Exotic and Beautiful Cambodian Baby Names
Why Not Choose a Khmer Name for Your New Baby Boy or Girl?
Mar 3, 2009
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.
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. 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).
Below are three lists of potential Cambodian unisex, boy and girl baby names in no particular order which remain popular in modern Cambodia, as well as their meanings.
Unisex Cambodian baby names
Chaiya – a Sanskrit name meaning lustre, or, according to the research and resource center the Khmer Institute, also shadow, image, beauty and light. An unrelated version of this name also appears in the Hebrew language, where it means alive.
Tola – October. It also means a balance in Sanskrit. An unrelated version also appears in Irish Gaelic, where it means abundance.
Sovannara – dream
Sambath – fortune
Arun – pronounced similarly to a more familiar name to Westerners, Aaron, and meaning sun
Dara – the word for star
Samnang – lucky
Sovann – golden
Satya or Sathya – true
Sopheap – gentle
Kosal – merit, virtue, good karma
Piseth – special
Cambodian Baby Girl Names
Chanthou – a species of fragrant flower
Champey – another flower
Bopha – another flower
Channary – full moon, or moon faced
Kalliyan – the best
Chantrea – the moon
Malis – pronounced Marlees, jasmine flower
Kiri – mountain
Rom – happy
Kolap – rose
Soriya – the sun
Pich – rarely also spelt Peach, meaning a diamond
Chandina – the moonlight
Thida/Thyda – angelic girl
Kunthea – sweet smelling
Chenda – intellect
Nimol – without flaw
Tevy – a celestial deity, much like an angel
Voisanne – rainy or monsoon season, which is a very important season of abundance and new beginnings in Cambodian culture
Mei – beautiful
Cambodian Boy's Names
Bourey – estate, property, county
Seyha – a lion, also means August
Sangke – an important river in north-western Battambang province
Chankrisna – tree. Can also mean sweet, perfect hair according to the Khmer Institute
Bonna/Bunna – man
Rith/Rithy – strength, power. A legend important to the people of central Kampong Chhnang province revolves around a love story involving a brave warrior called Rithysen.
Raksmei – ray of light
Ratanak – treasure
Sokhem –hope
Veha – the sky
Vibol – abundance
Veasna – lucky
Phirun – the rain
Oudom/Odom – pronounced like the Western name Adam, meaning supreme, magnificent, excellent
Heng – usually a name given by Khmers of Chinese origin, meaning lucky
Sothy – intelligence
Amara – deity
Bora/Boran – ancient
Ponleu – light
Sangha – handsome
Sophal – cultivated
