Need Help For A Name For Our Baby

[Fosa]

Congrats Spuds and Mrs Spuds!

When our son was born, we took him to see the highly respected abbot at the local temple ( Wat Kong Sai, Sarapee) to be 'blessed'. After supplying the monk with date and time of birth he consulted an almanack(sp!) and gave us a list of about 20 suitable names out of which the wife made our choice!

Incidently, I believe that Babies born 12th August (Queen's Birthday) get free education health care etc or is this a rural myth? My wife missed out by about 15 hrs (early am 14th) !

Good luck and enjoy!

Fosa

[sylvafern]

We had a Thai book sent over by relatives. Like the usual baby name books but with the names written in Thai and then transliterated into English (roman alphabet).

We found a book like this in Se-ed bookshop.I also got a Western baby names book at B2S.

I also have to agree that the "Thai person must have Thai name to be a Thai citizen" is a myth. I've got two boys and they've both got English first names and Thai surnames. No middle names. And they're both Thai.

As for picking names for a baby boy - the reason both my boys have got English names is because I couldn't find a Thai boys name I liked. Lots of girls names, but no boys names. There was one, but my husband absolutely refused. Almost vehemently refused. He said it was too strong a name. I really don't know what that means. It just sounded nice to me. The name was Jessada.

Good luck with the little guy.

Cheers,

TT

Definitiely must be a myth. My son is one and a half and has western first and middle names (which don't sound Thai). His surname is Thai although we wanted it to be a hyphenated name (seeing as my boyfriend must have one of the few 2-syllable Thai surnames and my name is only 1 syllable). We were told in Samitevej that if he took my western surname or a hyphanated name he wouldn't be allowed Thai citizenship. I assumed this to be true so maybe this it where the myth originated, or is this also not true. Ahnyhow, as I knew it would be easy to get his NZ citizenship, we stuck with the Thai surname so he now has dual citizenship, both Thai and NZ passports and has his name (as is mine) in his father's Ta bien baan book.

I also had the same problem with finding a Thai boys name I liked - only found a couple I liked (like the one above that could be western as well - eg Jessada could be Jesse) but my b/f didn't like the couple I chose which is why we decided on a western name. Girls names are easier.

[Frank La Rue]

Hello all , long time no write!!

Its all due to me moving house and not being hooked up to the net any more, so at present i'm on my brothers. Any way as some of you know the wife is pregnant, we are going to have a boy and it is due August the 18th. We are stuck for names, we would like a thai first name and a english second or vice versa. Our surname is Burden, Please help we havent got a clue!!

I have the same struggle. Irrespective of a rather complicated last name (I am not english) we want an international first name,

[Frank La Rue]

We are stuck for names, we would like a thai first name and a english second or vice versa. Our surname is Burden, Please help we havent got a clue!!

Congrats BTW

We had a Thai book sent over by relatives. Like the usual baby name books but with the names written in Thai and then transliterated into English (roman alphabet). It also gave the meaning and told you what the lucky letters were for your childs DOB if you want to choose them according to that

Absolutely loads of names. I'll see if I can dig it out!

Can you dig out that book pls so the rest of us can go and get it - if lucky can even get it on amazon

[udon]

Congrats, Spuds & Mrs Spuds.

Try Llewellyn, that should roll off the tongue quite easily for Thais.....

[beleby]

Of course it's a myth, even TRT wouldn't try and tell the Thai people what was a real Thai name and what wasn't!

My son's name is Dylan, and his Thai name is Dawin, it's the closest we could get to a translatable name.

The boy was born here in Bangkok, we had no problems getting him Thai documents..I think it's the ID number which makes a baby an official Thai citizen. For England, the pasport pretty much gives you the right to vote, live, and work in the UK as far as I know.

[taxexile]

hey big spuds , why dont you him small potatoes !

[Fergusson]

Hello all , long time no write!!

Its all due to me moving house and not being hooked up to the net any more, so at present i'm on my brothers. Any way as some of you know the wife is pregnant, we are going to have a boy and it is due August the 18th. We are stuck for names, we would like a thai first name and a english second or vice versa. Our surname is Burden, Please help we havent got a clue!!

Hi There...

Fergusson here my surgession name will suit this new baby boy

First name in Thai.....Songyot = Healthy and Intaligent and Wealthy in life

2nd name English.....Axel

now you have compleatet SONGYOT AXEL BURDEN

[Frank La Rue]

Still no names for me though please suggest some !

Pornsak, Pornsuk, Boonshit, shitichai, Titiporn, Giteeporn Somchai, Somsak, Chokechai, Sawasdee

Well, atleast the Thai names to avoid at all costs!

PS, I wouldn't stress about the Thai names too much just yet. Get you the Thai name book and pick out a few you like and wait to see which day your kid is born (i.e. Monday-Sunday) Thais have a big chart system / superstition defining which consanants are good luck for which day and which beg. consanants one must avoid at all costs depending on which day...What's the english word for something like this...opposite of an omen...

If your wife is typical Thai woman, chances are she will be serious-superstitious for following the system. In Thai , the consanants to avoid is called อักษรที่เป็นกาลกิณี Uck-sorn-thii-bpen-ga-la-gi-nee I'm sure there is plenty of info on the Thai web about this and the whole name process in case you can't locate an actual book.

The most famous / central source for the Thai system is the Promachaat พรหมชาติ (Thai astrology), which you can find in Thai bookstores or being sold on sidewalks all throughout Thailand.

I wouldn't stress it too much...even many Thais wait till the last minute or after the birth to finalize the name...and so often later in life change the name because they read the charts wrong initially. Besides, the only time ever the name will actually be used is on role call at school, on the id card, or other official events, etc. but most other time, the nickname and / or western name will be used.

My wife actually does not want to propose a name until the boy is born. I think there is some superstition with regards to naming the unborn child. She confirms she has some proposals though.

[Gary A]

My wife's youngest sister recently had a baby. She and her husband are both from up country and are Buddhists. The baby is a boy. What did they name him? Patrick! I was quite surprised. My wife told me that they wanted the boy to have a farang name. Anyone else know of Thai parents who have given their baby a farang name?

[roy deacon]

As I often visit Thailand and get called FARANG where ever I go how about Farang Burden.They would get the name right every time.

I was even thinking about changing my name to Farang by deed poll

[madi]

Great news on the child to come.

I am posting in response to a poster who wrote that it is a Thai law that a child born here must have a Thai name if they are Thai

I am American and my wife is Thai and we had both our sons born in Bangkok. We live in Bangkok.

Their names are not Thai in any way. I named them both after my brothers. My Last name is not Thai. They are Thai citizens. My wife of course has a Thai name. She is happy with their names.

So while I am very happy for all that choose another way, it is not true that one must have a Thai name. It is true that the names must be translated into Thai for the birth certificate here but the names are still the same but just spelled in Thai.

I am not sure why anyone would think that it is a law that a parent must name their children a Thai name? This is simply not the case. Anyone who tells you otherwise is mistaken.

We were never asked to do any such thing like change their names to a Thai name by the Thai government. And yes--they both have Thai IDs.

Congratulations on the children everyone.

I know how hard you all work and I respect you all. The names are all good.

[cnxpat]

On another note, it was so much fun and so much of a struggle to find a name (or names) we both agreed on for our daughter, while my wife was pregnant - as I think it is for every expecting couple anywhere in the world.

The names chose are non-national, as in, not English, not Thai, not anything, just the names that we thought would fit our baby and names that we felt comfortable with.

Our daughter is almost 3 yo now, and we still refuse to accept nicknames for her, her name is hers, given by us, and finally people accept it. Living in Thailand means respect the culture and the way of life, and adjusting as much as you can and want, but it really doesn't mean (IMHO) bending over backwards to comply 100% and forget about your own culture, family, ancestry etc.

My wife is Thai, I am not, and we chose the names we liked, and (to be honest) never would have posted to an internet forum to ask help for a name or for suggestions!? sorry about that, but it is just such a personal decision!

Let your heart decide, not thai immigration, pronunciation difficulties, myths ... whatever you TOGETHER feel is the right name has to be the right name!

(yep, do make sure you can get an accurate thai spelling for the name though!)

Good luck and congratulations!

[Glauka]

Erika is a good name...

[Totster]

Erika is a good name...

Nah.. don't like it..

totster

[simon43]

Our baby son was born in Thailand about 6 weeks ago and we called him Peter Tanagorn. (Sorry, no Thai font on this Linux PC...)

Peter can be easily written in Thai and prounced Peeder, (high tone on the last syllable!). Tanagorn is the Thai name and looks/sounds fine in English.

We had no problems registering his birth/names at the Amphur because we had chosen his English name with a lot of thought as to how it is written in Thai etc.

The only issue we have is that he will take my surname (at my wife's insistance) and she will also change her last name to my name. (She knows that Thai law now doesn't discriminate against Thai wives who take their farang husband's surname).

My surname is Luttrell, which is not easy for a Thai to pronounce! Even worse, because it ends in 'L', Thai people will probably prounounce it as Lutren!!

Simon

[neverburi]

It's true and not a myth. Just gone through the hassles with this myself. My wife confirmed this recently at her Ampur - Bangkapi where she has her tabien baan.

If your child born after 1998, he/she must have thai name. You child can have a farang name only if it has a thai meaning, according to 1998 law the official told her this.

They just don't care if your child will use the thai name as a first name or middle name back in your home country,.....but in thailand he/she must have thai name on the thai ID and thai passport.

Incorrect,my daughter was born 2005 has an english first name and my surname

this is on both Thai birth certificate and Tabien baan however thais never use first

name anyway daughter has a Thai nickname.

NB

[coolnconfused]

Here's a fresh idea. Take your first name and your wife's first name. isolate the syllable sounds, then mix a lot of different combinations until you get the name you like. The name is original because its a combination of the parents names! As for having a Thai name by law, that is not true. I know many Thais with western and eastern (non-thai) names, and my kids have never had problems either.

[kenk3z]

Well, time has passed and we managed to come up with a name for our son that is easy for Thais and Americans to say.

Roy

We went over many names and had not firmly settled on anything, although we talked about this one at length. But nature will not be stopped and when the hospital trip materialized, we were not in any shape to think creatively about any alternatives - and so that's what we settled with.

The local Thais say he is very "farang" looking, and I expect this to overshadow any issue of status relative to having such a short name of only one syllable.

The rather interesting thing about all this is the monk's method of predicting the child's sex. He sat down a Buddha image in front of me and had me say a prayer (can't remember now exactly what I prayed for....). Then I was asked to hold the image a certain (awkward) way and lift it above my head with eyes closed. Then set it down. Then pick it up again. All of this while he watched.

Then my wife repeated the same thing.

"A boy" he pronounced.

As I understand it, if the image seems heavier to lift the second time, the indication is a boy. If the same effort or easier, a girl.

Ultrasound later confirmed this to be correct.........

kenk3z

[Neeranam]

QUOTE(BKK90210 @ 2006-04-29 03:46:06)

It's true and not a myth. Just gone through the hassles with this myself. My wife confirmed this recently at her Ampur - Bangkapi where she has her tabien baan.

If your child born after 1998, he/she must have thai name. You child can have a farang name only if it has a thai meaning, according to 1998 law the official told her this.

They just don't care if your child will use the thai name as a first name or middle name back in your home country,.....but in thailand he/she must have thai name on the thai ID and thai passport.

Incorrect,my daughter was born 2005 has an english first name and my surname

this is on both Thai birth certificate and Tabien baan however thais never use first

name anyway daughter has a Thai nickname.

My daughter was born in 2003 and her first name is Angelina, middle name Jinnipa.

This is on her Thai and English Birth cert. AND her Thai and UK passports.

Anyone that tells you you can't do it are speaking through their arse.