Lost in Cambodia: The Name Says it All..........

JOURNEY TO SELF DISCOVERY:

The beauty & significance of given names and their meanings

I have always pondered over the significance of a name. So, I am sure many of you also have asked yourself the age old question, “What’s In Your Name?” I have stumbled across some interesting insight on significance of a name. There is a secret hidden in name, whether it’s the name of a person or a thing, and it is formed in relation to the past, present and future conditions of its object. Names are one of the things that people and places have in common. Various naming traditions exist among different ethnics groups, but one universal factor holds true for names in general the meaning of a name has a great influence upon its possessor as well as upon others. From the sound of the letters and the word they compose the mystic can understand much about the character and the fate of a person.

For all purpose sake we will delve into the meaning of Khmer names. But before one can begin to understand the significance in the meaning of names in Khmer, one must first be briefed a little on the Khmer culture. So, bear with me while I lay some foundation down, give you a crash course on the Khmer culture. Cambodia has had a rich and diverse history dating back many centuries, and has been heavily influenced by countries such as India whilst emerging as a country with a an equally strong heritage.

Throughout its extensive history, religion has influenced the culture, language, and traditions. Over nearly two millennia, Cambodians developed a unique Khmer belief from the syncretism of indigenous animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of Buddhism and Hinduism. Indian culture and civilization, including its language and arts reached mainland Southeast Asia around the 1st century AD. It is generally believed that seafaring merchants brought Indian customs and culture to ports along the Gulf of Thailand and the Pacific while trading with China. The first state to benefit from this was Funan.

Historically, Cambodian names consist of a surname and a given name, in most of the cases there are no middle names. Cambodian names are usually either descriptive or beautiful derivatives from ancient Sanskrit with very pure, higher meanings. Girls names often reflect something beautiful from nature, with fragrant flowers and moonlight (the word for moon is chan) popular themes. As a rule, simple names are more common in the countryside and Sanskrit-derived names more often found in the cities. . Language, and especially name, shows the class of people and character of families, communities and races.

Buddhism has shaped the Cambodian psyche for many centuries, so not surprisingly names recalling a traditional Buddhist virtue such as softness, intelligence, goodness or wisdom are also common. Despite Buddhism being the state religion, however, Khmers also have a strong animist culture, so naming a child after an animal or plant with a certain prized characteristic is also common. Fate in Sanskrit is called karma, meaning the rhythm of past actions. The influence of rhythm suggested by a name has an effect upon the entity whose name it is, as well as upon those who call him by that name. Evenness of rhythm gives balance, while unevenness causes lack of balance. The beauty of rhythm beautifies the character of man. Many names are also interchangeable between the sexes.

Khmer names have a unique sound and feeling to them – for the most part they are distinctly Khmer and could never be confused with names from other countries in the region. Cambodians – and especially girls – will often have a pet name as well as their formal name, so Srey Mom (precious or adored girl), Srey Peouv (the youngest girl, the sweetest of the sweet), Srey Mao (black girl) and Srey Map (fat or plump girl) are common monikers for someone to introduce themselves by, although they may really be a Bopha (a type of sweet flower) or a Pich (precious diamond).

Some names are as simple as the day or month of the baby's birth, such as Tola (October), Makara (January) or Sok (from Tgnai Sok, or Friday), and some very common names state an obvious attribute about a person, such as Srey Touch (pronounced Tooch, meaning small girl). When pronouncing Cambodian names, the stress is usually on the last syllable, and when shortening a name, they will usually take the final syllable, so for example Chandina becomes Dina, or even Srey Na, and Sothy usually becomes Ty (pronounced Tee).

Let’s take a gander at my name for instance:

Thidavary

Thida => meaning a girl born of royalty, daughter of the gods; angelic girl, heavenly

Vary => meaning water; source of life

So what does it all mean?

Maybe '"angelic source of life.....'" ha hmmm!! or “ water princess” oh, I kind of like the sound of that one. Oh, wait! What about “Heavenly water girl”. What were my parents thinking exactly?????

All this talk of water is making me parched. While I take a moment to quench my thirst, it's ur turn... …

What's significance does YOUR name hold?

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