Thai Names - Meanings

[Hssl]

Anyone got any web links for sites that explain the meaning of Thai names

TIA

H

[webfact]

Google is your friend....!

Thai Names

[Hssl]

Sorry should of said already 'googled' and seen that site - 32 names that's pretty poor, looking for something at bit more in depth

[klons]

Anyone got any web links for sites that explain the meaning of Thai names

TIA

H

There are names here, but most you would have have to look up in the dictionary as only a few are translated. I may be wrong,

but I thought I read somewhere not to take nickname meanings as relative to the person. Because a person may be known

as gop (frog) does not necessarily mean they resemble a frog in someway.

http://www.thai-language.com/id/589937

[aanon]

If you read Thai or know somebody who can, baby names books are available in Thai bookshops. I have one, so if it's just one particular name you're interested in, I can have a look for you.

aanon

[Rikker]

There are names here, but most you would have have to look up in the dictionary as only a few are translated. I may be wrong,

but I thought I read somewhere not to take nickname meanings as relative to the person. Because a person may be known

as gop (frog) does not necessarily mean they resemble a frog in someway.

http://www.thai-language.com/id/589937

Except with a book specifically for names, regular dictionaries won't have most names. Some, like อภิสิทธิ์ are also relatively common words, but many (and especially last names) are compounds of several words, and while you could look up the constituent parts, you would have to (a) know how to dissect sandhi compounds in many cases, since most proper names are from Pali/Sanskrit, and (b ) figure out the total meaning of the words as used together, which may not always be transparent from the sum of the parts.

Nicknames, on the other hand, are a grab bag. Many don't reflect specifically on the person, as klons says, but are simply chosen because they sound nice or are popular (as is the case with many nicknames that come from English words). But very often the "traditional" nicknames do have some significance. Animal nicknames like หมู or ไก่ might reflect the zodiac year of someone's birth; แดง might mean the baby was very red at birth; people named หนึ่ง are usually first born; people named เล็ก or ก้อย are typically the younger/youngest of their siblings, or were particularly small at birth; I have a friend nicknamed ค่ำ because he was born at night; and my wife is nicknamed เก้า because she was born at 9am on the 19th day of the 9th Thai month. Etc. etc.

This question has been asked before, though, and there is no good web resource for information of this kind (and no good book resource in English). It is a fantastic idea for a website, though -- probably wiki style would be best. Somebody want to start it? Maybe I will...

[aanon]

If only the book(s) I have were free domain / out of copyright. Scanning them to text and translating the meanings would be a relatively simple affair. They even show transliterations already. Do you think you might be able to find something at a flea market, or organise permission to adapt an existing source, Rikker?

[Rikker]

I've never owned one of these books. aanon, can you post the bibliographic details for the one you have? If you have access to a scanner, maybe a sample page?

I don't know if I'll have the time very soon, but I'd like to get a sense for what's on the market, to give me a better idea of the likelihood of getting permission to adapt from something existing. The copyrightability of a work of this nature is also something to think about -- just what's protected, and what is fair use. Interesting stuff to think about. This question can only be asked so many times before we decide to do something about it, no?

[aanon]

I've never owned one of these books. aanon, can you post the bibliographic details for the one you have? If you have access to a scanner, maybe a sample page?

I don't know if I'll have the time very soon, but I'd like to get a sense for what's on the market, to give me a better idea of the likelihood of getting permission to adapt from something existing. The copyrightability of a work of this nature is also something to think about -- just what's protected, and what is fair use. Interesting stuff to think about. This question can only be asked so many times before we decide to do something about it, no?

Attached are a (partial) sample page and page showing book details. This book came from the baby section of a bookshop. The cover is bright pink.

[jinalbert]

Found few sites that may be able to help you:

* http://www.thaibabymart.com/name.php -- there is a search box that give can search for a name's meaning, but all in Thai

* http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/index;_ylt=Ah...6&link=list --- best English answer

* http://th.answers.yahoo.com/dir/index;_ylt...6&link=list -- Thai version but it's not very popular...

although I still couldn't find mine...

[leftnose]

I've never owned one of these books. aanon, can you post the bibliographic details for the one you have?

Rikker,

If you ever have time, just go to a local hospital and ask at the ward for newborns or possibly at the Tessaban office in the hospital.

There is usually such a book as aanon's for parents of newborns to look at to help decide on a name.

I chose the Thai names of both my daughters from such a book.