to consider.

[mizzi39]

Congratulations OP. My baby boy was born 2 months ago (my first baby too). Since my wife shares my last name, my son does too. He has a western first and last name, and a Thai nickname. His Thai nickname is "Thun Khao" . His western name appears on the BC which is in Thai, but I also have a certified English translation of the BC as well.

Pick a name that is acceptable to you and your wife, and don't worry about what the "neighbors" think. Good Luck!

Thun Khao translates to "Paddy" which means "strong and stable".

Make sure that your name appears on the birth certificate, and have it translated into English. You can register baby through your embassy. I know that the process is straightforward for the U.S., and I assume that it is the same for the UK.

Edited September 5, 2008 by mizzi39

[Boo]

My son has a thai first name & thai last name but his middle name is my maiden name which is the name used for him in the west, we also have a nickname for him, Sonny, that translates into both langauges easy, so in thailand he is called Sonny, in UK SOnny or his other legal middle name.

Most thais don't use their given first name & use a nickname anyway so for me it was better for him to have a thai legal name in case of issues later in life, in UK you can use anyname you wish without it becoming an issue but often I have found beaurocrats (sp!) in thailand are still disturbed & occasionally predudiced against, non thai names on thai-farang children.

That is purely my own observation but something I would prefer my son not to have to deal with later on in life. Foreign in thialand is & will be for quite some time yet imo, unable to intergrate in the same way that has happened in the Uk with all the different nationalities settling there over the last 60+ years.

[Nickthegreek]

Hi,

Many thanks for the congraulations..

Mizzi as you have named you child with western names do you intent to move to your home land at some point?

This is the issue that I am trying hard to deal with..

I know many people here think that the Thai education system is poor and unless children go to an International school,they will not prosper,or not as well anyway..

I am not sure what I want to tell my child/children in the future, as I left the UK for many reasons but all of them personal to me,however I find it hard to talk passionately about my birth country these days,so taking this into consideration is a Thai name better?

Nick

[anthonyu]

Many Thai kids now have western names for first and nicknames so it doesn't really matter as long as you choose a name that you and your wife are comfortable with. For my personal experience I had a Thai name growing up to go with a Chinese nickname and when i moved to Australia I got given an English name which became my nickname here in Thailand as well. Confused yet? Don't worry your kid will get used to the idea as long as you don't call them something weird. Notable names I've heard that I'd never want to be called include:

Shell

Pepsi

Moo

Dude (yes its sad but very unfortunate)

[dingdongrb]

Congrats and welcome to 'Papa' land... I was 48 when my first (daughter) was born 2 years ago... I wanted to name her after my Grandmother but my wife didn't like 'Veronica' as she had a difficult time pronouncing it properly. I suggest naming your child something that you both like and your wife as well as other Thai famly members can pronounce without any difficulty. There are a few letters that Thais have difficulty with and a couple that come to mind quickly are 'V' and 'H'.....

By the way, the name we chose for my daughter is very unique and it is neither a common English name nor Thai. Most of my American friends think it is a Thai name though....

[think_too_mut]

I am not sure what is the best way to go with naming the child, so any advice here would be useful,we are thinking maybe an easy to use western name for every day and then a thai name for the birth certificate,whilst I realise that this may be down to us,will this cause issues?

See what a supposedly worldly man did to his kids. He must had expected their names would be treasured and precious.

Thaksin's 3 kids names:

Panthongtae

Pinthongta

Paetongtarn

Ping-pong and a source of all kinds of bullying at school. He (Thaksin) might have thought that the names are quite normal and there would be no problem in the future.

Unlike Thaksin, who had baked his western experience in Tenessee, working at Kentucky's KFC, we, from a world class company, were far less inclined to go "national" way.

Out of our lack of Kentucky fried chicken rubbish (in Japan they call it "sentaki" = washing machine) experience, we have given our child a simple and a well known name: Ana.

No need for A, B, Ae, Moo, Poo, Fa, Noi....and other nothings.

My opinion - get some biblical name for your child.

[dingdongrb]

Come to think of it you could use the method that the Chinese use to name their children.....

[think_too_mut]

Come to think of it you could use the method that the Chinese use to name their children.....

It is us, westerners, to chose the names for our kids.

[Cuban]

I find it hard to talk passionately about my birth country these days,so taking this into consideration is a Thai name better?

You don't know what options might be open and choosen by your kids in the future, so all you can do for the best is to keep those options open. Having a name that is easily pronounced in English is not a negative factor. Having good spoken English can only be an asset, look at the people around the world learning English, having access to UK passports again is another asset.

[mizzi39]

Hi,

Many thanks for the congraulations..

Mizzi as you have named you child with western names do you intent to move to your home land at some point?

This is the issue that I am trying hard to deal with..

I know many people here think that the Thai education system is poor and unless children go to an International school,they will not prosper,or not as well anyway..

I am not sure what I want to tell my child/children in the future, as I left the UK for many reasons but all of them personal to me,however I find it hard to talk passionately about my birth country these days,so taking this into consideration is a Thai name better?

Nick

I do intend to bring my wife and son to the U.S. in the next few years for a few years. I have no intentions on raising my son in the west though. I have a very supportive family. My mother and brother are flying out here next month, so my mom can see her new (and first) grandchild.

One of the main reasons for spending a few years in the U.S. is so my son can pick up English through acquisition, which is much easier than "learning" the language, and also he will have a chance to bond with my side of the family. Although the educational system may be below par compared to the west, I do want my son to attend high school here in the LOS, but high school is still many years away, so we will see.

We did not give our son a "western" first name because of our future plans, but did so because both my wife and I liked the name. You would be surprised how many Thais give there kids "English nicknames" like Jane, Joey, Sophia, etc.

[Chan_inbangkok]

First of all Congratulations !

I have two little girls, Jasmine and Layla. We chose names that are easy enough for Thai people to be able to pronounce correctly. If for example you choose the name starting with V [ like Victor ] Thai will call them Wictor instead. My girls do not have Thai name at all but that's our choice. They both have British and Thai passports. We are now living in Thailand but think that it would be easier for them if they want to go and live in Uk later on in life.

[Nickthegreek]

Many Thanks to all who have taken the time to write..

I now feel much more at ease with making our decisions and only have to hope now that our baby girl arrives fit and healty..

I am not at all prepared for becoming a father having avoided this for so long in the UK, so I am sure over the coming months I will have many more questions..

Thanks again

[t.s]

My Daughter is named "Nicha" it is a Thai name, but acceptable to both the farang and thai ear, and it is short enough that we have not bothered with a nickname. She does have a western middle and last name however, the middle name is rarely used.

[thesunset75]

My son's nickname is Raul i give him after Spanish football player i love and his real name is Paragon (sound like Thai tennis player but its English word, mean perfect example WOW) + my Thai last name + American last name ...so he have a long long name but here in NL they only use P.S.+American last name for all the official..but everybody calls him Raul

now im confused myself

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

hey there,

We're expecting my first boy in July . I have a quickie:

What about middle names? My goosd friend wanted 2 middle names for his new girl but was told at the local Amphur/registration office that "in Thailand, cannot. Only one name".

Now, you might all have preferences for 0, 1 or more middle names, but is it correct that here, it is actually impossible to officially give your child more than one middle name?

cheers

James

Edited March 22, 2010 by Jim's_a_Thai_Fox

[MAJIC]

I know the feeling concerning naming a Thai /English baby many names were nice enough from both of our suggestions but there was always the thought of the future,where would the child prefer to live in Adulthood? and would the name sound out of place in one or other Country?

The problem was solved by going through lists of names on the Internet and looking for names that could be construed as

either Thai or English or both,believe me there are such names available if you do your homework.

Although you have no plans to return to the UK one never knows what the future holds.

Hope you will both will be happy with your joint agreeable choice.

[Boo]

Not sure about the more than one middle name issue but when we registered our son at the Thai embassy in UK it wasn't mentioned on any forms. But he has one middle name anyway (an English name & carries his fathers thai surname & a thai first name) We then gave him a nickname connected to his middle name & that is what everyone in both Thailand & abroad call him.

Saves explaining all the time what his (real) name means to non Thai speakers & although it is a English nickname is close enough to a similar thai nickname so a not to be a problem anywhere.

[PattayaParent]

Could you use a Thai first name and an English middle name on the birth certificate and then he should be covered in both worlds with regards to use of name and proof.

He should have your surname as the father.

Edit: You can register him at any time at the British Embassy in order to get a British birth certificate. A handy time to do it is when applying for a passport although it's not absolutely necessary.

Edited March 23, 2010 by PattayaParent

[Kadafi]

We gave our son

Thai first name

English middle name and surname

Have not got a British birth certificate yet as its too expensive....

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Most thais don't use their given first name & use a nickname anyway so for me it was better for him to have a thai legal name in case of issues later in life, in UK you can use anyname you wish without it becoming an issue but often I have found beaurocrats (sp!) in thailand are still disturbed & occasionally predudiced against, non thai names on thai-farang children.

That is purely my own observation but something I would prefer my son not to have to deal with later on in life.

Good point, though I think it applies both ways.. When, say, applying for a job in the West there may be an advantage in a fully home-grown familiar name.

Either way in your case your kids have a Thai last name. With a Western last name none of this matters much because the kid is stuck with the western name (most likely, though you could I suppose give the mothers name. That's not something I would want to do though)

Regardless we found a name that sounds both Thai AND Western by being a little creative with the transliteration. That was for a girl however which is easier. For a boy it's much harder to find something that's nice and sounds both Thai and Western. (Feel free to pitch suggestions. So far I did not get further than Shannon / Chanon and that's iffy if it's even a boy's name.

[Boo]

Just thinking that it may be possible to get round the 2 middle name issue by hyphenating it? So Somchai () Joseph-James Smith for example.

[Boo]

One of the reasons we gave my son my maiden name as his middle name (rather than double barreling his last name) was that in future, if he decides to work in UK or the west he can just call himself his nickname or first name (not a crazy long unpronounceable thai one either) & use his middle name as a surname. For ease. Figured this way we have all bases covered (I hope)

[WinnieTheKhwai]

We gave our son

Thai first name

English middle name and surname

Have not got a British birth certificate yet as its too expensive....

... Right. Come to think of it though, I don't think I have a European birth cirtificate for my daughter, but she does however have passport. That's expensive too, because it requires translation of the birth certificate, and additional paperwork when you're not legally married to the mother. It was even worse at the time because the law then required to recognize the child before birth, otherwise they wouldn't issue nationality or passport. So it required two trips to Bangkok (three, because they weren't forthcoming with examples of the documents so we messed up once by only having two witnesses listed on a document instead of three. Basterds.

[gregb]

As long as we are talking about names...

My wife and I have been having spirited discussions about names for our upcoming twins. In the process, she told me something that sounds a bit odd, and I just want to know if anyone else has ever heard this.

According to her, Thai names can not have more than 11 syllables total. As it was related to me, names longer than this are reserved for royalty. Has anyone else ever heard of this rule? And is it really a rule, or just a guideline? She also told me normal Thai children are not allowed more than 3 names total. We were discussing the possibility of 2 middle names.

Are there actual rules on this?

[MAJIC]

We gave our son

Thai first name

English middle name and surname

Have not got a British birth certificate yet as its too expensive....

Kadafi

Yes registering the Birth at the British Embassy so as to get a British Birth Certificate is expensive but

necessary,they allow 1 year to register in which case you would get a British Birth Certificate in 3-4 months,complications

set in if you go past the 1 year deadline.Also you will not get a British Passport for the child without one.

[Bizz]

my sons name is Brian i explained about king

The meaning of this name is not known for certain but it is possibly related to the old Celtic element bre meaning "hill", or by extension "high, noble". It was borne by the semi-legendary Irish king Brian Boru, who thwarted Viking attempts to conquer Ireland in the 11th century. He was slain in the Battle of Clontarf, though his forces were decisively victorious. The name was common in Ireland before his time, and even more so afterwards. It came into use in England in the Middle Ages, introduced by Breton settlers. It subsequently became rare, but was revived in the 20th century.

in turn his nick is BRUU.

I,M CHUFFED

[PattayaParent]

We gave our son

Thai first name

English middle name and surname

Have not got a British birth certificate yet as its too expensive....

Kadafi

Yes registering the Birth at the British Embassy so as to get a British Birth Certificate is expensive but

necessary,they allow 1 year to register in which case you would get a British Birth Certificate in 3-4 months,complications

set in if you go past the 1 year deadline.Also you will not get a British Passport for the child without one.

Rubbish.

And the BC will be issued in a couple of days.