Would it be okay with you if someone called you a “pig” or a “buffalo? I didn’t think so. However in Thailand these are common names and there are many others that appear strange to our taste. The Thais use first and last names in the same way we do, but often they have so many syllables that it is extremely difficult for us to pronounce them and even more difficult to remember.
It was not always like that. In earlier times names in Thailand used to be shorter and easier. It is a fairly recent phenomenon that those never-ending names are in vogue. The Thais actually had to come up with a law that limits the amount of syllables that a name can have. This prevented the multi syllable name game from making legal transactions unmanageable. It is quite easy to change your name in Thailand. Don’t like it, no problem, pick another one. It is a fairly simple process.
I often asked people if they did not have an easier name. Nicknames to the rescue! Fortunately most Thais have one. In contrast they usually consist of just one syllable or letter. For simplicity’s sake Thais frequently use any one of the syllables of their real name as their nickname. Some nicknames appear quite strange to us. You can find Ms Pig, Mr. Buffalo, Mr. Dog, or Ms Bomb. How do they get names like that? Here are the actual stories of friends of mine here in Thailand.
Many nicknames are very descriptive. A female friend of mine is called “pig”. In the west such a name would be unthinkable, but in this case her parents looked at her baby fat and decided that she resembled a cute baby pig, hence the name. Yes, Thais consider this a very cute name. Of course if the girl decides someday that she doesn’t like her nickname anymore, she can simply change it. Then I have a friend whose name is “dog”. When he was a little boy, he was a real chatterbox to the point of grating on people’s nerves. His parents found that he resembled an excited puppy, so “dog” it was for him.
Thai nicknames may also be chosen for special powers. One man was always sickly as a boy and could never shake his various illnesses. So the folks in his village decided to call him buffalo, which is a powerful animal. There is even a saying ’strong as a buffalo’. Amazingly his chronic illnesses went away and he became a strong, healthy person, true to his name. But you need to be aware that “buffalo” is often used as an insult in Thailand. Buffaloes are seen as very stupid animals. “Stupid like a buffalo” is a derogatory way to talk about someone.
Nicknames can be literally colorful. The nickname of another friend of mine is: “Green” . She ended up with this name since as a baby she supposedly had a greenish complexion, and that became her name. 40 years down the line her skin looks perfectly normal, but she is still Miss Green.
Non-western cultures often place more importance on dreams than we do. Here is the story of a predictive dream of a Thai friend of mine. She visited a temple with her sister in law and a monk wanted to give a large beautiful precious stone to her sister in law. She declined the gift and requested that the monk give it to her friend who was very happy to receive it. When she woke up, she soon found out that she was pregnant. So she named the baby girl “Ploy”, the Thai name for ‘precious stone’. Since her sister in law had no desire to conceive a child, my friend interpreted the passing of the stone to herself as highly symbolic.
There are also some truly creative nicknames. The son of one of my friends happened to be born during the war between Iran and Iraq. The Thai news agencies published regular stories about all the shooting and bombing. Since she had not been able to decide on a good nickname for her newborn son, she just called him “bomb”.
There are nicknames which are totally meaningless. Many are just single letters like O, or E, or B. One-syllable western names like ‘Cat’ or ‘Joy’ are all the rage nowadays.
Some Thais use their legal first names, but the majority have nicknames. When you meet Thais, they will usually introduce themselves with their nicknames. You might find some of those nicknames strange, but they save us from having to repeat or remember those monstrosities of legal names which are so fashionable in Thailand.
